Let this be stated at the outset that no one, no Indian, can be, or is, opposed to securing a just and respectable life for the poor and deprived fellow countrymen. The opposition to the policy of Reservation stems basically from a growing awareness that the ruling political class is pursuing this policy not out of either real sympathy for the deprived or out of a concern for the national interest.
Moreover, the question is: do we want to eliminate caste as a factor of social relations and political processes or do we want to perpetuate it forever? By treating caste as the only medium of oppression, we have only added to the longevity of caste as the determining factor of social identity.
| SL. No. | Backward | Non-Backward |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Women | Men |
| 3 | Driven to necessity of working with own hands | Supervision of manual workers |
| 5 | Landless labourers | Landed peasantry |
| 7 | Not having sufficient capital | Commanding sufficient capital |
| 10 | Poor/uneducated parents | Educated parents with culture |
| 13 | Illiterate | Having fair amount of education |
| 15 | Belief in magic/fate | Belief in science |
- Income of the family: Below vs Above poverty line.
- Educational Status: Father/Mother education levels.
- Place of Residence: Rural/Slums vs Metropolitans.
- Profession of Father: Landless vs White collar/Businessmen.
Each of these parameters can be graded on a scale of 1 to 4 to obtain a comprehensive deprivation index. This index will have the strength to pick up the entire true backwards and eliminate false backwards.