OneWorld.net (U.S.)

Caste-Based Reservations and Human Development in India Author: K.S. Chalam, Member, Union Public Service Commission. Publisher: Sage Publications New Delhi, 2007. Price: Rs 275

The author has assessed the current status of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes in the Indian context and analysed the impact of one of the most contentious issues of our times – caste-based reservations – one which has seen tragic, needless deaths and riots and has torn the country apart into protagonists and antagonists.

The book presents a chronological description of the reservation policy in India. It also deals with the role of the state during the colonial period and independent India.

India has sought preferential policies for the benefit of socially disadvantaged groups for quite a long period. Caste-based reservations have existed in India for more than a century. Initially introduced by the British to bring equality of opportunity in education, the concept of reservation was later extended to other sectors of the development process to overcome economic inequalities attributed to caste.

The change in perspective from policy of affirmative action to the right based approach came with the Constitution of India, which made ample provisions for the citizens of India in terms of rights. Political opportunism further created conditions for caste based quotas as a matter of right.

The book analyses the impact of caste-based reservations on the target groups, as well as on major human development indices. An alternative strategy of applying the democratic principle of caste-based reservation is also discussed. American programmes of racial preference in educational institutions treats it as a matter of policy on the ground of diversity enriching campus life.

Furthermore, in India, the distinction between the mandatory (reservation of seats in the Lok Sabha under Article 330) and enabling provisions (like the one under article 15(4) relating to reservations in employment) have got blurred. Largely under the rhetoric of social justice, caste-based reservation in educational institutions is treated as rights under the Constitution.

The author mentions that in the present stage the concept of social exclusion is well suited to study the socio-economic conditions of the so called ‘reservation group’ in India. He notes that the situation in India is not different from what has happened in the USA. The Dalits here have taken the role of African-Americans. When India adopted the liberal capitalist frame in the 90s, the powers that be recognised that the old feudal system did not pass on economic benefits down the line to the lowest strata.

The volume provides historical data and exhaustive tables to support its modern day analysis of caste-based reservations and its ongoing impact on society. However, it lacks the much needed contemporary data.

The book also expresses the conceptual debate on the alternative of representation. Is the alternative more respectable than reservations? The individual in India represents a caste or community and therefore it is necessary to ensure that each caste or community is adequately represented in the institutions through which the system operates.

The author argues that to ensure the efficient functioning of democratic values, all groups, both advantaged and disadvantaged, need to be proportionately represented in all organisations, be it private or public, education or employment, parliamentary seats or the panchayat, and so on.

The book concludes by summing up the key issues and stressing the need to address and resolve them within a democratic value.

Providing an informed perspective on an issue that is of immense topical relevance, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of development studies, policy planning and international relations. This book will also be useful to policymakers and practitioners working in this area.

About the author

K.S. Chalam is Member of Union Public Service Commission. He has been Professor of Economics at the Andhra University from 1990-2005. He has authored 18 books in English and five in Telugu as well as numerous research papers in journals.