It is gracious indeed to be concerned about students who are poor. But their problem can also be solved with the help of scholarships and financial assistance. But reservation policy is an answer to evils caused by social inequalities.

The educational capacities of a person depend upon knowledge and training that he/she receives through various sources. This knowledge and training is acquired through school, coaching classes; TV, computers, books etc. educational aides and through family, parents, relatives etc. Some of these things depend upon one’s economic capacities. But social and educational capital plays a more important role than economic capital in the acquisition of knowledge and training. Backward classes do not have this capital due to denial to access knowledge and lack of a tradition of learning and education.

Thus among backward classes there are not many well qualified, highly educated persons. According to a survey conducted inDelhi among upper castes nearly 25.3% are graduates. The proportion for the same among OBCs is 8.6% and among scheduled castes it is 2.7%. These inequalities are not because of lack of merit but because of inequalities in opportunities and resources. Since this inequality is based on the chaturvarnya system, the solution will be based on castes within this chaturvarnya system.

But the proportion of poor/incidence of poverty is also high among the shudra and atishudras. Arguments against reservation are put forth by pointing at one or two occasional rich individuals in the caste. But the proportion of populations below poverty line among SCs is 31.64 %, among STs it is 44.2 % and among OBCs it is 21.8 % and among upper castes it is 12.78 %. This proves that socially and educationally backward communities are economically backward as well. There are hardly any capitalists and landlords among them.

Also there will always be a greater chance of accuracy in caste certificates. As a lot of corruption goes on in the procurement of income certificates, there is every possibility of abuse in economic criteria based reservations.