Articles by Rahul Suresh Sapkal

In recent years, the Maratha community has mobilised for reservations in employment and higher education, claiming that the lack of reservations has resulted in socio-economic backwardness. Their opponents have largely highlighted the political and economic dominance of the community. This paper examines the income, education and occupational status of the Marathas vis-à-vis non-Marathas while scrutinising the statistical limitations of the Gaikwad Committee report (2018). Compared to other castes and communities in Maharashtra, the Marathas have a higher proportion of the rich and wealthy and the lowest share among the poorest and poor. It is only in comparison to the Brahmins and other upper castes that the Marathas lag behind in education and employment.

Despite unleashing a slew of relief measures, the state is grappling to ensure that employers abstain from imposing lay-offs, pay cuts or unpaid leave during the lockdown. Even if the state mandates employers to pay wages without any lay-offs, then, in this context, there is a need to advocate for wider coverage of labour legislation in India. In the short run, fixing accountability on employers for wages and jobs will provide an interim relief, but, in the long run, we need to take financial viability into consideration and provide stimulus wage subsidy.