Affirmative action for real poor mustBelow Poverty Line (BPL) families must be given incentives to improve their lives and education.
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The sudden emergence of Hardik Patel as a leader of the Patel community in Gujarat and his demand for Patels to be included in the list of Other Backward Communitues (OBCs) has made the entire nation sit up and have a relook at the policy of job reservation for OBCs. One wonders why we are so keenly competing with each other in bagging a tag of backwardness for ourselves rather than competing for advancement.
The very introduction of reservations for the OBCs was through massive agitations by these sections, which were opposed by equally massive pro-tests. Finally, a political decision was taken by the then V P Singh government at the Centre and its most important consideration was the large vote bank represented by the OBCs.
It is unfortunate that groups with larger numbers of people, which also mean larger vote banks, have succeeded in getting the tag of OBC through a combination of agitational approach and political clout. And the Patels, big on both these factors, may win it too.
Coming to the issues associated with this policy, the one major point which is most worrisome, is the concept of the creamy layer among the OBCs – now capped at Rs 6 lakh per annum as the maximum income of the family of the candidate – seeking jobs reserved for the them.
Is it not ridiculous that children of families with such high incomes be eligible for the reserved quota? It is no secret that children of some affluent OBC families have been able to mange their seats under the OBC quota, simply because they could hoodwink both the income tax authorities as well as the income certificate issuing authorities.
When looking at the below creamy layer of OBCs and comparing them with the Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, I find that great injustice is being done to those BPL families who are not covered under the OBC category. There are fairly large numbers of so-called upper caste and other non-OBC BPL families having a monthly income of up to Rs 50,000 p.a., whose plight is worse than the OBC families.
Their only crime seems to be their tag of upper caste, which, in any case, does not help them eke out a reasonable living. This injustice needs to be addressed. The other, even more important, issue is one of comparative merit between the general category candidates and the OBC candidates. Sample the figures for the two topmost services viz. IAS and IFS in 2007 – the last general category candidate selected for IAS had a merit rank of 78 and for IFS, it was 92.
Whereas, it was 118 and 257 respectively for the OBC candidates. This gap in their comparative merit has been increasing year after year. In 2013, it was 91 for IAS and 141 for IFS for general category against 384 and 448 respectively for the OBC category.
Another aspect of reservation for OBCs is the size of their population and to what extent reservation of a few jobs will help them overcome their backwardness.
Estimates of their population vary from about 40 per cent to 52 per cent (50 crore to 67 crore) of India’s total population. And now, with the financial limit for the creamy layer being raised to Rs six lakh per annum, the benefit will mainly go to a better-off segment of the OBCs.
Becoming a ‘nation’
India is still a country and has a long way to go before it becomes a nation. Divisions in our society based on caste, religion, language, region etc. stand in the way of India becoming a nation. We must now think of how to overcome these divisions.
To begin with, we must do away with reservations for OBCs altogether and in its place introduce affirmative action for the real poor, irrespective of their caste, community and religion. Our main target group for such affirmative action should be people Below Poverty Line (BPL), which is a well-defined secular group of our citizens.
There is no caste or religious consideration attached to it. They should be given all the incentives to improve their livelihood and education, and the meritorious among them should be given scholarships and other support.
I am aware that doing away with reservations for OBCs, or for that matter in any other sphere, will not be easily acceptable to our political class but at some stage the country will have to take hard decisions for the long term benefit.
We can only develop as a nation through hard work and by giving merit where its due, and not through reservations. One hopes that the Patel agitation in Gujarat will generate enough public opinion in favour of abolition of reservations for the OBCs and replace it with affirmative action for the real poor. It is time that we say good bye to caste-based reservations and provide support only to those who are really needy.
(The writer is former Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka, and President, Policy Analysis and Action Research Centre (PAARC), Bengaluru)
The very introduction of reservations for the OBCs was through massive agitations by these sections, which were opposed by equally massive pro-tests. Finally, a political decision was taken by the then V P Singh government at the Centre and its most important consideration was the large vote bank represented by the OBCs.
It is unfortunate that groups with larger numbers of people, which also mean larger vote banks, have succeeded in getting the tag of OBC through a combination of agitational approach and political clout. And the Patels, big on both these factors, may win it too.
Coming to the issues associated with this policy, the one major point which is most worrisome, is the concept of the creamy layer among the OBCs – now capped at Rs 6 lakh per annum as the maximum income of the family of the candidate – seeking jobs reserved for the them.
Is it not ridiculous that children of families with such high incomes be eligible for the reserved quota? It is no secret that children of some affluent OBC families have been able to mange their seats under the OBC quota, simply because they could hoodwink both the income tax authorities as well as the income certificate issuing authorities.
When looking at the below creamy layer of OBCs and comparing them with the Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, I find that great injustice is being done to those BPL families who are not covered under the OBC category. There are fairly large numbers of so-called upper caste and other non-OBC BPL families having a monthly income of up to Rs 50,000 p.a., whose plight is worse than the OBC families.
Their only crime seems to be their tag of upper caste, which, in any case, does not help them eke out a reasonable living. This injustice needs to be addressed. The other, even more important, issue is one of comparative merit between the general category candidates and the OBC candidates. Sample the figures for the two topmost services viz. IAS and IFS in 2007 – the last general category candidate selected for IAS had a merit rank of 78 and for IFS, it was 92.
Whereas, it was 118 and 257 respectively for the OBC candidates. This gap in their comparative merit has been increasing year after year. In 2013, it was 91 for IAS and 141 for IFS for general category against 384 and 448 respectively for the OBC category.
Another aspect of reservation for OBCs is the size of their population and to what extent reservation of a few jobs will help them overcome their backwardness.
Estimates of their population vary from about 40 per cent to 52 per cent (50 crore to 67 crore) of India’s total population. And now, with the financial limit for the creamy layer being raised to Rs six lakh per annum, the benefit will mainly go to a better-off segment of the OBCs.
Becoming a ‘nation’
India is still a country and has a long way to go before it becomes a nation. Divisions in our society based on caste, religion, language, region etc. stand in the way of India becoming a nation. We must now think of how to overcome these divisions.
To begin with, we must do away with reservations for OBCs altogether and in its place introduce affirmative action for the real poor, irrespective of their caste, community and religion. Our main target group for such affirmative action should be people Below Poverty Line (BPL), which is a well-defined secular group of our citizens.
There is no caste or religious consideration attached to it. They should be given all the incentives to improve their livelihood and education, and the meritorious among them should be given scholarships and other support.
I am aware that doing away with reservations for OBCs, or for that matter in any other sphere, will not be easily acceptable to our political class but at some stage the country will have to take hard decisions for the long term benefit.
We can only develop as a nation through hard work and by giving merit where its due, and not through reservations. One hopes that the Patel agitation in Gujarat will generate enough public opinion in favour of abolition of reservations for the OBCs and replace it with affirmative action for the real poor. It is time that we say good bye to caste-based reservations and provide support only to those who are really needy.
(The writer is former Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka, and President, Policy Analysis and Action Research Centre (PAARC), Bengaluru)