In Search of Inclusive Policy

In India, addressing the problem of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) through the governmental policy of OBCs quotas in higher education institutions, and subsequently passing of an Act by the Parliament, has renewed the debate on reserving space and other related issues regarding these individuals. This volume brings together selected and exceptionally insightful papers - which have appeared in the journals, newspapers etc. - dealing with every conceivable dimension of this reservation policy in general, and for the OBCs in particular. The detailed introduction of this volume familiarizes the lay reader with the complex debate on OBC reservations. The editors contextualize the issues of social exclusion in Indian society associated with multiple group identities like caste, ethnicity, religion, gender, and other forms of exclusion. They also discuss the theoretical framework for developing inclusive polices to deal with the consequences of historical exclusion, as well as the safeguards against continuing discrimination in the present. In the end, they propose that, given the multiple forms of exclusion associated with group identities, the nature of inclusive policy should be such that it addresses the group-specific problem, depending on the nature of discrimination and resulting educational, social, and economic situations.