Mumbai / Ramesh Autade
Due to the failure in obtaining caste validity certificates, many students from backward classes are unable to pursue vocational education. Merely obtaining a degree does not help much, as there are limited government jobs available for graduates. Vocational education can enable students to start their own businesses, but arbitrary actions by caste verification committees, which often assume court rulings as final, have put many students’ education at risk.
There is confusion around whether the government has issued any orders to stop caste verification for backward class students. Despite clear directives to establish district-level committees, these are often ignored, and in some places, officials act arbitrarily. These officials are seen as responsible for the erosion of genuine reservation benefits. Some students have even expressed frustration, suggesting that if the government does not grant valid caste certificates or reservation, reservations should be discontinued altogether.
Students have demanded that caste verification committees should be set up in every district, and that certificates should be granted promptly without discrimination. The inactivity of these committees should not force students to approach the courts, thereby avoiding educational setbacks. They also request that retired officials reappointed to these committees should give opportunities to younger candidates, and that caste validity for specific communities should be granted without unnecessary hassles, following the same rules applied to others.
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