Rajasthan high court order on
Gujjar quota is spot on
At present the issue is debated
in binaries: In India, the reservation issue is such a
touchy one that taking a strong stand
against it is always interpreted as being pro-caste and anti-poor. On the other hand, if one is for quotas, then one is quickly
labelled anti-merit. This
polarised situation works beautifully for political parties: Instead of using
quotas judiciously, they use it as doles for votes in elections.
Who are the Gujjars?
Gujjars
are a politically influential community in Rajasthan. They launched an
agitation in 2007 for reservation in government jobs and education. Even though
they are just 7% of the state’s population, through their disruptive and
violent protests, they managed to get the Rajasthan government to grant them
quotas.
Rajasthan High Court Ruling:
Last
week, the Rajasthan High Court struck down a law providing education and job
quotas to pastoral community Gujjars among other groups.
A
division bench passed the order on petitions challenging an October 2015
government notification that gave 5% reservation to the special backward
classes (SBCs), including Gujjars.
The
law, the petitioners said, violated
the 50%-limit set by the Supreme Court a few years ago. The 5% quota
had pushed up the reservation in the
state to 54%.
More
importantly, the court said that reservation
should not be provided “to achieve political goals”.
The
court also noted that data for
establishing the backwardness of the five communities had not been
collected to the extent required.
Instances of similar agitations in
the past:
In
the last few years, there have been several demands for quota from communities,
which can do without them: Jats in Haryana, Gujjars in Rajasthan, Patels in
Gujarat and Marathas in Maharashtra.
Why have such groups been
agitating?
Most
of these groups have been agitating because they have not been able to keep up
with the changing times marked by:
*
Low yields in agriculture
*
Shrinking employment outside farming
*
Demands of a knowledge economy
In
such a challenging situation, it is hardly surprising that political parties
keep on taking the easy way out.
Question:
What steps should the government take to defuse the potentially volatile
situation that emerges along side the reservation demands? Suggest short,
medium and long term measures.
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India to become key defence
partner of U.S.
Defence
minister Manohar Parrikar and US secretary of defence Ashton Carter on Thursday
finalised India’s designation as a “major defence partner” of the US.
Titled
‘Enhancing defense and security
cooperation with India,’ Section 1292 of the National Defence Authorization
Act 2017 (American Defence Budget) asks the Defence Secretary and the Secretary
of State to take steps necessary to recognise India as America’s major defence
partner of the U.S.
What will ‘key defence partner’
status bring to India?
It
will strengthen bilateral defence cooperation with India, including expanded military-to-military engagement,
increased defence trade, and
greater cooperation on technological
development.
The
Act calls for approval and
facilitation of transfer of advanced technology, consistent with U.S.
conventional arms transfer policy, to support combined military planning with
India’s military for missions such as humanitarian assistance and disaster
relief, counter-piracy, freedom of navigation, and maritime domain awareness
missions, and to promote weapons systems interoperability.
Calling
to strengthen the effectiveness of the U.S.-India
Defence Trade and Technology Initiative and the durability of the Department
of Defence’s ‘India Rapid Reaction
Cell,’ NDAA 2017 also seeks collaboration with India to develop
mutually agreeable mechanisms to verify the security of defence articles,
defence services and related technology such as appropriate cyber security and
end use monitoring arrangements consistent with U.S.’ export control laws and
policy.
‘Key
Defence Partner’ Status:
According
to a joint statement issued by the two sides, the designation “is a status unique to India”.
“Major
Defense Partner” is based on the concept of the US treating India as its closest ally and partner for the purpose
of technology transfer. The two sides are looking for certain big
defence development projects to take off, as it eases US licensing requirements
for India, particularly from the US commerce department on dual-use items.
India
is not a treaty partner of the US—which is a formal alliance partner with close
cooperation with Washington like Japan or Australia. Neither is it part of the
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, which includes countries like Britain.
But
India is seeking benefits granted to the closest allies of the US, such as
Australia—that the Pentagon was hesitant to concede in the past.
Way
Ahead: Do not rest upon the laurels of this Status.
New
Delhi must realise that the new status does not provide a blanket exception nor
circumvent multilateral export control regimes. In fact, the status hopes that
India will become part of all the four export control regimes at the earliest.
Question:
How does increasing bonhomie with the USA impact India’s other defence
partnerships? On the whole, evaluate the impact of such developments.
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