Reservation in India was introduced in 1950. The main purpose of reservation was to promote equal opportunities for the lower caste who were being oppressed during that time. The idea was to lower the economic differences between the upper caste and the lower caste. Originally the plan was to keep the reservation system only for 10 years but 71 years later reservation in India still exists. But did reservation bring the expected outcome in Indian society?

If we look at the current scenario, around 28.9 million people are living below the poverty line and 280 million adults in India are still illiterate. These data show the failure of the reservation system in India. But when it’s not working why reservation is still being continued?

Reservation means favoring candidates based on their caste rather than merit. Students who score fewer marks in India’s competitive exams and government jobs get the seats more easily because they belong to a lower caste. When it comes to reservations for lower caste, their financial status is not even taken into consideration. This gives benefits to the Dalits, SC, and STs, and other reserved classes but choosing caste over talent is a huge loss for the Indian economy. India seems to provide less opportunities for students belonging to the general category which is why many Indians migrate abroad for better opportunities. 

The only reason why Reservation still exists in India is that reservation is a powerful strategy to gain votes during elections. The more reservations politicians promise, the more vote they tend to receive. The direct effect of the reservation is faced by the middle-class society and yet there is a constant demand to increase reservation seats in our country. 

 On March 19 supreme court asked ” For how many generations would reservations in jobs and education continue? Reservation has become a problem in India’s development and if India cannot eradicate the system it definitely can modify it. The whole purpose of reservation is to benefit the underprivileged. Instead of providing seats based on caste, we should start providing opportunities to the ones who are underprivileged and genuinely need it. It will not only help in tackling poverty but also will be deemed fair.

Reservation has been a major setback in India’s development but the fact that makers of the country do not wish to eradicate this issue for their good is demotivating. For India to become a developed country, it has to fight many barriers and reservation is one of them.

AASTHA SINGH