Reservations - My View

“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime. “

1/300, 1/250, 1/175…. These are the current chances of selection of a candidate from the general category. On implementation of 50 percent reservation, these figures would drop to 1/600 for IIT, 1/500 for Post Graduation in Medicine, 1/350 for MBA Entrance…and so on…

The result? More number of deserving candidates will be left out, leading to greater frustration among the hardworking youth, higher suicide rates among the aspiring students from middle class families. Isn’t that unjust, and rather unfair? Those who can afford it may opt for greener pastures abroad. Then what we get is “BRAIN DRAIN”. Wonderful, so India wants to invite its own downfall?! Unbelievable!

Are we really going to fall for such a scam orchestrated by a few ministers with vested political interests? The same ministers who pledge to ensure ‘social equality’ while taking office? How ironic! Are we actually playing into their policy of Divide and Rule? Today, even the youth can recognize this hypocrisy, which is evident by the protest marches, candle light vigils, hunger strikes, and the nationwide agitation carried out by medical students.

I am sure supporters of the theory argue that reservation would provide opportunity to the socially backward. Two former directors of IITs reported that 50 per cent of seats reserved for SC and ST candidates remained vacant as the applicants failed to secure even the much lower entry marks required. Of those admitted, 25 per cent were forced to quit, as they could not complete a four-year course even in six years. I could go on and on…

I strongly believe that at the level of higher education, MERIT MUST RULE! If the government sincerely wants to uplift the backward classes, it should put in similar efforts at the grass-root level. It must ensure greater enrolment rates of children from the backward classes at the school level; establish a stable infrastructure to impart good training to them, to fund the education of the poor. A competitive environment must be set up, with grants and scholarships for the deserving students so they can compete fearlessly at the post-graduate level.

We have innumerable examples where students from the backward classes have made their mark appearing from the general category and are providing cut-throat competition to all and sundry in their respective fields.

May good sense prevail and deserving Indians be rewarded. In this age of globalization and integration let us all make a concerted effort to prevent Our Nation from falling into the dungeons of reservation.