None of these measures were even casually examined by the government, and then prime minister V.P. Singh adopted the facile and populist route of issuing a one-para order conferring the boon of 27 per cent reservation on OBCs. To this day no serious effort has been made to lay the foundations of structures to enable the deprived classes which will compete with the non-reserved categories on an equal footing.

While reservations to IITs, IIMs and AIIMS enabled SC, ST and OBC students to leapfrog their way into a prestigious institution, no attention was paid to the fact that this goal was reached only after 12 or 15 years of hard, foundational work in schools and colleges. And unless this foundation was adequately strengthened by building a sound coaching infrastructure for these students, they will find themselves at sea in professional colleges.

The short-term, myopic approach to social engineering has posed serious problems to the beneficiaries of reservations. A report prepared by two former directors of IITs found that 50 per cent of seats reserved for SC and ST candidates remained vacant as the applicants failed to secure even the much lower entry marks required. Of those admitted, 25 per cent were forced to quit, as they could not complete a four-year course even in six years. One IIM director said that they are able to fill only around 10-15 per cent of the reserved seats. And even those who are able to complete the course are not able to take part in extracurricular activities owing to the pressure of studies. Most of them came away with bitter memories. And their travails do not end there. They face their most frustrating hurdle in the job market.

... contd.