If I’m not mistaken, no Indians (as opposed to Native Americans) benefit from affirmative action in the United States, not even if they are from “the backward classes.” India itself, however, practices “affirmative action” on its own, though it doesn’t seem to be afflicted by the smokescreen of “diversity.”
Much of India has been paralyzed in recent weeks over the central government’s decision to widen the country’s quota system in state universities. The legislation aims to reserve 27 percent more university seats for the “other backward classes”, a social stratum made up of India’s socially backward and uneducated classes. This would bring the total percentage of seats reserved for lower caste members in India’s universities to 49.5 percent. This mandate would extend to elite institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Management and the Indian Institutes of Technology, the graduates of which are regularly snatched up by U.S. software companies.
In response, a movement spearheaded by Indian medical associations has spread throughout major Indian cities to battle the proposed legislation. The protests have intensified to the point where medical students and doctors have paralyzed India’s hospitals, leaving scores of patients unattended while protesters engage in mass demonstrations and an ongoing hunger strike. In addition to the medics, a variety of professionals have joined in the protests, including attorneys, traders, chemists, resident welfare associations and even bar dancers.
The anti-quota movement largely holds that such an affirmative-action sort of policy would dilute India’s academic institutions by opening the door to unqualified members of India’s lower classes. Many of these protesters argue that admission should be based solely on merit, and that any quota system should not be based on the caste system. This divisive legislation, they claim, will exacerbate the brain drain in India — more students will opt to study overseas as the number of spots available to India’s qualified students shrinks further. The government proposal is also fueling fears in India and abroad that a quota system could be extended to the private sector, with negative implications for foreign direct investment (FDI), growth and competitiveness.
There’s more.
There is a similar article in the Economist that came today. I don’t know if this is available on their website.