debate on reservation
Dear student,
Debate on ‘Reservation’
Under the Indian law, reservation refers to a percentage of seats being reserved in the public sector units, union and state civil services, union and state government departments and in all public and private educational institutions, except in the religious/ linguistic minority educational institutions, for the socially and educationally backward communities and the Scheduled Castes and Tribes. When India got independence, it was felt that the historically oppressed communities should be given reservation to provide them opportunity to come up to the other communities. Yet even after seventy years of independence, the reservation system still continues, and the society is divided on its merits and demerits.
Debate in favour of reservation system:
Debate on ‘Reservation’
Under the Indian law, reservation refers to a percentage of seats being reserved in the public sector units, union and state civil services, union and state government departments and in all public and private educational institutions, except in the religious/ linguistic minority educational institutions, for the socially and educationally backward communities and the Scheduled Castes and Tribes. When India got independence, it was felt that the historically oppressed communities should be given reservation to provide them opportunity to come up to the other communities. Yet even after seventy years of independence, the reservation system still continues, and the society is divided on its merits and demerits.
Debate in favour of reservation system:
- Reservations are a political necessity in India. In the vote bank politics of the country, most political parties support reservations to people so they will vote for them.
- In the field of education, reservation has helped many from under-privileged and/or under-represented communities to grow educationally and ultimately get good jobs and rise to high posts.
- Reservation schemes are needed to provide social justice to the most marginalized and underprivileged which is their human right.
- Meritocracy is meaningless without equality! All people must be brought to the same basic level, so they can live a life of dignity and happiness.
- With reservations it has been attempted by the government to try and bridge the gap between the rich and the poor.
- Many feel that reservations is dividing India along caste, and gender equations. Reservation is similar to internal partition because in addition to being a form of ethnic discrimination, it also builds walls against inter-caste and inter-faith tolerance. .
- Reservations are the biggest enemy of meritocracy. As it gives promotion based on birth and not merit. .
- Allocating quotas is a form of discrimination which is contrary to the right to equality.
- The policy of reservation has never been subject to a widespread social or political audit. Before extending reservation to more groups, the entire policy needs to be properly examined.
- Poor people from “forward castes” do not have any social or economic advantage over rich people from backward caste.
- There is fear that reservation once introduced will never be withdrawn due to political issues.
- This policy of the government has already caused immense brain drain. Talented students are moving to foreign universities for higher education since many seats are reserved and they do not fit into those categories.