Yogendra Yadav’s formula for Reservation -
While thanking friends
who have commented in person or through Facebook and blog posts on my blog Reservations-
looking beyond Caste & Merit I would like to elaborate on some points
for the sake of clarity.
The deprived need
some support. No dispute about that. But the point is that backwardness of the
caste is not the only factor that causes deprivation. What Yogendra Yadav and
Satish Deshpande have tried to emphasise and I have endorsed is that support should be given not only to those who
belong to the backward caste but also to those who are deprived because of
factors other than caste. Persons hailing from backward regions are handicapped
by lack of access to facilities which people in big cities and developed
regions enjoy. So is the case of children of poor parents. It is a proven fact
that malnutrition retards the ability to learn. Being a girl also has some
disadvantages. Those who have studied in government schools which do not have
necessary infrastructure are also at disadvantage when competing with those who
are fortunate to have their education in elite schools. Along with caste, these
debilitating factors also need to be taken into account if the intention is to
compensate for the disability.
The suggested solution is a novel one. Allocating
80 points to merit (academic performance) in a scale of 100, the remaining 20
points are apportioned on the basis of weightage determined for each type of
disadvantage. As these factors overlap in many cases, the person who suffers
from most of these disabilities will get maximum weightage points. If this
formula is properly implemented, a girl of very poor parents, from the most
backward caste/community, who has studied in a government non-English medium
school without necessary infrastructure, hailing from an under developed
village from a backward region would be eligible for most weightage points. As
such the need for exclusion of the creamy layer is also taken care of while
providing succour to those who really need some social support to catch up with
their peers.
The suggested solution is a novel one. Allocating
80 points to merit (academic performance) in a scale of 100, the remaining 20
points are apportioned on the basis of weightage determined for each type of
disadvantage. As these factors overlap in many cases, the person who suffers
from most of these disabilities will get maximum weightage points. If this
formula is properly implemented, a girl of very poor parents, from the most
backward caste/community, who has studied in a government non-English medium
school without necessary infrastructure, hailing from an under developed
village from a backward region would be eligible for most weightage points. As
such the need for exclusion of the creamy layer is also taken care of while
providing succour to those who really need some social support to catch up with
their peers.
NARAYANAN MENON
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