The Big Picture – Will Reservation in Private Sector Stem Naxalism?

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The Big Picture – Will Reservation in Private Sector Stem Naxalism?

The issue of reservation is debated more oftenly in this country. The reservation in jobs for SC, ST, & OBC has come through constitutional amendments. However since independence in one form or the other the issue of providing reservation in private sector has been in news. With minister in the present government pressing for private sector reservation, the issue is back to haunt us. The article deals with the issues regarding private sector reservation.

The policy focus of the government should be on increasing the employability growth rate along with its output and GDP growth rate. There needs to have an industrial policy that focuses on growth of jobs in general. This needs to be supplemented by ensuring quality education and increasing the employability factor through various skill development programs for all marginalised sections of the society.

Marginalised groups (SC ST and OBC) who are major receivers of government funded public education; quality of such education is a big question mark. Government needs to invest in ensuring quality public education to these marginalised groups so that there employability factor is improved in par with other well off communities.

Privatisation and disinvestment in public sectors are taking away major chunk of jobs; government needs to search for alternative avenues to compensate for such job loss. In this context it is necessary for government to take affirmative action in the spirit of constitution. Perhaps a sound industrial policy for private sector that focuses on job growth can be incorporated.

Over time the size of the state needs to increase as the size of its population grows. Expanding the state capacity to deliver services will necessarily improve the onslaught of marginalised sections into public sector jobs. This will improve the situation.

With recent schemes of government like Stand up India, MUDRA, MSME procurement of products/inputs from marginalised communities, improving capital accessibility to weaker communities by diluting collateral requirements etc are few innovative steps in this regard in bringing marginalised communities in to entrepreneurial domain.

The issue of Naxalism and private sector is a misnomer. As pointed out by various reports naxalism is the result of state deprivation that not just involves jobs but issues like development, injustice, exploitation, lack of infrastructure etc. However the issue needs to be dealt in a sensible way so as to address all the outstanding issues associated with Naxalism.

Finally government needs to think of out of box solutions (Skilling, encouraging entrepreneurship) to address issues relating to youth and marginalised groups. With India being the youngest country in the world, the onus on government in ensuring justice to all sections is huge. Youth and its nexus with extremism also cannot be ignored. Government needs to take sensible steps in this regard so that potential of our demographic dividend can be used to create a miracle and not disaster!