Reservation Based on Financial Status for Moothans

It is a very well known fact that caste based government reservation is an outdated and illogical term in the modern context, especially in the state of Kerala and it has reached its extremes resembling the extremes of feudalistic past. It has never solved the real problem of inequality and it again created gaps in the society between the rich and the poor, but from a different group and different style this time.  Democratic governments being the authority to consider its citizen on an unbiased basis have again fallen like the feudalistic setups of the past. It has favored a lopsided development neglecting the other side. It never attempted to consider the folks of financially poor forward caste peoples and their social problems who are otherwise the major contributors in the social and cultural front shaping and building the economy of the state.

Caste based reservation system within itself is not very technically accurate and even the financially well-off persons from the backward communities are enjoying and reaping its benefit in many forms from the ration shop point, hospital courtyard  and to the ministry level. If one has to favor blindly the present caste based reservation system, one question remains open before everyone that who aids for the financially broken folks in the forward castes groups.

We can see the forward caste communities like Namboothiris and other Brahmins, ambalavasis, Nairs and its sub groups, vaishyas ( Palakkad Moothans and its sub groups , a major community of  Palakkad district) and many other forward caste groups which are not mentioned here are deprived of any governmental support to thrive and raise their generations to a level of decent standards. It is very statistically clear, reasonably logical and undeniable fact that financially poor and unemployed exist in the all these forward caste groups and they are finding it tough to make their life move ahead in the modern scenarios where there exists a lopsided reservation system for eg. In govt. sector employments for an FC candidate to be appointed all other quotas have to be filled in a row from ST, SC, OBC, Muslim, Christian and than an FC candidate. There is a least regard for an FC candidates financial or physical conditions. So it generates no surprise that FC candidates are rare species in our Govt. Sector offices.

Please see the below reservation table for the post of Last Grade Servant

Q.9. Give the details of percentage of Reservation given to the OBC and SC/ST candidates?

source : http://www.keralapsc.org/doubt.htm

It seems our democratic governmental setup are least bothered about these forward caste groups who are an indispensable part of our culture and economy and simply it throws a general feeling that these downtrodden people will somehow manage themselves to patch up their life needs. It is this, a right act under a democratic setup.

The financial status Moothans of Palakkad

Moothans , guptans, tharakans and mannadiars are from the unique forward class (vaishya) business groups of palakkad district of kerala. They are deprived of benefits or any governmental reservations. Being from a business class and from their own capacities moothans have managed well in the past in the time of crisis when compared to the other forward class communities of the district. Only because of their business capabilities and self reliant nature they have managed to survive with out major setbacks.

“To the general belief that moothan’s are very rich, the reality is that there is a wide inequality of income range within its various groups”.  Majority of the folks survive on a day to day earning basis running their own small scale units, many working in the market as labor class, small farmers, working in private sector firms and so on. They can be found in all walks of profession, more in the self made styles. These classes inside our various communities needs a definite assistance from the side of government and it is overdue.

Reservation Based On Financial Status

Caste based reservation has proven detrimental to the steady progress of moothans and its generation, especially the present one.  So the best package that suit moothan community in general will be a reservation based on financial status. This financial status based reservation will make sure that only the really suffering and financially poor folks of the community will be benefited. 

Any form act from the side of government in this regard will be a landmark in the history of the community. This act may help prevent one unique community from derailing from its usual track and perform in a better way and help make palakkad a great place to do business where tradition meets modernization.

Gopakumar.R,

Editor , Moothan.Com

Dated 24/07/2010