[Reader-list] reservation on the moon

[Aditya Raj Kaul]

Not me Shivam, we in our campaign for equality, justice and rights for all
during the anti-caste based reservations campaign-II in 2006 didn't use such
cheap means. Though I do remember receiving similar sms from a close friend
named Shivam Vij :-)

It was during those days that we met first...when you became the CJ for
CNN-IBN.

Instead of all this sms-baazi and division; we had just so many SC/ST/OBC
members of student community protesting along with us shoulder in shoulder
against caste based politics and caste based reservations.

Shivam, you still need to brush up things from your mentor Ram Vilas Paswan,
Mayawati, Laloo etc.

And, we did recommend the *Prof. Purushottam Agrawal* model of MIRAA - for
affirmative action.

Check it here -
http://www.unitedstudentsindia.com/blog/campaigns/affirmativeaction/

Our view:-

United Students is *against* extension of caste based reservations to OBCs
[Other Backward Classes]. *This is not to deny the continuing importance of
caste in the Indian social order*. We accept that there exist gross
inequalities in the Indian society. But *we don't agree with the assessment
that caste is the ONLY factor of deprivation in India*. We believe that
apart from caste considerations, *economic conditions*, *sex*, *quality of
primary education* and *regional imbalances* are all significat factors of
exclusion operating in our country.

*After all, a child of x caste studying in a panchayat school in Jharkhand
cannot be equated to a child of the same caste studying at an elite private
institution in Delhi*. A child, of whatever caste, who grows up in a
metropolitan environment automatically has greater access and a better idea
of his choices as compared to a child who has grown up in a poor rural or
tribal community.And *who can deny that in our society being a woman itself
implies facing and surmounting myraid challenges, which seem to start
operating from birth itself? *

We envisage an affirmative action scheme which seeks to redress the various
factors of exclusion working against an individual seeking admission to an
institution of higher learning. *We want affirmative action schemes to
target the individual citizen rather than social groups*. *Caste based
quotas seem to only perpetuate the notion of caste in society rather than
weakening and eventually eliminating it as a factor, as envisaged by the
Constitution.** *

US would like the government to *undertake a thorough study of the
usefulness of caste-based quotas* since they were introduced in India. We
would also like Affirmative Action schemes to be better designed and
intrinsically fairer than flat caste-based quotas. *In this connection we
welcome the following Affirmative Action Schemes:** *
1. *Multiple Index Related Affirmative Action [MIRAA]* - proposed by JNU
academic *Prof. Purushottam Agrawal*, MIRAA awards points to applicants on
the basis of their sex, caste, economic background, regional disparities,
educational imbalances and their status of being a first generation learner.
We believe that a scheme like this takes care of all the major factors of
exclusion working in Indian society without compromising on the basic
qualifications for pursuing a higher degree.

Hope this helps.

Love
-- 
Aditya Raj Kaul

Freelance Correspondent, The Times of India
Cell - +91-9873297834

Campaign Blog: http://kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com/
Personal Blog: http://activistsdiary.blogspot.com/