Reservation System: Quotas, Merit, and Societal Impact

This essay provides a comprehensive overview of the reservation system in India, a topic of significant debate. It explores the historical context, the use of quotas and merit in education and employment, and the impact on various social groups. The essay highlights the benefits for backward classes while also addressing concerns about its legacy and potential for misuse. It contrasts the Indian system with the Australian context, particularly regarding women's representation. Furthermore, it delves into the complexities of caste-based versus economic-based reservations, political influences, and the effects on individual merit and societal development. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of targeted and equitable reservation policies, advocating for a system that genuinely benefits those who need it most and contributes to overall societal progress.

Running Head: Reservation System
Reservation System
Essay
System04104
6/11/2019

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Introduction
The reservation system is one of the more debatable and argumentative topics that have
always two sides and both sides aggressively defend their stance. Reservation system in India
is very common as people who belong to backward classes get additional benefits and avail
the facilities of reservation in both education and employment sector even if they will get low
marks or low merit in examination in compare to general category or normal class people [4].
However, in Indian reservation is based on both caste system and economic system. This
essay provides an overview about the reservation system and helps to understand about its
benefits and loss for a country and for a society.
The concept of quotas, merit, and targets all are used in Indian reservation system to promote
the backward class people in the area of education and employment both. India is one if the
developing countries and there are large number of people who belong to the backwards
classes and were treated very unfairly by the general class people in Indian in past. The unfair
treatment with people because of their class and poor economic situation helps them to rise
and improve their standard of living in the country [3]. However, the problem with the Indian
government is the legacy of its reservation system as those people are also getting advantage
of reservation system who does not deserve. Many people whose economic situation is better
than the general is or common class people and they have good reputation in the society also
are benefited from the government and its reservation system. Especially in the sector of
education and employment where a person who does not have proper skills and very low
marks acquire the seat of other people who is more intelligent and skilled in compare to
backward class. However, people who treated unfairly by the society because of their caste
leads to their backwardness and poor development, deserves the reservation system in the
country and it is necessary for any country like India. However, the major problem is here
that those people also gets the advantage of reservation system who already establish
themselves as a powerful person in the society and have a good reputation and there is no
need of reservation system for them. The legacy in the reservation system leads to the adverse
effect on the growth and development of people and for the country [2].
The Australian government is also focusing on providing reservation to the women in
parliament and other disable and poor people in the field of employment and education.
However, providing reservation and applying quota in the employment and education field

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for the disable and poor people will really be a good step and it promotes people and
encourages them for their best efforts despite being there social and economic problems.
However, reserving the seats for women in the Australian parliament will be really a good
step but it does not mean that Australia is breaching the equality concept for women.
Providing place for the women in Australian government is really a good step for the country
as it encourages women and disables people to contribute in the social development equally
with men [1].
The benefits of quota and merit in the reservation system also help the backward class people
to pay little for the admission or education. The economic concession to these people helps
them to rise in the society and those people who belong to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) will
be benefited from the government. The poor people not only get the preference in job and
education over the other people rather they also get the advantage of paying low application
and admission fee in schools and colleges. However, this scheme or concessions of
government not only help the poor people rather also encourage them towards the
development of society and raising their life standards. Therefore, the monetary benefits after
reservation helps them to raise their economic situation and provide them equal opportunities
in jobs and employment. However, the major thing is that this economic concession should
not be based on the caste, which is found in India; rather it should be based on the economic
basis [9]. Reservation and quotas in the education and employment sector will definitely help
a country to rise and grow, but the political game never help the country to grow and develop,
if it is based on the caste based reservation system rather than economic based. It means the
reservation system should be well directed and should be strategies in such a way that it gives
benefits to those poor people development and in the development of society as well [5].
The problem in the Australia is that reservation of women in both jobs and parliament is a
debatable topic but it should be implemented in such a way that it would help in the
development of the country rather widen the gap of poor and powerful people [12].
Reservation is the key of removing social inequality from the society and provides a common
and equal platform to every people of the country to grow and improve their living standard
by equally using the available resources. The same thing apply in the jobs and education
sector, where reservation provide the opportunities to backward people to grow up but the
quota and merit of people should not be compromise in the reservation system [6]. The dirty
politics in the country lead to the poor policies and it should be avoided on any cost, if a

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country wants to rise and develop. However, the quota in admission sector should be
abolished reservation based on the cast helps those unskilled people to get the admission in
top school and colleges where they never deserve to get admission. The government should
consider the economic conditions of people while considering the quota and merit for the jobs
and education in top institutes and corporations [7].
The effectiveness of reservation system, especially system of quota in jobs and employment
has been reduces when it is influence by the political parties for the personal benefits. Indian
is a country where all the political parties uses the reservation system as a political agenda
and try to collect the votes of a special casts or community. Any government should avoid
such type of thinking and must think to provide best benefits of reservation system to those
people who really deserve it. The benefits of quota and merit should be applied on economic
based situation rather than caste based system. However, the government of Australia should
also think about the benefit and social development of women in the country rather than
using this as matter for political debate or advantages [8]. However, another disadvantage of
reservation system and use of quota in the education sector is that poor moral of those skilful
people who eliminated from the exam even after getting good marks. People who get low
marks easily selected for the jobs in the country or student who belongs to backward classes
and get low marks selected for the admission in best schools and universities.
The reservation system generally applies by a country to reduce the gap between rich and
poor people, provide opportunities for those backward people, and disable people who are not
efficiently use the government benefits and are unable to equally use the resources or services
of the government in a country [11]. However, it is considerable that literacy level in
Australia is better than India and people are normally used to take the advantages of
government facilities and benefits. In this scenario, the Australian women do not need
reservation to get employment in any company rather the government should set a parameter
for the women, on which the eligible women can easily be selected in the jobs and are also
treated equally in the society with men [10].
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be said that reservation is good for the people who deserve it and want to
participate in the society equally with other people but the government should ensure that
reservation should be provided to inly those people who deserve it. Reservation is not a

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matter of political agenda or debate rather it should be planned and strategies in such a way
that it helps the people to improve their living standard and further it helps the country to
grow and develop in effective ways. However, the success of reservation system like quota,
merit, or target should be in employment and education sector in any country, but it is the
responsibility of the government to ensure that these benefits will be provided to only those
people who deserve it. However, it can be said that the income or economic based reservation
system is definitely more beneficial than caste or gender based reservation system, because in
economic based reservation system, only those people will get the benefit of reservation
system who really deserve it and essentially need it.

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