The government of India has recently passed the bill of 10% quota in government jobs for the poor members of an upper caste who have been excluded from the existing quotas for low-ranking castes.
Until now, 49.5 percent quota of government jobs and places in state-funded educational institutions were allocated to the lower castes.
According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) the unemployment rate in India is increased to 6.1 per cent as compared to 5 per cent in January 2018. This 6.1 % unemployment rated is noted to be the highest monthly rate in the past 15 months.
What does the bill say?
According to the news, the Act amends Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution, by adding a clause which allows states to make “special provision for the advancement of any economically weaker sections of citizens”. These “special provisions” would relate to “their admission to educational institutions, including private educational institutions, whether aided or unaided by the state, other than the minority educational institutions”.
The notification states that the reservation would be “in addition to the existing reservations and subject to a maximum of 10 per cent of the total seats in each category. For the purposes of this article and article 16, ‘economically weaker sections’ shall be such as may be notified by the State from time to time on the basis of family income and other indicators of economic disadvantage.”
Amendment of Article 16 stated, “Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making any provision for the reservation of appointments or posts in favour of any economically weaker sections of citizens other than the classes mentioned in clause (4), in addition to the existing reservation and subject to a maximum of ten per cent of the posts in each category.”
The statement of the bill also reads, “With a view to fulfill the mandate of Article 46, and to ensure that economically weaker sections of citizens get a fair chance of receiving higher education and participation in employment in the services of the State, it has been decided to amend the Constitution of India.”
Education Player Responds to the New Bill
Ivory Education welcomes 10% quota bill for the economically backward classes in the General Category. The bill may affect the admissions to the educational institutes and the prospects of employment but the bill is likely to be in a violation of the provisions of the law and the matter is currently being discussed in the Supreme Court.
Kapil Rampal, Managing Director, Ivory Education, said, “According to a recent report by Azim Premji University, unemployment in India has reached the highest level for the past 20 years. It shows the failure of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Skill India and other high-cost initiatives by the government. The current education system is not producing professionals with enough skills to help them get employed. National Education Policy needs to address this with utmost priority.”
Rampal adds, “The additional quota does not address any of the challenges facing the country. Unemployment in the country is not due to a lack of talent but due to the poor quality of the education system. India continues to rank very poorly in education quality if you look at any global standards such as PISA for school education and Times Higher Education World University Rankings.”
