Does India still need reservation? Can we go on without it?

What is reservation?

Reservation in India is a system of affirmative action that provides reservation for historically and currently disadvantaged groups in Indian society in education, employment and politics. Reservation is basically given to three groups namely Scheduled Caste, Schedule Tribe and Other Backward Classes abbreviated as SC, ST and OBC’s, it’s main purpose is to bring these three historically oppressed categories into the mainstream and to make sure they are properly represented in public life.

Where does reservation exist in India?

1. It exists in education in the form of reserved seats and scholarships to SCs,STs,OBCs,BCs,Women,Muslims and other minorities simply because the aforementioned categories have had very little or close to no representation in employment and education because they were oppressed socially from a long time.

2. In employment where a fixed percentage of India’s government and public sector jobs are reserved for people based on their caste.

3. If the above  mentioned was not enough, there are reservations in Central government funded educational institutions with 22.5 percent of seats reserved for SCs and STs together (7.5 for STs and 15 for SCs) which was raised to 49.5 percent by an additional 27 percent reservation to OBCs source-wiki. The Supreme Court had put a cap on the percentage of reservation in states saying that it should not exceed 50 percent but you’ll be astonished to know that  it exceeds 50 percent in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Telangana with Maharashtra topping the list with 75 percent reservation(See here).

Do we still need reservation?

The answer depends on whom you ask. If you ask someone from General category, he will tell you to abolish it. If you ask someone from  reserved category, he will tell you to increase the quota even more.

There is no denying the fact that the SCs, STs and other backward castes have faced oppression from the  Upper classes from the time the Caste system or the Varna System was established. The major four Varna’s then were Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra, where your caste by birth will decide what you will do for a living. Surprisingly or ironically more so, Bhagwad Gita says “Your birth will not decide what your Caste is, your job will decide your Caste”.Ironic isn’t it?

 The thing that fueled the terrible and atrocious activities like untouchability and social boycotting of lower classes was the Caste system which exists in India, deep-rooted in our society and is as old as India itself. Even though nothing can justify the wrongs done to them in the older times but one thing we can hold responsible is the backwardness of the mentalities of the so called Upper classes. But as we’ve progressed as a species we have learned to not distinguish people based on their Caste, I’m not saying everybody has learned it but it has started somewhere and that’s the whole point. The caste system started somewhere and became the way how people looked at their counterparts of lower classes. This change too will take time but this change is for the good of everyone. In my opinion India still does need reservation but not based on Caste, but based on economic situation of the person. So that the person that really does need a head start will receive and join the others in the already stressed out competition to succeed. If he’s able to make a fortune for himself he won’t require a reservation for his son/daughter, if they have it they’ll achieve it, no more head starts for them.

In order to achieve social homogeneity reservation based on Caste needs to be abolished, I’m well aware that this will have very bad short term effects but as far as I can think this is for the betterment of this country in the long run. 

-ANUJ GHATATE