RESERVATION IN INDIA

What is reservation?

In India discrimination has been very evident since historical times. People were classified into
four varnas, i.e. Brahmin, Kshatriya Vaishya and Shudra; and the class in which they belonged
used to be their sole identity.

The backward classes have been the victims of injustice since ages. They did not have any
educational rights, they were treated as untouchables, their entry was forbidden in the temples,
and the list is endless. After independence, when our own constitution came into force it laid
down certain provisions to compensate the historic injustice faced by the backward castes by
means of providing them a specific amount of reservation in the fields of education employment
and politics. The current reservation percentages as are as follows- OBC 27% SC 15% ST 7.5%
and EWS 10%.

Arguments against reservation

Although, the reservation policy aims at giving equal social status to all, but somewhere it
perpetuates the imparity based on caste by giving more opportunities and favors to the few. It is
also being said that the criterion of reservation should be the economic status and not just the
caste. When the people who are full of resources and are privileged get the seat which belongs to
someone who actually needs it, it creates conflicts and grudges among the people in the society.
What we need to understand?

The common mistake that people make while understanding reservation is that they think that
the reason behind its existence is the poor financial condition of the backward classes but in
actual it's not just about the economic status, reservation is being given because of the
discrimination that one faces just because he or she belongs to a particular caste. What about the
interviewer who may reject a candidate just because of his caste? What about the employee who
may not get promoted just because his boss considers him inferior because of his backward
caste?

What is the solution?

Removing reservation system completely is not a solution but given the present scenario, some
amendments can surely be made. We can apply the concept of creamy and non-creamy layer for
all the castes. We should also focus on educating the people who are unaware and don't have any
clue of this reservation policy which is there for them.
Our motive should not be to remove reservation totally, but to provide it to them who actually
need it.