Advocating Equality: National Conference in Delhi Propels Demand for Private Sector Reservation

New Delhi-The rise in privatization of resources has always been a point of contention, especially for people from marginalized sections. Many see this as an obvious result of a capitalist society, and the call for reservation in the sector is gaining momentum. Keeping this in mind, the All India Independent Scheduled Castes Association (AIISCA) conducted a national conference on ‘Reservation in the Private Sector’ in New Delhi.

The conference took place at YMCA Tourist Hostel Auditorium on December 23rd, where multiple speakers provided their input. Rajya Sabha MP Prof. Manoj Jha, former minister Rajendra Pal Gautam, Prof. Sumeet Mhaskar, and President of AIISCA Dr. Rahul Sonpimple were among the panelists.

Dr. Rahul Sonpimple, President of All India Independent Scheduled Castes Association, talked to The Mooknayak about the importance of the event. He said, “Today's event was on ‘Reservation in the Private Sector.’ There technically is no ‘private sector’ as such, just some private players being provided land, water, and control over other resources by the government. They are provided resources at a lesser expense, but when it comes to employment, marginalized communities are often left in the lurch. This is mainly seen at higher positions of power. Multiple studies have proved the presence of bias, which shows that even after having the same qualifications, upper-caste people are the ones who end up getting promoted.”

Professor Sumeet Mhaskar of O.P. Jindal Global University explained the need for reservation in the public sector. The professor remarked, “Till this date, the growth of the public sector has been limited. A big chunk of workers is in the private sector. But even then, an equal share is still out of reach for the Dalit community. They are not able to be the owners of capital. After independence, everyone hoped for the same opportunities, but that still is a far-fetched dream. Big families still have big businesses and, in turn, access to resources. Keeping that in mind, we can say unless the government directly gets involved to help through reservations, scholarships, and other aids, the private sector will not make space for Dalits on their own.”

Formation of All India Independent Scheduled Castes Association

Sonpimple further elaborated on the conception of AIISCA. He added, “The All India Independent Scheduled Castes Association has been formed to bring together different scheduled caste communities, irrespective of their region and religion. A big SC community needs to come forward with their demands while taking full use of the resources to fight for their right.”

The activist continued, “Dalit and Bahujan communities face financial, social, and cultural obstacles. For now, AIISCA is focusing on the financial aspect while focusing on the need for reservation in the private sector. The current government is on a roll, closing public sectors and selling them off to private players. There was once a generation of scheduled castes who could come up only due to reservations. If this incessant privatization continues, marginalized communities will end up at the back. We will take this word forward and lead the movement, hoping more of such discussions will follow both inside and outside of the parliament.”