Monday, December 5, 2011

On Reservation

       When one is at the top of a social or economic ladder , the vision gets distorted and you are bound to see the issue as small compared to it's original dimension . Positive discrimination to uplift the dis-advantaged is a welcome policy for every state which wish to project it-self as a welfare organ of governance .Indian Constitution is designed with certain goals through Directive Principles and of them is the objective of elevating the down trodden section of society . Accordingly the state incorporated - a policy of providing reservations to people coming from Scheduled Castes and Tribes in employment in Government jobs.This however could not fulfill the desired needs of an emerging economy .On the contrary this policy created divide amongst those placed higher in social structure and those who were being benefited by the policy , more over it offered an opportunity to political class to use this as a means of building vote - banks .Reservation was initially introduced for a certain time - to be extended further , if the objective is lagging but , it turned into a situation - when the rulers are put on a tiger's back .The moment you dismount the tiger - tiger will eat you up .Further ,those who tasted power out of this policy felt that if another section is provided a similar advantage ,they will be able to create another vote-bank to either solidify their grip to power or to counter one section with another .What-ever,
this fair intentions of  constitution framers is watered down by power greedy politicos , as the policy created a large inefficient machinery which can move only through the grease of corruption .
       Now we are at the cross-roads of destiny ,continue with a faulty policy or repair it ,so that the country may leap ahead into the trajectory which will take us into a developed nation , stage .The two Czars of  Indian I.T.industry , Mr Narayan Murthy and Mr.Azim Premji spoke against reservation and raised the issue of compromising efficacy .This leaves us with two well spelt posers : one , do we still need reservation and is it causing inefficiency . Both aspects are equally important : firstly - yes we still need reservations but with necessary corrections like : the families of those STs ,SCs & OBCs who are well placed already need not be provided with this benefit , Govt. must provide proper schooling to all those who it desires to cover under this privilege along with hostel facilities and lastly the reservation entitlement must be on the basis of economic positioning and not on caste ,as is now .Secondly ,efficacy must not be compromised  and for that reserve jobs only at the lowest level of it's machinery and no further ,sure it could continue to increase wages through a time scale .May good governance prevail with a true sense of uplift of those left behind . 

No comments:

Post a Comment