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Caste-based Reservations
and Human Development in India
These are some of the questions that the author has tried to answer in the book, which discusses the present status of lower castes in the first section and the impact of caste-based reservations in the second. The caste system is an integral part of our society and can be identified as the single most important factor in the understanding of rural and urban India, and its social, political and economic issues. While discussing the economic inequalities in the country, the author says that even after 60 years of Independence, SCs and STs are situated down the ladder on the economy index. Criticising the new economic policy, he says it provides opportunities to upper castes to consolidate their social and economic power by deals and mergers, and the Dalits are being diverted to private individuals belonging to upper castes in the name of disinvestment. Even the benefits of developments in technology have failed to percolate down to the masses and their applications have failed to contribute much to the amelioration of the condition of the poor. The author has devoted one chapter to sort out the differences between caste and class, while putting light on the socially and educationally backward castes and the economically backward classes. Focusing on the utility of the education system in the present scenario, he says the weaker sections should be categorised into high and low on the basis of educational achievement and not on caste hierarchy of occupations. Touching upon every aspect of untouchability, the author believes that the Dalits are more vulnerable to negative effects of globalisation as they are discriminated in all spheres of life and don’t have any asset to sustain dignified living. To remedy these socio-economic inequalities, caste-based reservations were introduced, and the author has evaluated the impact of this new element in the elimination of these differences. He discusses the utility of reservations and their contradiction with merit and efficiency. He says though reservations do provide help to the weaker sections, they are not a cure to ‘treating’ inequalities. A study on the development of human resources in South Indian states suggest that social reform and caste-related movements have helped the common man in becoming upwardly mobile and made them socially and educationally conscious of their rights. The author has also presented a study on the impact of reservation policy on Dalit development in Andhra Pradesh. As there are dissenters both among beneficiaries of the caste-based reservations and its opponents, the author looks for an alternative. He opines that representation will be more practical and beneficial than reservations in an era of liberal capitalism and market economy and favours proportional representation for inadequately represented sections. The book gives a good insight into the impact of caste in all spheres of human life and all conclusions are based on statistical data rather than mere subjective interpretations, though too much of statistics may baffle a casual reader. The glossary is an added advantage to understand the Sanskrit terminology. This book can be helpful to those who want to understand the historical perspective of the caste system and how the concept of reservations emerged. On the whole, a good book to read in the present social and economic Indian scenario.
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Caste-based
