From safety net to generational entitlement

The system of reservation in India is perhaps the most critical social experiment undertaken since Independence. Rooted in the need to dismantle the hierarchical and oppressive structure of the caste system—a rigid, socio-religious stratification that dictated occupation and social standing for millennia—affirmative action was established to grant historically marginalized communities a fair entry point into educational institutions and public services.
​Governments, both central and state, have successfully implemented numerous legislations to ease the suffering and ensure the upliftment of these classes. Key among them are the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and various schemes targeting educational stipends, housing, and poverty alleviation. These policies were designed to be a protective ladder, not a permanent elevator, yet today, they face a crisis of purpose and distribution.

​The Success That Needs Recalibration

​Affirmative action has achieved profound success over the past seventy years. It has empowered the first and second generations of countless families, providing them access to education and jobs that were historically denied. These individuals have broken cycles of poverty, acquired social capital, and moved firmly into the middle class.

However, the continued application of reservation benefits across successive generations within the same financially and socially secure families contradicts the spirit of the policy. The core issue is one of fairness and opportunity maximization: when the benefits are repeatedly claimed by the already uplifted members of a reserved class, the policy fails to reach the still-marginalized individuals who are in dire need of that initial institutional support.
​This systemic failure is tragically exemplified by specific instances of policy exploitation. In regions like Jammu and Kashmir, there have been widely reported allegations concerning certain urban families, including those historically associated with titles like ‘Pir Muradey,’ who managed to secure Permanent Resident Certificates (PRCs) from remote, designated socially backward or Scheduled Tribe areas. Having obtained initial entry into coveted government positions—spanning administration, police, and the judiciary—these families not only benefited but continued to extend these privileges to their progeny. These descendants, who have often never lived in or contributed to the designated backward areas, now enjoy the benefits as a privileged class. This practice constitutes an unfair advantage, usurping opportunities from well-deserved candidates cracking the exams in open competition.

​The Imperative for a One-Time Benefit

This misuse necessitates urgent legislative action, beginning with the implementation of a sunset clause and a one-time generational benefit.

First, classes declared socially backward decades ago, perhaps 50 years or more in the past, warrant rigorous review. If the majority of families within a particular group have achieved socio-economic parity with the general population—as evidenced by consistent access to higher education and steady employment—it is time for the state to strategically revoke their need for reservation. They should be celebrated as success stories of the policy, not perpetual beneficiaries.
​Second, and most critically, for all continuing reserved categories, the benefit must be limited to a single-use entitlement per family. Once a member of a family avails the reservation benefit—for instance, securing a seat in a professional course or a government job—the subsequent generations of that family should be required to compete in the open merit category.

This is not a punitive measure; it is a recognition that the foundational purpose of the policy—providing the initial breakthrough—has been served for that specific line. Continuing the generational claim merely reallocates opportunities among the privileged within the same caste group, effectively hoarding a resource meant to be circulated among the most vulnerable.

Upholding Merit and Competition

The current practice creates a palpable sense of injustice among those competing solely on open merit. They often find their competitive chances severely curtailed by repeated reservation claims from those who no longer face any structural disadvantage. A modern, globally competitive economy demands that the maximum number of opportunities be made available to candidates based on their acquired skill and hard work.

By limiting the benefit to one generation, the government would uphold the constitutional principle of upliftment while simultaneously honoring the necessity of meritocracy. The shift in policy would force every family, after benefiting from the safety net, to join the competitive mainstream, relying on the education and stability secured by the first reserved position.
​In conclusion, the time has come to reform affirmative action from a permanent entitlement into an instrument of equity that is finite, uniform, and focused on maximization of reach. Keeping the caste system intact while applying a one-time generational limit ensures that the protective ladder is passed down to those families still trapped at the bottom, finally allowing the nation to transition from a society divided by quotas to one united by opportunity.

The writer is a former civil servant