Effecting Equity and Equality of Opportunity in a Socially Diverse India

Abstract

The social, geographic and economic diversity of India is a well-known fact. Reputed for its avowed adherence to the principle of ‘unity in diversity’, this country faces several real, day-to-day challenges that it must overcome. This essay explains a few puzzles in the evolution, conceptualisation, legalisation and implementation of the ‘quota–reservation’ policies in India. It argues that seemingly logical and fair affirmative actions through ‘targeting strategies’ can be counterproductive in the long run. While describing an instance of the ‘equal but separate’ approach in imparting education to India’s minority communities as exclusionary, the essay also suggests that data-based understanding of the structure of social and economic differentials is the key to chart out robust policies for overcoming social exclusion and achieve effective equity.