By Melarbor L Thabah
Reservation refers to reserving seats in government educational institutions, universities and workplaces for Schedules Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. While the Job Reservation document submitted by the Expert Committee is under study by the Chief Secretary, I beg to submit this important suggestion. The Father of Reservation was Chatrapati Shahu, the Maharaja of the princely state of Kolhapur who introduced reservation in favour of Non-Brahmin and Backward classes which came into effect in 1902. He provided free education and several hostels to make it easier for Non-Brahmins to access these benefits.
The Father of the Indian Constitution, Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar had agreed that equality of opportunity is a must which must be made with a provision to facilitate entry of those communities who had been historically disenfranchised to gain entry into public employment. Both the Father of Reservation and the Father of the Constitution recognized and understood the basic fundamental premise that reservation be it for jobs or education is to rectify the past and historical injustices against the backward class or left-outs in India. Thus, to ensure equal representation and provide an equal platform for everyone irrespective of their caste in education and job services in India, reservation was introduced with the sole purpose of uplifting the backward people to the status of the uplifted people.
My suggestion is to have 48% Reservation for the Middle Class, Upper Middle Class, Rich and Super Rich in the Creamy Layer for indigenous tribals of the state from their given reservation and to have 53% Reservation for the poor and below poverty line in the Non Creamy layer for indigenous tribals of the state living in the urban areas and the majority of whom inhabit the rural especially in the remote rural inter-state and international border areas of Meghalaya from their given reservation. The reason for a 53:48 % ratio is for a 5 % difference just as the difference in age relaxation for a tribal is 37 years and that of a non-tribal is 32 years. Hence, the same can be adopted for the Creamy/ Non-creamy layer indigenous tribal reservation from their recommended reservation by the Expert Committee.
In the case of the majoritarian tribal state of Meghalaya, a question that arises frequently is how can the children of politicians, business people, bureaucrats, both of whose parents are government employees, coal barons etc., be accorded the same privileges with those children coming from poor and below poverty line families? Up to now the majority of indigenous tribals who had benefited from job and educational reservation came from a range starting from Middle class to Super Rich class Scheduled Tribe families’ majority of whom reside in the state capital, regional capital, to a lesser extent from the district headquarters and the least from the blocks.
Hence, reservation without having a Creamy/Non-creamy Layer has “TOTALLY FAILED” its intended purpose of the basic premise and core issue of reservation. Whether the Expert Committee has recommended having a Creamy/Non-creamy layer is not known even though the Committee had received suggestions from an honourable MLA about the need to have a creamy-non creamy layer with his example
It is most humbly urged and that the Chief Secretary along with his officers and the Cabinet should work as a single cohesive unit to “Endeavour” to introduce and subsequently implement the Creamy/Non-creamy layer category for the benefit of the left out, marginalized – disenfranchised sections of the indigenous populace. By doing so, it will help realise the vision and the true spirit of the job and education reservation policy. It is hoped that our Chief Secretary will make this recommendation when he submits them to the Cabinet on August 31, 2025.
Time is against us when we bear in mind that the Supreme Court had stated that reservation cannot go on forever. It is anticipated that on August 15, 2047 when, as per what the Prime Minister had said, India will be a developed country, reservations too will be totally abrogated by the Supreme Court. During this window period from 2025-47, intensified, inclusive, vigorous efforts must be initiated, conceptualised and launched by the Centre, States and Union Territories to uplift the very poor, the marginalised, ostracized sections of the Schedule Castes, Schedule Tribes and Other Backward Classes to bring them at par with the range of middle class to super rich Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. 22 years is more than sufficient a time to uplift the disenfranchised such as the rural poor and to bring them at par in terms of job and education parity with the uplifted. This can be attained by classing, re-classing and sub- classing ST, SC and OBC categories into sub-categories if need be in-order to really get the true picture and identify the real groups which are at present, still marginalised, left out and under-developed since they had been deprived of reaping the rewards of the job and education reservation policy. It is important for the ruling dispensation at the centre and in the states not to vacillate in its implementation of quotas.
It has been talked about and it’s also the news that certain clans in India by sheer force of intimidation, money, power and influence have got bogus ST, SC and OBC certificates. In-order to avoid the same quagmire in our state, a three tier system of checking must be set up that requires verification based on the national census – socio-economic caste census, the BDO’s office and both the BDO and DC’s office for those who live in the district headquarters and to a certain extent the Village Durbar.
The decision of classifying as Non Creamy Layer by the above “3 tier system” must be based on the socio economic-national census. Besides these, their income, occupation of spouse(s) and residence must be also taken into consideration. Politicians must be best avoided in signing off income, residence and occupation since probable favouritism might come in the way and even Dorbar Shnong to a certain extent though they are supposed to be apolitical.
The most important factor whilst deciding to set up a Creamy/ Non Creamy layer system is for the state to send officers to at least two advanced states of India such as Gujarat and Tamil Nadu for example, to learn and incorporate the method(s) used for classifying the Creamy/Non Creamy layer amongst SC, ST, OBC and implement it in our state in addition to the above “three tier checking system” which is utilitarian. This suggestion is in public interest in-order for the under- privileged to reap the benefits of inclusive governance and holistic development of the state.