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Journalism of Courage
That certain sections of organised industry have grown concerned about the proportion of their workforce that consists of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes is clear from the very fact that the Confederation of Indian Industry CII has worked to conduct a caste census of employees of 8,520 of its members. We can only be very slightly relieved,though. First,because of the very qualifiers that have to be used: certain sections,organised,and industry,which immediately reduce the scale of sensitisation; Indias economy is largely service-based and unorganised. Second,because this exercise is carried out under the continual,long-running political threat of private-sector reservations.
This newspaper is uneasy about the possibility of further increasing state power over the private sector,even in the service of a goal as laudable and essential as counteracting thousands of years of prejudice and stored-up deprivation. It will,if nothing else,be a deeply counterproductive move,creating a hierarchical shadow economy of bribery,forged caste certificates,and so on,which will benefit the connected,and not those whom we wish to include. Yet,as this newspapers report on the latest CII survey makes clear,some of Indias fastest-growing and most developed states and the ones with the largest formal sectors are the most problematic when it comes to the inclusion of historically disadvantaged castes and tribes. Gujarat and Maharashtra are particularly visible examples. There is much that those state governments must do to allow and encourage their industries to diversify their employment base.
