Reservations Should Address Economic Vulnerability

Introduction
Reservation policy fails to achieve its purpose
of giving equal opportunity to everyone because
of lack of infrastructure in the rural areas of
the country where the proportion of backward
classes is significant.
A number of people living in some remote
areas in Orissa, M. P. or Bihar are not even
aware of these policies. They are deprived of
even primary education and basic employment
which make them more backward financially. It
fails to establish which causes disequilibrium in
the status of the states.
The total reservation quota stands at 49% in
many states of India and this includes the SCs,
STs, and OBCs. The trend seems to have shifted
to reverse discrimination rather than more
affirmative action. Some backward class’s elite
has gained political and economic advantage
based on this reservation. 2
However, a majority of the backward classes
is not living any differently than before because
their subsistence is inadequate and rural lifestyles
do not provide them with any of the benefits. The
worst thing is that many are not even aware of
these policies, especially in the interior parts
of the nation.3 Thus a different economic class
system present within the backward classes
category. Most people who are economically
strong have gained the advantages and the
economically weaker people are still without any
significant positive change in their condition.