http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Editorial/Have_quotas_started_a_race_to_bottom/articleshow/2101503.cms
Have quotas started a race to bottom? [ WEDNESDAY, JUNE 06, 2007 12:34:47 AM] More inclusive reservations needed For the past three years in a row, the Indian economy has grown at a rate of 8.5% or more. But this growth has not been equitable. Today, there are voices from within the government itself, which are calling for more inclusiveness. A principle that advocates support for the socially and educationally backward so that they can join the mainstream cannot be disputed. If at all, there is need for enhancing the scope of reservations to include the economically backward among the forward castes, or, for that matter, any other grouping that is lagging behind as a result of historical or recent disadvantage. Many of the so-called forward castes of today are living in abject conditions in villages because of the relative failure of agriculture (growth has plateaued in the 1%-2% range) in the face of shrinking holdings and decreasing productivity. Granted, the execution of the reservation policy till date has been flawed. First, any policy guideline should be based on comprehensive census data, and, steps are needed to constantly monitor and rectify the policy as required. Secondly, on a case by case basis, reservations should be discontinued once they have attained their purpose, like in Tamil Nadu where the backward castes which initially needed handholding now dominate education and service. Talking about Tamil Nadu, in spite of having 68%-69% reservations in educational institutions and government jobs for close to three decades now, the state is one of the most progressive in the country. This is a good counter-argument against the votaries of meritocracy. Reservation is a necessity because the corporates and the thriving middle class have shown themselves to be incapable of carrying along their underprivileged brethren in their forward march. The ever-growing disparity between sections of society, which lie cheek-by-jowl to each other, has been mocked at by many a visiting foreigner, if only to discredit our development. At the same time, there are sections that are not ready to share the benefits they enjoy. If the governments these masses elect after braving the sun, rain and cold do not care for them, who will? Bhupesh N Singh Senior Manager WNS Global Services Exclude powerful OBCs from quotas The reservation policy is aimed at providing and retrieving an opportunity lost to the economically and socially ostracised sections of the nation. This privilege was provided for in the Constitution and has benefited marginalised communities for the past 50 years. The market economy as a model was chosen in the last decade. In this model, competing with the best in the world is an accepted institutional goal. This has brought, in its wake, a better (read western) style of living. The role of the state, as an employment generator, has declined over a period of time. There is, therefore, a competition of a different nature — to be a part of the underprivileged whose members are now enjoying this privilege for the third or fourth generation. This race to the bottom has assumed alarming proportions, as there is a constitutional guarantee attached to this. Hitherto, the reservation-seeking backward castes competed with upper castes. Of late, the underprivileged classes/castes have been competing among themselves. The shrinking of this contentious social space, which has come to be inhabited by large number of players, has led to heightening tensions that are being fanned by our opportunist politicians. To inject some order into this dangerously chaotic milieu, a system to exclude some of those groups that are now on par with the upper castes, thanks to the quota benefits they have been enjoying, need to be devised. Though the time is ripe for such thinking, the policymakers are probably in no mood to stir up the hornet's nest. The reservations, meant to provide a level playing field, have now become a means to subvert this healthy competition. A complete change of the collective social mindset is imperative. Equally important is the need to send out a strong message that reservations are meant to encourage and enable truly backward sections to climb up the socio-economic ladder, not to accumulate political power through competitive identity politics. That should be followed by concerted attempts , in the domain of policy-making, to ensure that social groups that have more than benefited from quotas be excluded to make way for first-timers. This requires a strong political will. P S S Murthy GM, SAP Training Academy* (*SEAL InfoTech Pvt Ltd) -- Subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a BLANK email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! 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