THE GIST of Editorial for UPSC Exams : 16 March 2020 (Haryana’s ‘quota within SC quota’ for college admissions?(Indian Express))

Haryana’s ‘quota within SC quota’ for college admissions?(Indian Express)

Mains Paper 2:Polity
Prelims level:quota within SC quota
Mains level: Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significantprovisions and basic structure

Context:

  • The Haryana Assembly last week passed a Bill to split the 20% quota for Scheduled Castes (SCs) in the state’s higher educational institutions into two, creating a quota within the quota for a new group of “Deprived Scheduled Castes”.
  • The Deprived Scheduled Castes category has 36 communities including Valmiki, Bazigar, Sansi, Deha, Dhanak, and Sapera.

What does the new law say?

  • Section 3(1) of The Haryana Scheduled Castes (Reservation in Admission in Government Educational Institutions) Act, 2020 lays down that “twenty per cent seats shall be reserved for the members .....................................................

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Is this sub-quota a new idea?

  • No. The Manohar Lal Khattar government has replicated the initiative of the state’s Congress government in 1994, when Bhajan Lal was Chief Minister. Bhajan Lal’s government bifurcated the Scheduled Caste quota into two categories: Block A and Block B.
  • In 2006, the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed the 1994 notification, citing the decision of a five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court in E V Chinnaiah vs State of Andhra Pradesh And Ors (November 5, 2004). Haryana filed a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court against the order. The SLP remains pending with the court, which did not grant a stay in the matter.

What is the government’s argument?

  • The Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Act says that the representation of the Scheduled Castes now categorised as “Deprived Scheduled Castes” is “only 4.7%, 4.14% and 6.27% in Group A, Group B and Group C services respectively, even though their population is about 11% of the total State population”.
  • The population of other Scheduled Castes in Haryana is also about 11% of the total State population but in respect of representation in Government Services their share is 11%, 11.31% and 11.8% in Group A, B and C, respectively.
  • The reason for the poor representation of the Deprived Scheduled Castes in government jobs can be found in their educational qualifications, the Statement says.
  • Thus, even though the “minimum prescribed educational qualification for majority of the posts of Group A, B and C service is Graduation.
  • The SECC (Socio-Economic Caste Census) data reveals that in terms of education, only 3.53% population of the Deprived Scheduled Castes is Graduate, 3.75% of them are Senior Secondary level and 6.63% are Matric/Secondary level. Also 46.75% of them are illiterate”.

What was the opposition to the move?

  • Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal, herself a Dalit, attacked the Khattar government’s “divisive politics”.
  • This government believes.......................................

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Way forward:

Prelims Questions:

Q.1)With reference to the COVID-19, consider the following statements:
1. According to World Health Organization (WHO) at present, there is no evidence that companion animals/pets such as dogs or cats can be infected with the new coronavirus.
2. The current spread of COVID-19 is a result of human-to-human transmission.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: ...............................................

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Mains Questions:
Q.1) Is this sub-quota a new idea?What is the government’s argument?

UPSC 2020
Civil Services EXAM
Civil Services Preliminary
Civil Services Mains
IAS PRE GS
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