The reservation system in India has been a hot topic for debate for years. The reservations in India centre on affirmative action policies designed to uplift historically marginalised communities, primarily like Scheduled Castes[SC] and the Scheduled Tribes[ST], by providing them preferential treatment in education and employment. While it is arguably correct that it’s crucial for social justice and equality, people raise concerns about meritocracy, potential discrimination against other groups, and the enforcement of caste-based divisions.
The dropout rate of SC/ST is 10% higher than that of students belonging to the upper caste. And that means, for every 10 students from the upper caste who drop out, 14 SC/ST students drop out of their respective schools or universities. The education ministry of India reported that around 13.5k SC/ST, OBC students had dropped out from government institutions like IIT, IIM, in the past 5 years. This means that discrimination based on caste is still an ongoing issue, and it requires a different approach than just caste-based reservation. This article dives deep into the historical injustice against the backwards castes, how the reservation has impacted these lives, what can be a different and more effective approach to solve the issue at the grassroots level, and whether it has affected the merit students.
Historical Injustice.
Reservation policies in India, which are aimed at addressing historical injustices and promoting social equity, have deep roots in the country’s caste system and colonial past. While the concept of reservation was initially proposed in 1882, the modern reservation system took shape during British rule and has evolved significantly after India’s independence.
The caste system created a system of social, economic, and political discrimination against lower castes, denying them access to education, employment, and other opportunities. The British colonial administration introduced policies like the Government of India Act of 1909 and the communal award of 1932, which introduced separate electorates and reservations for certain communities, including Dalits or previously known as Untouchables. The Poona Pact, signed by Mahatma Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar, modified the communal award by establishing a single Hindu electorate with reserved seats for the depressed classes.
After India’s independence, the reservation policy initially focused on the Scheduled castes[SC] and the Scheduled Tribes[ST]. The Mandal Commission’s recommendations in 1991 led to the inclusion of Other Backwards Castes[OBC] in the reservation system. In 2019, the 103rd Constitutional Amendment introduced a 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections[EWS], extending reservation beyond caste-based criteria.
Has a reservation impacted lives?
In India, the reservation for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes in higher education is 22.5%. The outcome of this initiative was that the representation has increased from 7.0 in the 1970s to 14.4 for the Scheduled Castes community, and the representation for the Scheduled Tribes has increased from 1.6 to 5.2. An issue raised about this reservation is that the creamy layer or the richer upward classes are the beneficiaries of this reservation, and that these students waste seats; a study on this issue showed no such adverse effects.
The reservation for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Tribes in government administration has proved impactful for the community. The representation for SC’s and STs has significantly increased over the years from 13.2 in 1965 to 17.0 in 2011 for the Scheduled Castes and from 2.3 to 7.4 for the Scheduled Tribes. But the truth is that most government SC’s and STs are in Group C and D categories. No SC was appointed in the 149 top officer positions, and 40% people from the caste do menial jobs or ‘Safai Karamchari’ that belong to the group D category of jobs. Some people critiqued that the reservation reduces the effectiveness of the employees, but a case study on Indian Railways proves that there is no such adverse effect of the reservation. On the contrary, the proportion of SC/ST employees in high-level positions is positively associated with IR productivity and productivity growth.
The National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme, which prioritised the backwards castes like SC’s and STs, created large gains for the targeted minorities, and these gains came at the cost of the relatively privileged and not the other minorities.
A boost in job reservation increased 5% points for jobs for people belonging to the backwards classes. It is reported that 0.8 years of education has increased for the students belonging to these castes. Political reservation has increased transfers to the minority of the castes. Even though villagers living in reserved villages continue to think poorly of members of the SC’s and STs, the reservation decreases the discriminatory intentions.
Is caste-based reservation enough?
30% higher upper caste people got jobs in contrast to people belonging to lower castes. Despite the reservation policies of the government, employment discrimination still exists.
Out of 245 Supreme Court judges, only 7 were Dalits. Cultural and Social capital highly impacts the access to opportunities for these backwards castes. A study found that Brahmin adults gain more education than adults from other social groups. This proves that educational attainment is not equally distributed across caste lines, which leads to disparities in access to resources, education, and employment. Hence, there is still a need for the upliftment of these castes.
DEI, which stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion which is a framework used by organisations to promote fair treatment and full participation of all individuals, particularly those who have been historically underrepresented or marginalised. Diverse thinking enhances innovation and promotes efficiency. DEI initiatives aim to create workplaces and other settings where everyone feels welcome, respected, and has equal opportunities to succeed.
The biggest reason for the existence of the disparity in employment, education, and political representation is the deep-rooted, internalised stigma that leads to the devaluation, exclusion, and marginalisation of individuals based on their caste identity. There is a need for greater social integration or association between castes. This should start from the schools of our country, which should integrate and show no signs of discrimination between the different cases that the students belong to. A study in a Delhi school found that having poor classmates makes rich students more prosocial, generous, and egalitarian, and less likely to discriminate against poor students.
According to B.R. Ambedkar, “The real remedy for breaking caste is inter-caste marriage.” Inter-caste marriage is another way for social integration. Only 5.8% of marriages in India are inter-caste. Many families are keen to marry their children off to a family belonging to the same caste, even if the groom does not have a job.
There is also a role of the police and judiciary in the enforcement of the laws against cruelty to SC and ST communities. The SC and ST Act, 1955, and the SC and ST Act, 1989, are two important pieces of Indian legislation aimed at preventing discrimination and atrocities against SC and ST castes. These laws must be strictly enforced, and the cases must be registered efficiently by the police.
Are reservations against merit students?
The Supreme Court, in recent judgments, challenged the traditional, narrow understanding of “merit” used to oppose reservations, particularly by upper castes. The court has emphasised that merit cannot be divorced from the realities of social and historical inequalities. It has also acknowledged that systematic discrimination prevents some from accessing opportunities, and that reservations can be a tool to address these disparities. Furthermore, the court has upheld the validity of sub-classifying Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to better support the most disadvantaged within those groups.
The low acceptance rates for UPSC and IIT, which are extremely low, often around 0.1% to 0.3% create intense competition and pressure on the students. The solution is not to remove the reservation system, which is only a small proportion of the total seats, but to increase the number of seats. This will ensure that the deserving candidates get placed and that the minority groups are uplifted.
The scheme launched for SC, OBC aspirants of UPSC and JEE in 2016 has seen over 10% of the candidates who were given free coaching crack the various exams in the last four years. Such schemes must continue to be launched by the government. The government must also initiate to removal of the internalised stigma surrounding the lower castes so that the backwards castes are uplifted. There must come a time when there is no need for reservation because everyone, irrespective of their caste, gets equal opportunities.