The caste based reservation system in India should be scrapped or not? One may argue that quota reservation system should be scrapped as it promotes a culture of entitlement and corruption.
In recent years, there have been many arguments to end the caste-based reservation system in India. Some argued that the quota system promotes a culture of entitlement and promotes corruption as well as other social problems. Others says that the reservation system is a blunt tool, which has failed to address the problems it was created for.
Background of the caste system in India:
The caste system is the system in India in which different castes and tribes are ranked on a hierarchy, mainly based on occupation and family background, with those at the bottom being untouchables and those at the top being Brahmins. It is often called the system of Hinduism, but it is actually a combination of the system of Hinduism and the system of Buddhism. In Hindu society, there are four main castes: Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra.
The reservation system has been in place since India embraced democracy and the Constitution of India was created. This system is intended to uplift the lower castes and level the playing field.
Has caste based reservation did more harm than good?
A lot of people argued that caste based reservations should end because they cause a sense of entitlement and create a culture of dependence, which perpetuates poverty. This also lead to increased crime rates and an increase in corruption; these things undermine democracy.
Challenges to abolish caste based reservations:
Possible problems that can arise while ending the caste based reservation system:
~To end caste based reservation system, government doesn’t have enough resources to provide quality education to poor students who are not reserved for their community.
~Political parties don't want to lose votes of the reserved categories and so they don't want to end the reservation system.
~If caste reservation system will be abolished, then a lot of people will genuinely face discrimination and lose equal opportunities.
Other than that, many backward castes are not getting reservations due to some loopholes of the reservation system. Reservation system is unfair in many aspects.
What should be the alternative to this reservation system?
Reservation system can be replaced with the Affirmative action. The affirmative action is based on financial considerations, and not based on the caste. Therefore, affirmative action is totally different from the reservation system.
But the policy which is only based on financial considerations can be problematic and unworthy. The policy should be also based on the social status and opportunity as well. The reservation system, however, is not based on current position of a student. The affirmative action, therefore, can be an alternative to the reservation system but it doesn't guarantee equal opportunities for every section of the society.