Read this article from today's timesofindia (25th Apr 2006). My additions within << >>

‘Caste system has become subtle and sophisticated’
Former principal advisor and chief economist with the RBI, and author of Untouchables, Narendra Jadhav, now senior advisor to the governor, Da Afghanistan Bank, discusses reservations with Jyoti Punwani:

Will reservations for OBCs lower IIT/IIM standards?
No. Contrary to popular castebased pride, intelligence is not distributed according to castes. If the system were fair, for every caste, job opportunities would have been broadly in proportion to its share in the population. That could not happen because of the hierarchical nature of the caste system. Some castes got a disproportionately large share of opportunities even when many individuals therein did not have the necessary talents. On the other hand, a vast majority of SC/ST/OBCs were confined to degrading tasks, irrespective of their talents. In fact, the demand for continuation of reservations could also be seen as resistance by the so-called high-borns to give up the ‘reservations’ they have enjoyed unimpeded for centuries. For example, can a Dalit with even a PhD in theology and Sanskrit aspire to become a Shankaracharya? Aren’t these jobs reserved for a particular caste? I haven’t ever heard the proponents of so-called meritocracy question these privileges.

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Do caste-based reservations go against globalisation?
No. Our country was an economic superpower 2,000 years ago. According to American scholar Maddison, in the year zero when the Gregorian calendar began, India’s share in global production was 30 per cent. By 1991, it had declined to a little over one per cent. Can we blame the British alone for this? No country can sustain its growth momentum over centuries if only a small strata of society has access to education. Now, the Indian economy is re-emerging. Our dream to become an economic powerhouse can be realised only if all Indians get an equal opportunity to realise their own potential. Given the highly asymmetric pattern of opportunities we have inherited, this would necessarily involve giving SC/ST/OBCs a helping hand so that they can compete with others. Reservations are needed because of the innate inability of Indian society to be just and fair by itself to all its constituents.

<< ...so that they can compete with others ... - Mr. Jadhav, Where have you talked about competition. If you are favouring reservation, you are indirectly (and may be purposefully) avoiding any possibility of competition. A person from reserved class should get an easier entrance to professional institute. Then he should get easier job opportunity in govt. and if the govt. has its way, in private sector too. Then he should be preferred for promotions too. So what exactly is this reservation scheme doing to competition. Strangulating should be the word, I guess. >>

Is there need for corrective action in our reservation policy? Yes. The caste system today may not be as crude and blunt as it used to be. In fact, it has now become subtle and sophisticated. It now resides in the mindset of the people. In this subtle form it is even more pernicious. There is therefore an imperative need for mass education. There also is need for more effective implementation of the existing reservation policies. Investment in human capital has a very high social rate of return.

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