Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Creamy layer

The Centre's decision to raise the income limit — from Rs.2.5 lakh to Rs.4.5 lakh per annum — for determining the creamy layer among the OBCs is unfortunate. It will ensure that those who need the state's support lose out to the well-off among their own community. There are many OBC families with an annual income less than Rs.1.5 lakh. Can they ever expect to get the benefit of reservation when they are forced to compete with the more affluent?

Jiji John Thomas,
Thiruvalla

The government's action seeks to encourage backwardness and make the people take pride in being labelled as ‘backward.' This retrograde move does not augur well for a nation that is supposed to be the ‘growth engine' of the world economy. By increasing the income limit, the Congress-led government has defeated the purpose of identifying the creamy layer among the OBCs.

Amaruvi Devanathan,
Detroit

The latest move will help the rich among the OBCs become richer. Instead, the government should provide educational opportunities to the backward sections. Joseph Thomas,
Alathur

The need of the hour is a special mechanism to ensure that the benefits of reservation reach those who need it most. The government needs to introspect on its policies and their implementation.

Syed Khaja,
New Delhi

I have two children with an age difference of 10 years and 7 months. While my daughter, the older of the two, is an OBC, my son belongs to the creamy layer based on my income then and now. Such discrepancies do come in when you introduce income as a scale to monitor social status. D. Darwin Albert Raj,
Kancheepuram

The introduction of the creamy layer concept in admissions has led to many seats in colleges remaining vacant. Unless these seats also go to the OBCs, the larger goal of uplifting them socially and educationally will be defeated. It is the large shopkeepers and agriculturalists among the OBCs in villages and towns who get left out due to the economic criteria. They may earn above the income limit in their businesses but are educationally backward.

S.A. Nasser Khan,
Chennai

To address social backwardness, the income limit should be removed. Otherwise, large sections among the OBCs will be denied the benefits of reservation.

Sheriff Ashik Mohideen,
Chennai

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