Sanjeev Gahlot is an employee in a shopping center outside of Delhi. The income of the 41-year-old and his wife is less than Rs 200,000 (about £2,000) every year.
Mr. Gahlot is a member of a historically marginalized tribe. That is eligible for a variety of affirmative action programs since India’s independence in an effort to reverse centuries of discrimination.
Why India questioning the meaning of being poor
A contentious law extending affirmative action policies extends to lower-class members. Narendra Modi approved the bill. The law reserves 10% of all government positions. Higher education spots for the “poorest of the poor” who belong to racial or ethnic groupings.
According to World Bank data, the average income for an Indian adult in 2021 was £1,885, meaning the policy will in reality benefit many middle-class families.
The BJP claimed that it is appropriate to exclude members of traditionally disadvantaged castes and tribes from the new 10% quota since they are already protected by existing affirmative action when defending the new law before the Supreme Court.
One agrees with the government’s attempt to redefine oppression to include poverty. According to economist and assistant professor, “within economic backwardness it has maintained just one category of people eligible.”
When Rajnath Singh was the home minister in 2018, he declared a new census will be performed in 2021. However, the administration changed its mind, claiming the census would be “administratively tough and laborious” last year.
The professor disputes the claim that the government would find it too “cumbersome” to collect census information on caste-based livelihoods. Regarding the nation’s space program, Kumar states, “India is reaching the moon.” How are you able to claim that you lack the means to count heads when it comes to caste?
