gfiles magazine

October 19, 2012


Vol. 6 | issue 7 | August 2012
 
MY CORNER
reservation amitabh thakur
 
Don’t ignore the poor
If we base reservation on economic criterion, then alone will the truly
needy benefit and the the concept of equality upheld
 
Reservation in Government jobs has been one of the most controversial and contentious topics in India, right from its inception. Today, it is again being hugely debated, with the Central Government bringing in a new bill as regards certain provisions related to reservations in promotion. The genesis of this concept lies in the hierarchical caste system in India, more so as regards those who have been called Shudras and Pancham, previously regarded as outcasts or untouchables. The blatant inequality of these groups led the Constitution-makers to opt for the provisions of reservation. This happened despite there being very strong emphasis of the Constitution on the concept of equality.
 
There are many issues related with reservation, but the one I would specifically like to discuss is as regards the logic of reservations being made on the basis of economic criteria and not on the basis of caste. This thought has been doing the rounds for long but with more and more provisions coming in as regards caste-based reservations, a large section of people are slowly converging to the idea for setting aside all caste-based reservations and introducing the alternative form of reservation based solely on economic criteria. This issue occupied the national imagination, with an Office Memorandum being issued on September 25, 1991, which provided for 27 per cent reservation to Backward Classes and 10 per cent reservation to other economically backward sections of people not covered by any of existing schemes of reservation....................READ MORE

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