For the last few months, we saw students fight it out against the quota or reservation policy in higher education. It seems the UPA government has done it again. The RBI has now included minority communities in the list of weaker sections for the purpose of priority sector lending by banks. All domestic banks are supposed to lend 10% of their total loans to these weaker sections.
First let us get into what this new regulation would mean. It would be the banks which will decide who the beneficiaries of this scheme would be. This will be done based on the demographics of the state. So, in
Now, according to The Times of India, a senior banker has told them that he measure will help banks find better customers as the definition of weaker section has been widened. If we go a little deeper into this statement, we will know where the problem lies. With this new regulation, banks can now easily target the economically well off sections of the minority communities and can still meet their priority sector lending targets. The poor and economically and socially backward people will once again be marginalized as banks will first look at giving out secure loans. It is once again like the quota system in education where the creamy layer will once again take away the benefits of a scheme which is supposedly made for the benefits of the ‘weaker sections’.
Here is what I fail to understand. Why do our governments come out with schemes like these where it can be very easily seen that the benefits will be taken away by the creamy layers of the society, and does not solve the very problem that it has been formed for. Is there a conscious attempt at not trying to solve the problems, complicate issues further and still make people believe that they are doing something? Every party plays the vote bank politics, and we as a nation fall into the trap of this politics again and again, election after election and never learn our lessons. That is the saddest part.
4 comments:
HI Abhishek,
Its nice to be here again with one important news.
Whenever some law is made thier exception are made first. And as usual the benefits go the creamy section of the sociaty only.
Hope, we dont get another fights on this too.
Take care..
Its so easy to criticize. There is a lobby across North India –Upper Caste Middle Class cartel who has raised all kind of agitations against Quotas. It’s a populist measure! It will divide the society! Blah! Blah! Blah!
These people denies any definitions for OBC and ironically defines something like ‘creamy layer’.
Just for the record, India may be a young country but Indian society is 2000 years old, and already fragmented. There shouldn’t be any questions on why it should divide a society which is already divided.
So how can we bring equality in this country?
Famous dalit leader Udit Raj states if the government make a law on compulsory primary education for every child in the country, we will withdraw our support for quotas.
But just for the sake of country I haven’t seen AIIMS or IIM Students facing water cannons for this cause. It only shows how self-centric this society is. Most of the ‘intellectual class’ don’t even bother to vote. Nam Bade aur Dharshan Chote!
So if again the government has decided to start quota system in bank loans, show us a way that is more for equality. At the same time ensuring a secular economic growth. Also considering the fact that 100 districts of India has turned RED just because people there has developed a sense that government is a Cuscuta instead of being a Umbrella. How would you like to send a gesture to these people that government is with them?
What steps would you like to take to ensure the Minorities in country don’t feel alienated?
Why don’t you think that this loan quota might be a gesture for reaching out to the Have Not’s of the society?
p.s. It doesn’t mean that the civil society should stop questioning our government policies. But I think for all of us time has come to extend our Brotherhood and show some mighty hearts.
Hi Nick,
Ur points are well taken. But I fail to understand one thing....why not reservations based on economic class??? whats the problem with that? Will that not ensure that the benefits go to only those for whom it is intended to? Is it because u r not giving a communal or social face to a particular vote bank? No one will have any problems with that.
As for why people do not go to vote, that is besides the point here and a different argument altogether. What do u do wen all 10 options u have to vote for are people with dubious records, criminal cases, corrupt and incapable illiterates......u still will go out and vote for them, will u? And based on what will u vote for one of them? Ok, based on caste, religion, n such considerations, will u not, n then u will call urself a responsible citizen...
Nick, u cannot blame the young generation if they are disillusioned with the political system today....N b4 u ask me, more and more yungsters are trying to change it thru advocacy, protests, speaking up, and actually joining the system by floating political parties with their own ideologies, be it people from IITs or JNU...
I read about it some days ago in another blog and the main things that you mention here are very similar
Post a Comment