How merit in Kashmir is dying a silent death
Imagine a scenario where a classroom is preparing for a crucial exam. The most dedicated students who have invested countless hours and immense effort are provided with limited resources and minimal study time. Meanwhile, others regardless of their preparation are granted extra time, bonus points and special privileges simply due to their background. This disparity leaves the hardworking students feeling frustrated and disillusioned, while those benefiting from these advantages continue to advance without much effort. Outside this classroom, the West which relatively cherishes merit watches in disbelief, questioning how a system that prioritizes identity over effort can ever nurture true progress or lead to meaningful success.
Anyways, I am referring to the unfair reservation system in the erstwhile state of J&K, where merit is trampled by a seemingly unfair system. On one hand, qualified and eligible candidates are facing an alarming job crisis, while on the other; the situation is made worse by the unfair reservation policy which disproportionately affects open-merit candidates. This is further compounded by bureaucratization, a lacklustre attitude from the administration and the absence of a strong private sector. As a result youth unemployment is escalating leading to increasing frustration, anger and stress among the younger generation thus, reaching levels of utmost concern.
While the reservation policy was intended to uplift underprivileged communities, it has led to unfair situations. Although meant to provide equal opportunities, it often perpetuates inequality, especially when misused or extended to families that no longer need the benefits. Originally designed to help marginalized groups, the policy is sometimes passed down through generations allowing families to continue benefiting even after their social and financial status has improved. This creates an unjust advantage for those who once disadvantaged are now in a better position but still reap the rewards of the reservation system. For example, families from socially backward categories or areas who migrate to urban centres improve economically, yet claim reserved benefits are distorting the system’s fairness.
The most affected by this are general category candidates who face intense competition and often end up failing due to the disproportionate share of jobs and opportunities reserved for others. To illustrate, a family that secured a job through reservation might later send their children to study abroad or in cities and when they return, they still benefit from reservation despite their improved status. This puts open-merit candidates at a disadvantaged position, making the system especially unfair for them who without such privileges struggle to secure jobs despite working hard and achieving good results.
To make the reservation system fairer, I believe the reservation certificate(s) should be used only once per family. Once a family has benefited and improved its socio-economic status, they should no longer be eligible for reservation, ensuring that merit is not further trampled. This would make the system more equitable, ensuring benefits reach those who still need them. In our part of the world, general category candidates face a real challenge. Young people who work hard and score sometimes even above 85% often find themselves without jobs, while individuals with much lower marks, sometimes as low as 60% secure jobs due to unfairly granted reservation certificates. This is unfair!
The time is ripe when this reservation thing in J&K needs to be revisited thoroughly. It should be re-examined constituency-wise and district-wise, with a committee formed to ensure utmost transparency and fairness in its allocation. It would be wise on the part of the present dispensation to increase the general category cap, which is unfairly set at 40%, based on population ratios. This will alternatively promote fairness in the system and allow merit to thrive.
Post-script: In our part of the world, the reservation policy has increasingly become a stark symbol of systemic dependency, wherein identity-based entitlements are privileged at the cost of merit, thereby eroding the foundational principles of competence, effort and excellence. Rather than empowering individuals, it creates a system where generations remain dependent on quotas. Caste divisions, instead of being partially eradicated are preserved and reinforced by the very system that claims to dismantle them.
All this creates a paradox of sorts. Under the guise of promoting equality, a new form of discrimination is institutionalized effectively keeping the so-called underprivileged continuously dependent on the state’s patronage. Thus, what was originally intended as a safety net has in practice become a gilded cage. At the end of the day, true justice lies in creating a society where individuals can advance based on their abilities, and not remain tethered to the crutch of unending assistance. Given the growing concerns from galaxy of aspirants, cross-sectioned leaders and civil society across political lines, time has come for the incumbent administration to reassess and revisit the reservation system in J&K. Otherwise we risk becoming trapped in a cycle of mediocrity where merit is trampled in broad daylight by an ill-advised pursuit of equality. The sooner, the better!
The author is graduating in History from Govt. Degree College for Women Baramulla
