Reservations

Modern government policy designed to
rectify the long-standing economic and
social disadvantages faced by certain
poor or low-status groups by offering
them preferential treatment in employment and education. This is usually
done by setting aside, or “reserving,” for
such groups certain percentages of
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Reservations
government jobs or places in institutions of higher learning, which admit
people from disadvantaged communities under much lower standards than
those for the general public. Those
groups who qualify for such reservations
are generally referred to as Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes, after the
“schedule” or official government list on
which the names of these groups
appear. The Scheduled Castes are lowstatus caste Hindus, who in earlier times
would have been called untouchables,
while the Scheduled Tribes are aboriginal peoples (adivasis), who mainly live
in central India.
Although the reservations policy has
been implemented for some time, it
remains a continual source of controversy. Proponents claim that it is moving
socially disadvantaged people into
the mainstream of Indian life and helping to correct centuries of injustice.
Opponents decry the fact that lessqualified people are being deliberately
chosen, making a mockery of the notion
of merit. Critics also argue that the people who benefit the most from such policies are the best-off members of such
communities—the so-called creamy
layer, designating their position at the
top—whereas the truly disadvantaged
remain in the same positions as they
have always been. Aside from the philosophical debates about this policy, it has
had a recognizable impact on people’s
livelihoods. Such reservations have
made competition even more ferocious
for the remaining spots, and made
reservations a politically volatile issue.
Given the benefits derived from reservations, there has also been considerable
lobbying to include other, less-disadvantaged groups under its rubric, as a
way to spread benefits to other sectors
of Indian society.