Affirmative action in India is practiced in the form of reservation policy with a structured quota

system for public jobs and higher government educational institutes, existing with the intention
to cater to disadvantaged sections of the society. Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes
(ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) are the primary beneficiaries of the reservation policies
under the Constitution. The heart behind the adoption of positive affirmation in 1950 was to
uplift the scheduled groups mainly the tribal adivasis and the dalits through a quota for jobs
and education. However, today, only a small section of the scheduled groups has prospered and
an estimated 1% of the two groups falls into the highest wealth bracket (calculated as four times
above the poverty line), according to a recent study. The original intent of upliftment has paved
inroads to vote bank politics in the country.

As a group, we are not in favor of ISB implementing positive affirmation in the current form of
reservation or quota system. We root for this position primarily on the basis that reserving seats
at post graduate level will only lead to compromised skilled forces in the society. We believe that
the upliftment of the disadvantaged sections needs to be worked out from the primary levels of
education. Inclusive programs intended to work through the core years of education will bring
about competency in the groups. Fixing the system through quota system in higher education,
right before the individual starts making contributions to the society, will only promote
mediocrity and incompetence in the society. For instance, if I am getting operated upon, all I
want is a skilled surgeon who can save my life. Closer to home, in the business world, if I am
entrusting my hard earned life savings with an investment banker, it is only fair that I am
provided talented services for the money I am shelling out. There should be no room for
incompetence in this set up. If a person is not competent before entering ISB, we doubt if fixing
seats for him in a yearlong business school will raise his competencies.
At a more philosophical level, we do not agree that two wrongs make a right. Brahmins once
unfairly treated the dalits, the descendants of those dalits, some of whom may now enjoy high
income and social status, have a right to opportunities over more competent Brahmin applicants,
who had nothing to do with the discrimination, and who may have even suffered hardship
compared to the dalits. Reservation system creates a hierarchy for the oppressed. Scheduled
tribes and dalits get preferential treatment, women second, religious minorities third and so on
until Hindu Indian males, no matter what their background is, they must accept the leftovers. The
compensation argument advocates that since the privileged stole rights from the disadvantaged in
the past, it is only fair that we rightfully restore their opportunities by the privileged themselves
taking a hit for some time. This is probably the sturdiest argument for affirmative action, and it
may well call for some forms of actions such as distributing scholarships and bursaries, but we
are not sure if they justify the quota system. We do not know if the world were fair, how many of
the same group would have achieved a given standard of competence. More importantly, we
believe that people should be treated according to merits, as ends in themselves, rather than as
means to social ends. We ought to treat individuals with dignity and not a means to social policy.
In its current set up, ISB has been applying softer positive affirmations such as releasing
bursaries for the economic disadvantaged sections, policies meant to increase opportunities of
such sections to attend the school. ISB uses diversity or under representation of groups as a
method when the candidates applying for the seat have similar candidature. We support this
policy of ISB enabling a system of equal opportunity to compete in. Essentially, what we do not
agree to is fixing the result in itself, which is allocating an x percentage of seats in a school
without evaluating the candidature. Raising skilled, competent and ethical workforce for the
highest positions in diverse industries in the country is what ISB is focused on. ISB is rigorous in
its agenda to take in competent students from diverse backgrounds. Slapping reservations to this
agenda would only corrupt what good ISB is creating in the society.