Saturday, December 19, 2009

[ZESTCaste] Drop it! (Opinion)

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Drop%20it!/165100/

Drop it!

Posted online: May 01, 2006 at 0000 hrs

The Asian Development Bank's (ADB) chief economist, Ifzal Ali, is dot
on when he says there is no doubt that introduction of quotas in the
private sector would prove "counter-productive." It will merely lead
to a flight of domestic and foreign capital, as also of skilled
labour. The best way to ensure that those who lag, either economically
or socially owing to caste or class, is not through reservations.
Rather, it is through education, particularly at the school level.

If the government remains adamant about reservations in the private
sector, it is unlikely anyone would want to invest in the country.
Globalisation means Indian companies have to compete in the global
arena with rivals who are not bogged by similar restrictions. In such
a scenario, there is no way they can be competitive if they cannot
hire the best talent available, regardless of caste or colour. Merit
will have to be the only criterion. Sacrificing merit at the altar of
reservations will lead the country nowhere. Especially in today's
environment, when the demand for skilled labour comes not only from
within India but also from across the world. If skilled labour is not
able to find jobs here, it will up and leave. Today labour might not
be remotely as mobile as capital, but the day is not far off when the
developed world will be forced to relax visa restrictions. Not only
because of the compulsions of the World Trade Organisation—where
services trade is very much a part of the agenda — but also because of
the shortage of labour/greying of the population in these countries.

It's much the same story when it comes to reservation in institutions
of higher education. Many of the best and brightest will simply go
abroad, especially now that it is so much easier, both because of
easier access to loans and because foreign universities are actively
wooing Indian students. What the government really needs to do in the
spheres of education and employment is not reserve seats or jobs but
provide better opportunities to the under-privileged.


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