An idea !

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/01/stories/2006060118970100.htm

The link above is to an article in today's edition of The Hindu.
The bottomline- The Tamil Nadu govt. has now made 69% reservation in all institutes- including private- mandatory.

Another state could do the smart thing and not have any reservations and attract the talent , attract the companies to recruit the talent and reap the economic benefits, which in turn can be applied towards the upliftment of the state- including providing good and competitive free schooling and food for the needy children.

Its a long term vision- wonder if anyone will have the guts to implement something like this- ever.

The Phoenix

I have been quiet about this issue over the last few days.

Its the observation phase.

First, with the newspaper relegating any news about the agitation into the oblivion of 4th, 5th pages and then coming up with a headline that proclaimed the date the reservations would come into effect.. I thought that this round of protests was a mirror of what had happened before. People immolated themsleves and died and the reservations still happened.

However, the Supreme Court has stepped in. Yesterday it asked the government the basis on which it was adding the latest round of reservations.. and of course, it took serious view of the social implications of such a move- namely, dividing the country along caste line.

Three cheers to the awesome people who filed a PIL that was heard!
Some political parties have also suddenly started mouthing their support to the agitating students saying no to creamy layer and yes to economically backward layer.

The real kudos go to the students across the country- with the IITs and other prestigious unuversities joining in, the protests have gained momentum. I hope other students will join in too. Although I doubt a major contribution in terms of participation from the reservation heavy Southern states. They are too conditioned.

I am still observing.

An apt joke

This was a joke that someone forwarded to me:

Manmohan Singh to Bush: We are sending Indians to the moon next year.
Bush: Wow! How many?
Manmohan Singh: 100
25 OBC
25 SC
20 ST
5 handicapped
5 Sports persons
5 Terrorist Affected
5 Kashmiri Immigrants
9 Politicians
and if possible,
1 Astronaut

Why Only the Medicos?

Why not the engineering students or MBA students or other students? Are they refusing the accept the fact that their chances of getting into a good college or moving onto a desirable job are going to be affected?

Or are they just too scared?

Its time to take to the street and let the politicians know that you are as one- no matter what your chosen area of study.

And the band plays on..

Check these out:
http://info.indiatimes.com/pk/iit/ttoi/index.htm

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/specialcoverage/1482489.cms

And incidentally, a few more students have killed themselves....

Back to the Board

It has started happening- a class VIIth student killed herself- coz she did not get the marks she desired in her exam.

That will be the fall out of the quota systems- this is just a minute beginning.

The goverment is now making noises about increasing the toal number of seats in colleges so that there is more available for the 'general' public. IDIOTS!! We all know that they are not even thinking about the learning conditions or the learning environment!! What about the student-teacher ratio? What about those cramped seating arrangements... and by the way, just how much will this 'increase' in the number of seats be?

They are trying to make a fool of us by pretending to pacify us.

It remains to be seen if they will be successful....

Editorial in today's edition of The Times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1531724.cms
******
The anti-quota protests are turning nasty. Ever since HRD minister Arjun Singh announced reservation for OBCs in centrally-funded educational institutions, there have been rumblings in the student community. Over the past few days, protests have gained momentum with medical students spearheading the agitation. Singh, however, remains defiant and has now passed the buck to the Union cabinet and Parliament. The sequence of events highlights a singular lack of transparency on the part of government. First, the HRD ministry announ-ced its proposal to reserve seats in central educational institutes even before the cabinet had taken a final decision. Second, the timing of the announcement just when elections were to be held in five states made obvious the motive behind the quota. Third, there has been a resounding silence on the part of government on the entire issue with Singh alone taking the credit or blame, depending on which side of the fence one stands for masterminding reservations for OBCs. The prime minister has done himself little credit by failing to clarify government's stand on the issue. He has, in fact, been guilty of playing along with Singh by raising the issue of reservation in the private sector. Whatever be the motives of the UPA government in instituting quotas for OBCs, it lays bare the proclivity of governments in India whoever be in office to push through policy without the necessary public debate. It is difficult to believe that Singh thought of reserving seats for OBCs all by himself. There must have been debate within the UPA on the merits of an OBC quota before the HRD ministry decided to casually go public with it. But none of what preceded Singh's sudden announcement is public knowledge. It is also obvious that there is no consensus on quota. A majority of the National Knowledge Commission, which reports directly to the PM, has been vocal in its objections to reservation. Singh has, however, brushed aside such criticism as uninformed. The entire episode is a sad comment on the functioning of government. It does not believe in a public debate before taking crucial policy decisions whether it is raising fuel prices or engaging in a strategic partnership with the US. It is also symbolic of the contempt that government has for citizens. Though the voter elects a government, he is not privy to decisions that affect his life. That speaks very poorly of Indian democracy.
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Our politicians are essentially pimps- they are pimping the nation for votes.