Political Diary

NEW DELHI, 15 December 2012   

Quota In Promotion

MERIT? WHAT’S THAT SPELL?

By Poonam I Kaushish

The more India changes, it still remains the same whereby the past continues to survive and thrive in the present. Underscored by the latest collective con job of our netagan: Providing promotion for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) in Government jobs played out in Parliament last week. Merit be damned!

Clearly, BSP Chief Mayawati’s tantrums and threats, forced the Government to pass the 117 Constitution Amendment Bill granting a promotion quota for SCs and STs in the Rajya Sabha. Notwithstanding the ‘manufactured’ ugly standoff with Samajwadi Party MPs, suspension of two Honourables and consequent walk out by the group. Reportedly, a ‘deal’ has been struck with Mulayam to extend promotion to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) as well later.

Undeniably, on the face of it, reservation for the ‘weak’ SC and ST is important against the backdrop of their abysmal representation in Government jobs and being denied promotion in the upper echelons of service where decision-taking power vests.

According to the Personnel and Training Department, there are only 17% Group SC/ST officers in the Central Government. None is a secretary, just two additional secretaries and only 14 joint secretaries. Sadly, the only category they are numerically superior is at the bottom, sweepers.

However, given the level of dishonesty, populism and irresponsibility which increasingly governs our political system, this step will be an invitation to disaster and push India back by a century. It would again open the political-judicial can of worms. Remember, after the Allahabad High Court struck down then UP Chief Minister Mayawati’s pet project for SC and ST promotion quota in Government jobs 2008, the Supreme Court too upheld it as unconstitutional last April.

Questionably, even as our leaders pander to their vote-banks one wonders how reservation in promotion per se will better the lot of the SC/ST if a few get promoted? Whatever happens to merit and excellence? When do promotions supercede competence?

Is it fair that a meritorious person is denied promotion because his promotion quota is full? What purposes does reservation serve when an officer is unable to cope with the decision-making process? How is the Government going to avoid reverse discrimination? How will promotions grant SC/STs a ‘proper place’ in society?

Shockingly, pre-the Apex Court verdict, Government departments and public sector undertakings could fill only 57.79%, 17,898 of 30,968 vacancies via promotions. The reason? Non-availability of eligible candidates.  Even in cases of employment which require technical education like diploma, B Tech or graduation the SC/STs failed to make the grade due to lack of education and expertise.

Besides, none has given thought to the demoralising impact on qualified persons denied jobs. What happens to them? Where do they go? According to Labour Ministry statistics, unemployment on a Current Daily Status basis rose from 6.0% in 1993-94 to 7.3% in 99-2000, an additional 27 million job seekers. Disturbingly, 74% of these were in rural areas and 60% educated.

More. While the labour force is growing 2.5% annually, employment is rising by 2.3% resulting in increasing joblessness. Thus, none has given thought to the challenge of absorbing new entrants to the job market, 12 million every year and clearing the backlog. In this scenario where do quotas fit?

Pertinently, the danger in imposing arbitrary promotion quotas in Government is three-fold. One, working and excellence standards would be crippled by ineptitude, ineffiency and backlog. Two, it would be difficult to attract and retain qualified people as they could lose out in the promotion race. Three, any deterioration in the quality of governance would short-change the UPAs quest to market Brand India’s economic growth.

Already, foreigners complain of mounting bureaucratic red-tape and the “eternity” it takes to get things moving, forget done. This, in turn, has a cascading effect, economic slowdown which hurts the chances of economic upliftment of people at the bottom and poverty eradication measures.

Importantly, there is no place for double standards or the Orwellian concept of ‘more equal than others’ in a democracy. What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. The Fundamental Rights provide for equal opportunities for all irrespective of caste, creed or sex. Let’s not fudge or forget this.

India of 2012 is not the India of 1989. Where a young 18-year old student, Rajiv Goswami, immolated himself in public. Today our polity has to realise that it has to deal with a savvy Rang de Basanti generation of youngsters aged between 18-35 years who constitute 50% population and believe in action not reaction.

Also, one cannot put a cap on human development. There are many shining examples of those from humble lineage who did not need reservations to achieve glory. Father of the Constitution Ambedkar, ex-Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, and India’s Missile Man President Kalam et al.

Indeed, the time has come for our polity to think creatively about how to achieve the goal of putting everyone on equal footing. Merely having quotas in promotion will not spell excellence. Towards that end, they need to develop innovative ways of making SC/STs qualified thereby enabling them to compete with the general category. By cramming down promotional quotas in jobs is like putting the cart before the horse.

True, the Government’s fundamental mission is to uplift the poor SC/STs and provide better jobs for them. However, it needs to remember that the system of caste-based quotas has become divisive and self-defeating.  Reservations are no answer to improving their lot.

If our netagan really means business, why don’t they start with themselves? Why don’t these champions of Quota Raj, start by reserving 50% seats in Parliament and State Legislatures for the SC/STs and OBCs and the same in Ministerial posts? It is easy to sit in judgment on other peoples’ destiny but when it comes to themselves, all cry foul. Look how the proposal for 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and State Legislatures has been hanging fire for over a decade. Let charity begin at home.

Undoubtedly, the time has come to rise above mindless populism and petty politricks and cry a halt to promotion quotas in Government jobs. These are not only detrimental to long-term national interest but also growth. Specially in today’s highly competitive global world, where the race for supremacy in Asia is hotting up between China and India.

Remember, great nations and civilizations are made by the intellect of its people. Thus, for India to attain that pinnacle of success, merit and merit alone has to be the sole criteria for promotion in jobs. Or else, we will be confined to a nation of incompetence and mediocrity where merit becomes a dirty word. With the reservationists asserting: Merit, what’s that mean! ---- INFA

(Copyright India News and Feature Alliance)