The inevitable Ghost!

Call it ghost or spoof, but the chimera of reservation arrived with its sound foot steps and sky-high determination. The reservation imbroglio doesn’t seem to give the country a break. After a lot of protests and clamor, the union HRD minister Arjun Singh had his own way and the die was cast. He decided to have 27 % reservations for the OBCs in centralized institutions from next year. The bill for the same will be tabled in the monsoon session of the parliament. The decision has all the potential to prove it to be MADAL II.

But there has to be consensus on some things. But these things are often most difficult. Feeling of narrow mindedness is indeed one thing to which every Indian has opened doors at some point of time in his life. The real problem occurs when the feeling becomes deeply embedded in the very thinking of the person. The proposed hike in the reservations will also mean that institutions which are commensurable to jewels of crown India and are often known to be Centers of Excellence like IITs and IIMs will also be engulfed in waves of reservation. As far as the statistical knowledge of the concerned government and union HRD minister who represents the government is concerned, it is one thing that surprises many like me. Shallow and pathetic are too soft words that can be used. A recent interview by Karan Thapar for CNN-IBN of Mr. Arjun Singh showed how insensitive the policy making process in the country is. In answer to question which asked the reason for reservation, in spite of so many seats remaining vacant, the benighted minister says that he is a servant of parliament and he has to do whatever his government tells him to. This is where the protests are justified.
Whether reservation should be allowed or not is a million dollar question. I think it is a classical case of decision wrongly arrived rather than a wrong decision. The way in which this decision was taken exemplifies what is wrong with the policy making process in our country. A major decision affecting the career prospects of lakhs of students every year was taken without careful deliberation and transparent procedures that could have inspired some confidence. There has to be national debate on this. Otherwise how could we justify ourselves to be a democratic, sovereign republic?. The medicos took to the streets to protest against this fragile democracy. But all was falling on deaf ears. The calculation of Mr Arjun Singh is really very good when he masterminded the maneuver. State power can crush students and doctors. The overwhelming majority of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) would ensure an electoral sweep if polls were held. Having a look at statistics, the latest figures claim 52 percent of India’s population as being OBC. As per National Sample Survey (1999-2000)], it is 32%; the National Family Health Statistics (1998) estimates this at 29.8%. There are some 3743 castes included. There is also a creamy layer for these OBCs specially the YADAVAs and CHAMARs who would take a big chunk of the cake. The emphasis must be on the will to get the proper data required for taking such far-fetched and imposing decision.
The government has agreed to increase the number of seats in order to accommodate the reservation. As it is the cake is too small to share between such large amounts of people. Hence increase in the seats is inevitable. But is this the solution to the problem? This is left to the readers to decide.
The government spends just 2.8 billion rupees every year in primary education. More needs to be done on this front. The teacher absenteeism varies from 14% to 40% in some schools. The problem needs to be solved at the grassroots level. More money needs to be pumped in primary education.
Though comparing with US in this matter would not be wise, there are many lessons that could be learnt. The AA (Affirmative Action) which favors the African Americans is voluntary and not mandatory. But there have been success stories, most famous being the celebrated present US secretary of state Condoleeza Rice and her predecessor Colin Powel. Though many of the states have now abolished the AA as it is not mandatory, the social initiatives taken by the government make sure that African Americans do not loose out.
All in all to establish a level playing field and stability in the nation the grounds of reservation, requires compulsory primary education in standardized government run schools. Even if the cost of the implementation would mean that the budget goes awry, the results will be justified. Or else the democratization of the society is not justified.