ABSTRACT
India’s reservation policy targets a wide variety of groups on the periphery of Indian Society. Reservations in jobs are intended to uplift and empower as well as provide the beneficiaries with opportunities for social and economic mobility. A closer look reveals that the policies of the state have not helped the larger SC and ST masses to improve their lot; on the contrary, they engendered a microscopic class among the community itself. In this context the question is: Has the middle class been ‘paying back’ to the needy in different forms? It is found majority of the members of the middle class were keen to extend help and bring about desired social mobility amongst the members of their community.
