



The debate around reservation policies in India is deeply polarised.



It's time for the General Category to protest against Reservation. Losing out opportunities to the some undeserving and cast privileged minorities is a form of oppression too. #MumbaiBandh — Nisha Pandey (@NishaPandey2) July 25, 2018

#Reservations in Education,Jobs based on caste is destroying talent base of India...Is it my fault that I was not born in a lower caste ? Why should my kids suffer? Politicians don't want to disturb their vote bank at the cost of nation!! Terrible.. @Dev_Fadnavis @narendramodi — Abhijaat Sinha (@abhijaat) July 11, 2018



Anti-discrimination laws and reservation policies were brought in to ensure that Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes(STs) are protected from discrimination in the spheres of employment, education and political representation. The idea was to not just improve their economic status, but to address the denial of rights and oppression meted out to these groups over the years, and to work towards rectifying their utter lack of representation in public office.

The question of caste still looms large in India, yet many among us refuse to see, hear or understand caste and what it means for those who suffer because of it.

In this feature, we bust some of the common myths regarding caste-based reservation policies. This is based on the empirical and theoretical analyses offered by Sukhadeo Thorat, Nitin Tagade and Ajaya K Naik in a special article published in the Economic & Political Weekly, Vol 51, Issue No 8: "Prejudice against Reservation Policies: How and Why?"



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