Against All Odds: Muslim Youth Prosper with BC-E Reservation in Telugu States

While the political structure questions and debates the reservation opportunities for backward sections of the Muslim community in educational and occupational domains, there are a few stories of numerous youth who have benefited from these schemes and changed their lives for the better.

A boy began his journey by traveling 300 km from the fields of Asifabad to his classroom at Osmania University in Hyderabad to be the only educated and stable-earning member of his family, with the help of the BC-E scheme. This scheme provides 4% reservation opportunities for the youth belonging to 14 backward classes of the Muslim community within the Telugu States of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Another individual shares his worries about the political discourse on the reservation policy. Although he is a beneficiary of the reservation scheme, he is afraid to admit it to the wrong crowd, which can land him in trouble.

While BRS did propose an increase in the quota reservation to 12% from the pre-existing 4% issued under the Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy-led government of undivided Andhra Pradesh, the Central Government declined the suggestion.

Reports suggest over 20 lakh students from the Muslim community have benefited from the BC-E quota. The students have earned degrees in engineering, medicine, pharmacy, and business administration.

The son of an auto-rickshaw driver owes it to the scheme that turned his life around after he completed a master's in pharmaceutical sciences and is now working for a pharmaceutical company. His job and education helped him afford a house within the city that shelters his parents.

Many such success stories from the Telugu States are lost in fear of being subjected to hostility.