Can it be a remedy?

Manifestos, containing programmes and policies of political parties, project a tantalising future for the country.

People hardly vote on the basis of promises made therein, and those taking pains to go through them are not credulous enough to be fooled into believing what is promised.

 

They look at it wistfully. However, on coming to power, a political party can implement a controversial policy if it figures in its manifesto saying that it has mandate to do so.

 

One such controversial policy is reservation in jobs for weaker sections which is already in force in government jobs. Bihar’s ruling party Janata Dal (U), in its manifesto has promised reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs in jobs in the private sector.

The Congress Party has also made a similar promise for SCs/STs but it is couched in cautious and conciliatory words that efforts will be made to evolve consensus for affirmative action in the private sector. 

 

Reservation is one of the measures of affirmative action, but unfortunately, in India, it has come to mean nothing but reservation.

In a caste-ridden stratified society, the issue is emotive with a strong potential to fetch votes.

No wonder, the Congress not only made the same promise in its manifestos of 2004 and 2009, but it was part of the Congress-led UPA-I government’s Common Minimum Programme (CMP).

 

Reportedly, the Congress SC cell has also made a similar demand now.

 

As was expected, the corporate world has expressed anguish and unhappiness over the promise calling it populism at its worst.

 

A significant provision was made in the Companies Act, 2013, for the corporate social responsibility (CSR), which says that every company, whether private limited or public limited, which either has a net worth of Rs 500 crore or a turnover of Rs 1000 crore or net profit of Rs five crore, needs to spend at least 2 per cent of its average net profit for the immediately preceding three financial years on CSR activities.

The Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs notified Section 135 and Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013 as well as the provisions of the Companies (Corporate Social Responsibility Policy) Rules, 2014 to come into effect from April 1, 2014.

The corporate sector is peeved that already it has been forced to shell out 2 per cent and now there is a move to provide for reservation.

 

There is no gainsaying the fact that every individual has an obligation to the society and every economic activity must bring in cheers to the society as a whole besides dividends to the proprietor.

They take loans from banks and financial institutions, and many a time are guilty of gross default in loan repayment and taxes.

In the USA, the practice of workplace diversity is respected so that people of all colours and races find employment.

Companies like Ford and General Motors employ African Americans and Asians. Courts decide on the complaints of discrimination and such a practice is eliminated in due course of time.

 

Best remedy

 

The best remedy is to impart quality education to the underprivileged class and support them financially to set up their own businesses so that they are not only self-employed but can give employments to others.

 

Malaysia encountered the same problem in the mid-1970s as the indigenous Malay population comprising 55 per cent was not educated enough to compete with.

 

The rest of the population consisting of 33 per cent of Chinese and 12 per cent of Indian origin.

Instead of providing for reservation in jobs for the ‘Bhoomiputras’, the government started efforts for improving their educational levels to them on a par with others.

 

Provision for reservation for the indigenous people was made for the public sector, but not for the private sector.

In 15 years, the Malayas were educationally empowered and achieved parity with others.

 

Perhaps except Zimbabwe, no other country has enforced policy of job reservations in the private sector.

In Zimbabwe, it is dictator Robert Mugabe who introduced it.

 

In the private sector, only 6.5 per cent jobs are in the organised sector.

It is this field which offers white-collar jobs and there is scramble for it.

 

 Due to globalisation, liberalisation and privatisation, job opportunities in the government are continuously shrinking.

The superhighway of liberalisation has left the impoverished and the underclass high and dry.

 

This is a major challenge before the government as well as the society as a whole. It is reflected in the sub-title of the

The problem of exclusion from employment has been brilliantly recorded in “India Labour and Employment Report 2014” brought out by the Institute for Human Development, New Delhi.

It focuses on exclusion not only because of caste but also because of regional disparity.

 

Nearly half of the SC population is concentrated in five states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, and STs have traditionally been concentrated in 15 per cent of the country’s geographical area.

Most of the industries are located in the western and southern regions of the country and people of central and eastern India are at comparative disadvantage in term of getting employment in the private sector.

The report says: “A majority of the STs (63.5 per cent) and SCs (50.3 per cent) belong to the poorest and poor categories while 62 per cent of upper caste Hindus and 86.5 per cent of the ‘Others’ are either rich or richest… 38.1 per cent of the richest and 45.3 per cent of the rich are OBCs… The richest in class groups have a larger share of organised sector jobs. But differences in the shares of poorest and richest are much higher for OBCs, upper caste Hindus, upper Muslims and Others.”

 

The private sector should come out on its own to help this disadvantaged class without waiting for the hortatory harangues or threat of legal provisions by the government. The government should also hold dialogue with the business class and evolve consensus.