Quota in FDI regime is an ironical joke

New Delhi, Dec 14: Our political class lacks lot of qualities but what they have in abundance is sense of irony. In just one week the government pushes through a bill to bring big private players from abroad and then bows to introduce quota in government promotions.

For the passage of FDI (foreign direct investment) in retail act ithe government arm-twists regional satraps and then goes into the corner to allow promotions quota as demanded by the leader of backward state.

With the growing services sector there is a constant movement on privatisation, and incentives to private enterprises have become main feature of every states budget. This means the role of government is declining so is the manpower employed by it. This being the scenario, the logic of reservation for scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes in job promotions, makes little sense for the future generations.

Reservations, like religious fundamentalism, could hurt and halt the development of India as progressive economic power. This is the third attempt in 17 years thrust quota in promotions. The Supreme Court has held it unconstitutional in 1995 and 2001 and wanted backwardness, inadequacy of representation and efficiency to be norms for the promotion.

Even the BJP, which seems to giving a qualified support wanted few changes in the bill. BJP leader Arun Jaitley on Thursday urged the government to reconsider some provisions of the promotion quota bill, saying it would help people with doubtful integrity to be entitled to promotion. "I will urge the government to seriously reconsider this...If someone has doubtful integrity, then he will still be entitled to promotion," Jaitley said.

"To say that no standards will be needed should be reconsidered," he said, adding that it would have an adverse effect on the country.

"Efficiency of service is a constitutional requirement. The structure will collapse once the government agrees (to the new bill)," Jaitley said.

The government agreed to make some changes in the bill - seeking 117th amendment in the Constitution to remove the hurdles in restoring the quota.

However, the quota in government jobs and invitation to private players do not go hand in hand. Because, there is always a danger that the government could again succumb to 'blackmail' and bring in quota in private sector. Merit and efficiency cannot be sacrificed for political gains, both in government and private jobs

We like an year-end joke but this is a tragedy and ironical.

OneIndia News