Reservation

I know I'm not the first one writing about this highly debated issue of our democracy. Reservation. Nobody is against reservation, truth be told. Putting aside endless mockery, ridicule and hype created by our politicians, people from the non-reservation part of society are not bugged about the facility of reservation, uplifting those in need, but what bugs the most is the fact that this isn't being reached to the actual needy people.

It was way back about a century that the situations demanded a need for unbiased ruling. And in those times almost 75% of Indians were illiterate. People who were illiterate mostly belonged to all parts of the country. So when development is a requirement, the well-off Indians could afford education facilities while others just have to keep regretting on their financial backdrop, in order to avoid this, reservation was a need and still is. But unfortunately, most of the poor belonged to the lower casts. It was a simple definition ‘If you belong to a lower cast you are most likely to be financially handicapped’. So Late Mr. B.R.Ambedkar took the action by providing reservation to the lower casts. Some say, he suggested the reservation be carried for a certain amount of time and then removed. But present bureaucrats are extending this time period. As I said, this is one of the rumors and no fact authenticity is being claimed by me.

But times changed. Not because of reservation, but because of the fact that population, demand, occupations, modernization and other factors came into play through this time. And now, there are poor in all castes equally. There are considerably well settled citizens in lower castes as there are financially handicapped in higher castes. Now, for a student to get into IIMB through CAT in general category requires 98 percentile. The same for SC, ST is 55 and for OBC is 75. Its completely unjust to discriminate in admission to a crème institute in as basic element as Entrance Test! Most of the students studying in a simple English medium (which is the case in most urban areas) could expect a decent 55 percentile in CAT with a good math and beginner English. So, in this case, a GEN category student, whose financial condition is more deprived is left aiming at the bulls eye, while his peer being from reserved category could manage it with ease! People are never against Reservation, as long as it is given to those who deserve and in a way that is just. Financial liberation could be expected, a lenience of 10 percentile could be expected…or even more.

Living in a country that claims to be Secular, Democratic and a mixture of other socio-governances existing, it is absurd to think that the very threat of Castism is unknowingly being groomed by our own Government in the name of reservation. There are only two real classifications in a society, Haves and Have-nots. We have provided a nation where people struggle to get into the elite Haves or suffer as the Have-nots or end up complaining the Haves for eating up the Have-nots. So it is either struggle, suffer or ridicule….whereas it was supposed to be struggling to exceed alone. If a real development is in the agenda, the reservation should be modulated, not ruled out. Keep it based on the financial status of a citizen. Government did allow a facility of having a limit as to any reservation expecting individual has a family income of 4,50,000 p.a., doesn’t deserve the benefits. But no one speaks about the GEN category citizens whose annual income hardly exceeds 1,50,000! They still need to battle for the highest targets irrespective of the very limitations they face financially which led to the inception of Reservation considering backward castes.

Castes are to be eliminated, Reservation is to be given as a financial aid to the poor not a short-cut to them irrespective of their financial status. For this we need Bureaucrats, people who are up for a change, to build a society that could feed all. Take a step. Build UR own Country.