Reservations Within Reservations



Why in news?

The Union Cabinet has commissioned a study for establishing sub-quotas within OBC quota.

What is the background of the OBC categorisation?

• The Mandal commission in its recommendation in 1980 had suggested 27% reservations at the central level, for a list of the backward classes that weren’t on the Scheduled Caste list.
• This category was subsequently termed ‘Other Backward Classes’ and clubbed together nearly 5,000 castes.
• The first central OBC list was a compromise between the list of OBCs in the Mandal Report and the various existing state lists.
• The Centre has since expanded the list, often including newer castes to meet political exigencies and courting controversy.

What is the crux of the current move?

1. As OBC is a group of castes, it was found that certain better empowered castes among the OBCs cornered the benefits for themselves.
2. This defeats the very purpose of reservations as many caste groups still remain excluded.
3. Inorder to address this, a commission has been recently created to explore the creation of subcategories for reservation within the central list of OBCs.
4. This is also in line with the proposals submitted by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, the National Commission for Backward Classes and a Parliamentary Standing Committee.
5. It is to be noted that, many state OBC lists already have subcategories and the system has, by and large, worked.
6. Also, there are no legal restrictions for sub-calssification of the OBCs on the basis of their levels of progress as per the ‘Indira Sawhney judgment - 1992’.

What are some sticky points?

• While subcategorisation could go some way in bring in better social justice, it needs to be done systematically after rigorous scrutiny of the necessary data regarding income, education, employment etc.
• Even the “creamy layer” concept, which was to make reservations more equitable has been ineffective, mainly due to pressure from influential sections for frequently raising the income bar.
• Hence, the process must be effectively shielded from political interference.

What could the political fallouts?

• Creating OBC subcategories may force a reconfiguration of OBC politics and end the leadership role of certain dominant castes.
• The reservation policy will be exhausted of its transformative possibilities at some point and the signs are already there in the Jat, Patel and Maratha mobilisations.
• Electoral politics has always underwritten policies in India and it will remain so unless there is substantial growth in opportunities for all.

Source: Indian Express

Http://www.Facebook.com/Aovious1

 ​