A welfare nation follows
principle of development of life conditions for all categories of
citizen. So the constitution makers of nascent democratic India
kept provision to safeguard interest of many ethic groups, who
lived away from the mainstream of life over centuries. These ethic
groups are tribes and some identified communities of
underprivileged nature. The policy of special benefits in job
market is popularly known as ‘Reservation’ system. As per
population proportion, these scheduled communities were earmarked
certain percentage of job in public sector. A package of other
facilities was also provided including representation in elected
authoritative bodies.
Although the reservation
prescription was per some limited time with intention to achieve
development, subsequent governments extended not only tenure but
also its ambit for electoral gains. After more than fifty years of
pursuing the policy, the scheduled communities live in the lap of
illiteracy, malnutrition and object poverty. On the other hand,
there are occasional protests about increasing quota of
reservation by the general people who remain deprived in
employment even though reserved jobs remain vacant due to lack of
proper candidates from scheduled categories.
Anti-reservation movements
not only become serious about law and orders, but also create a
rift on the line of ethnicity and castes. This is neither good for
the beneficiary or the deprived. The social distinction is
strengthened, weakening national solidarity. Sections of people,
who are economically poor and live by indigenous methods, are
branded as ‘Backward’ or ‘weaker’ section fit only for
pity of the ‘advanced’ and ‘Affluent’. Such attitude
lowers the self-esteem of the communities, who survived through
generations on their own efforts. These hill forest people lived
in autonomous society with own system of governance. As science
based technology eluded these people, they immersed in poverty and
became within ‘Dalit’ (down-trodden).
The advanced people
exploited them in various ways, like destroying natural resources,
converting them into labours, displacing from ancestral home land
and forcing commercial consumerism for their daily need. These are
all happening under the full glare of governmental administration.
In lieu of that members of these communities are eligible for job
in reserve quota and various facilities.
Half centuries of these
packages of benefits have created a ‘Class’ among the
scheduled communities, who only reap the harvest of such
opportunities. Most of the enumerated ‘Below poverty line’
families are from these deprived communities .the other
communities like Hindu castes, Muslims, Christians and other
religious sects are also poor and require economic advantage.
Poverty does not discriminate. The most unfortunate matter is
these poor persons are not born in scheduled communities.
In a time, when people are
required to forget their caste/creed affiliation and irrational
social hierarchy, the reservation policy is based on affiliation
by birth. Poor of all communities need government help equally.
Development plan should be designed in such ways that it does not
affect self-prestige, elevate self-reliance and does not create
disparity among the people. Unless the ignorant people are
educated about their situation they will not come up with definite
desire to adapt to the changing techno-economic scenario of
contemporary world. Privileges are likely to generate a sense of
dependency.