Pro-Reservations - more views ...

Here are some interesting views of a Pro-Reservation blogger ...

My Stand on Reservations I

My Stand on Reservations II

My Stand on Reservations III

Reservations - Government's Only Answer to Helping Disadvantaged Groups?

We have probably come across many news articles about how various organizations are opposing the government's suggestions for certain reservation changes for Dalits, OBCs and other castes. The Reservation Debate is on top of everyone's mind (or at least in the blogs I frequent). Some good places to read some of the differing opinions ...

• Debates include the original intention of Reservations and how things need to be different for India as opposed to US style Affirmative Action. But plenty of people abuse the system since 52% of the population are considered OBCs making up a total of 88% of reserved classes leaving only 12% of Forward Class Hindus. The problem is not as much that the open category has become the real victim today, but that absolutely successful second and third generation kids include themselves to take advantage of Reservations in academia or elsewhere, while the really inopportune in dire need miss out. So many people oppose any further revision to Reservation quotas before revising the communities included in the OBC list. So basically the original intention of mixing all castes to rid of the caste system is not so much working out and it now needs to include some clauses about poverty-based or merit-based reservations.
  
• Some think that something is better than nothing. Although the government keeps using Reservations as a primary campaign to improve conditions for backward classes, many (including me) agree that it's not enough to help them in the first place, and can be counter-productive if not careful. Any intervention on the part of the government to level the playing field for backward classes must also focus on primary education, health clinics, abuse support groups, awareness campaigns, financial help and plenty of other measures that the government can focus on. In my opinion, disadvanteged groups are in much more need of help in basic survival and getting their child up to a higher learning institute (or a private sector job), than they are facing lack of opportunities in them.
  
• Of course there are positive outcomes from Reservations in all these years. Success stories from reservation based opportunities are plenty. If not all, many successful groups have taken an interest in helping their "kind" come out and into the modern era and seek the pleasures of middle or higher class income groups enjoy. This is the positive result Reservations expected to see and it is actually happening.
  
• Students protesting introducing reservations in higher education institutions and private sector claim that the Mandal commission's figures are not current, that the numbers are close to 30% today than what the commission's figure claim as 50% since 1931. They want research data before further changes, but government wants to have none of it.
• Some argue that we should continue to have Reservations, but what about merit-based ones? What merit? Does it really exist?

As far as I know, AID has not involved itself in taking anyone's side. Should we?

Does anyone have opinions that they feel strongly about?

Rajat Dua wrote:
>http://yfemumbai.blogspot.com/
>
>Does anyone know how true are the claims of police
>attacking peaceful protestors? If so, is this
>something AID should be getting involved with?

About This Blog

This AID Atlanta Blog is an attempt by the volunteers of the Atlanta Chapter of AID (Association for India's Development) to raise social awareness on issues related to India, discuss sustainable development efforts of AID and other campaigns.

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