Reservations Within Reservations

Why in news?

The Union Cabinet has commissioned a study for establishing sub-quotas within OBC quota.

What is the background of the OBC categorisation?

• The Mandal commission in its recommendation in 1980 had suggested 27% reservations at the central level, for a list of the backward classes that weren’t on the Scheduled Caste list. 
• This category was subsequently termed ‘Other Backward Classes’ and clubbed together nearly 5,000 castes.
• The first central OBC list was a compromise between the list of OBCs in the Mandal Report and the various existing state lists.
• The Centre has since expanded the list, often including newer castes to meet political exigencies and courting controversy.

What is the crux of the current move?

• As OBC is a group of castes, it was found that certain better empowered castes among the OBCs cornered the benefits for themselves.
• This defeats the very purpose of reservations as many caste groups still remain excluded.
• Inorder to address this, a commission has been recently created to explore the creation of subcategories for reservation within the central list of OBCs. 
• This is also in line with the proposals submitted by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, the National Commission for Backward Classes and a Parliamentary Standing Committee.
• It is to be noted that, many state OBC lists already have subcategories and the system has, by and large, worked.
• Also, there are no legal restrictions for sub-calssification of the OBCs on the basis of their levels of progress as per the ‘Indira Sawhney judgment - 1992’.

What are some sticky points?

• While subcategorisation could go some way in bring in better social justice, it needs to be done systematically after rigorous scrutiny of the necessary data regarding income, education, employment etc.

• Even the “creamy layer” concept, which was to make reservations more equitable has been ineffective, mainly due to pressure from influential sections for frequently raising the income bar.
• Hence, the process must be effectively shielded from political interference.

What could the political fallouts?

• Creating OBC subcategories may force a reconfiguration of OBC politics and end the leadership role of certain dominant castes.
• The reservation policy will be exhausted of its transformative possibilities at some point and the signs are already there in the Jat, Patel and Maratha mobilisations.
• Electoral politics has always underwritten policies in India and it will remain so unless there is substantial growth in opportunities for all.

Source: Indian Express