We The People: Can Quotas Solve Economic Deprivation?

This past week saw a landmark quota bill getting passed in the parliament amid controversy and heated debates on the timing of such a move which many are saying is the ruling government's populist push ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The introduction of a 10 per cent quota for economically weaker sections of the upper caste has generated a lot of debate on the emotive issue of reservation especially in jobs and education. As anticipated, the new legislation will now face legal scrutiny after a group challenged it in court. But the politics is just one aspect of this debate. There is also the issue of jobs on today's episode. We take a look at the new legislation, who it will benefit and how and the larger issue of whether economic backwardness and social backwardness can be solved using the same policies considering the factors that lead to both are very different. We also explore when will India get to a position where reservations can be done away with completely.