The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Reservation debate

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Saturday, Apr 19, 2008
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Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Reservation debate

The article “Road map for reservation in higher education” (April 18) is right in arguing for the implementation of reservation in a spirited manner. It is particularly significant for throwing light on the absence of a clear-cut direction on whether candidates of the reserved categories who get selected in open competition should be counted against the 27 per cent reservation for the OBCs in Central educational institutions.

It has been the practice of many government departments to club all reserved category candidates who qualify in open competition under the quota.

Even the UPSC violates the methodology for implementing reservation. There is no procedural guideline for implementation and the executives interpret it to suit their interests.

M. Sibi Chakkravarthy,

Chennai

* * *

According to the Office Memorandum of 1993, children of those whose annual income exceeds Rs.2.5 lakh are not eligible for reservation as they form part of the creamy layer. The son of a clerk or even a senior class IV employee in the government sector will thus come under the creamy layer category. The court has also said that once an OBC candidate becomes a graduate, he must be considered educationally forward. The 27 per cent reservation is only a mirage.

B.N. Sathyanarayana,

Bangalore

* * *

The court verdict on reservation will create fissures among students. The social scenario has changed from the days when reservation was envisaged. Today, apart from the government, banks, charitable trusts, and educational institutions support the economically deprived students irrespective of their caste and religion. Caste-based reservation will only weaken the social fabric.

P. Jyothiradityan,

Palakkad

* * *

Several arguments are being advanced to perpetuate the practice of the rich and influential OBCs cornering the benefits of reservation, keeping the needy and the really backward in everlasting ignorance and misery. Property, income, political power and influence have all become the deciding factors of social status.

Community, caste, religion, even education, do not have a bearing on a person’s status today. If the avowed benefits of reservation are to be truly realised, the surest step is to exclude the creamy layer from the ambit of reservation.

N. Chandrasekaran,

Chennai

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