India's Supreme Court upheld on Thursday a government policy to reserve more college seats for students from lower castes, a fiercely debated affirmative action scheme intended to help flatten centuries-old social hierarchies. Just under half of all seats in state colleges and universities will now be reserved for people born into the lower end of India's caste system and other social groups that have historically lacked wealth and power. The scheme is one of the world's biggest affirmative actions and will be enforced this coming academic year starting in July in some of India's most elite universities, including the Indian Institutes of Management and the Indian Institutes of Technology. Advocates of the scheme hope it will help dissolve centuries of upper-caste privilege and lead to a more egalitarian society. Similar quotas exist for government jobs and parliamentary seats. Previously, just under a quarter of seats were reserved for certain tribal communities and people from the lowest castes, including Dalits, the 16 percent or so of Indians born into the very bottom of the Hindu caste system. Now another 27 percent of college seats must go to students from what the government calls “other backward classes”, the court ruled. But the Supreme Court said reserved seats would not be open to students from “backward” communities who came from wealthy families, a group often called “the creamy layer”. There is evidence quotas have made some people more acutely conscious of caste differences in India. Some communities have marched through the streets demanding to be considered “backward”, so as to qualify for quotas. More than 20 people were killed last year during protests by an ethnic group demanding they be deemed an underprivileged tribe. Critics also say that admitting students by any criteria other than intellectual merit will inevitably degrade educational standards in a country already struggling to produce enough competent graduates to work in its rapidly growing economy. Upper-caste students have led protests since the proposal for expanding quotas was cleared by parliament in 2006. But the government insists it is expanding its educational system so smart upper-caste students will not lose their chance to go to college. “No one will be excluded,” Arjun Singh, India's Human Resources Development Minister, told reporters.FactboxHere are some facts about caste-based reservation in India: n Affirmative action started in India in 1950 when government jobs and places in state-funded colleges were allocated to the former “untouchables” of Hindu society and tribal groups. n At present, 22.5 percent of government jobs and places in state-funded educational institutions must be allocated to the ‘Scheduled Castes' - mostly the former untouchables of Hindu society - and tribal groups. They are estimated to make up about 25 percent of India's population. n A further 27 percent of government jobs have been set aside for other lower castes and disadvantaged communities, known as “other backward classes” (OBCs). This controversial 1990 decision led to violent student protests in which dozens of upper-caste students set themselves ablaze. n With the Supreme Court's latest ruling, the OBCs will also be entitled to an additional 27 per cent of seats in state-funded educational institutions, pushing the total caste-based educational quota in the country to 49.5 percent. n Twenty-two percent of seats in the lower house of parliament and state legislatures are reserved for Scheduled Castes and tribal groups. n In Feb. 2008, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, tentatively extended lower-caste job quotas into the private sector, the first such policy in India to include private business in the quota system. n Supporters of quotas say they are necessary as lower castes have historically had fewer opportunities for decent education. n But critics say the move will ultimately affect the quality of education and professional services. __
