Dear Editor,
Through medium of your esteemed daily I would like to draw the attention of well established and learned people of the SC and ST category specially Cabinet Ministers, Members Parliament, MLAs and bureaucrats. It is seen that always the issues are being raised for the welfare of the these communities whether it is during Parliament session or during Legislative Assembly session. At the time of elections all political parties focus their full attention on their vote bank and start advocating their welfare measures.
I am greatly surprised to see why don’t these leaders ever raise the issue of poor SC/ST people those leading a miserable life without getting any benefit from present system of caste based reservation. The creamy layer among these communities have created a category within the category. The benefit of the reservation has been confined to certain families. These families have taken benefits continuously for the three generations and have become so sound financially and educationally that no one can compete with them but still not leaving it to others. The poor SC/STs of rural and far flung areas are still at the same place where they were 70 years back. It is a big question , “can son of labourer residing in far flung area compete with the son of an IAS officer or Cabinet Minister”? It is my sincere appeal to all intellectuals and politicians from these communities “Let deserve ones be reserve ones”. Priority is to be given to the families which have never got an opportunity of government job. Schooling facilities such as mobile schools for the people of ST category specially for the Bakarwal community must be made fully functional and employment for running such schools should be given to the people among them, because they know better about their problems. These deprived people need special education facilities in order to compete with others. Government of India is requested to make laws for excluding the creamy layer of SC/STs from getting benefits of reservation for the sake of development of poor SC/STs and bringing equality in the society.
Madan Lal Narad
Jammu.
