CASTE BASED RESERVATION POLICY OF INDIA

 The hindu society has divided their community in hereditary classes based on their purity. The caste system emerged from the “Chaturvana System” which divided the Hindu Society into four varnas namely : Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. According to the caste system, The Brahmins were the highest in the hierarchy, there were teachers and itellectuals. The lowest position in the caste system was given to the Shudras who did all the menial jobs. The shudras were not allowed to pursue education. According to the caste system, every generation born in a particular caste would continue doing the work of their castes only. Due to which, the Shudras were only entitled to carry out the so called derogatory jobs such as rag-picking and cleaning.

There were mainly three categories under the weaker sections namely : Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. Post independence, the subject matter of discrimination against the backward classes emerged. After which certain steps were taken for the betterment of the backward and weaker sections of india. The use of derogatory terms such as “Dalits” were abolished and made illegal. Apart from that, emerged reservation in educational institues for socially and economically backward sections of India. Under the right to equality and right to education, everyone despite their caste, religion, gender or race has the right to be educated. However, due to the caste system of India , these classes under the shudras weren’t allowed to be educated. As a duty of the government, another article under the right to equality was established which allowed the right to reservation for these weaker sections of the society. The reservation system is often also seen as an exception to the right to equality. However, the right to equality encircles the uplifment of backward sections of the society.

                              Source : Google Images

The caste reservation system in India has always been a hot topic for discussion amongst the youth. For this blog, I would like to restrict our discussion to the caste reservation in educational institutes. A section of the youth finds it unjustified to have a fair chance of opportunity for everyone to compete for seats in the renowned educational institues. A large section of the seats are occupied under the reservation policy and only a handful of them are left for the people of general category to compete for. Moreover, there is a huge hurdle and setback for the students of general category even after entering the institues, they find out how the people coming from the reservation category aren’t even having the basic knowledge of the elementary school.  However, some others argue that since it is the duty of the government to uplift the backward sections of the society and bring them to the level of equal opportunities, it is justified.

In my personal opinion , both the sides have their part to say and every argument of the two sides is individually correct. However, looking at the ever growing population of india, the number of candidates are continously increasing to the relatively constant number of seats in the educcational institutions. Everyone should be given a fair and just chance to compete for all the seats. However, for the uplifment of the economically weaker sections, the schoolingfor children upto 12^th standard should be done by the government for free. Once everyone has the same level of knowledge to compete, they should be left to appear for examinations on the grounds of their own hardwork. Furthermore, for the students winning the seats in the institutes based on their own will and hardwork, they can be given scholarships by the government and a huge amount of redemption of the fees. By doing so, there would be a fair amount of balance between equal opportunities for all and the uplifment of the weaker. Making such huge changes in the system might create havoc and disruptancy in the first place, but it might end up being a better solution in the long run. Moreover, reduction in the extent of reservation would further help in reducing the problem of brain-drain that the country faces and hold back its best potential minds which have been nurtured under the land of India itself!

 

                                 Source : Google Images