The Indian society has always been acaste-ridden, stratified hierarchical society and a certain segment of the society has always been affected by the inequalities.

According to the Indian Constitution, Protective discrimination is the policy of granting special privileges to the downtrodden and the underprivileged sections of society, especially women. They are supportive action programs in regions like India and the United States where there has been a history ofracial and caste discrimination, especially in India as it has been included in theconstitution and is institutionalized.

Specific provisions for reservations likeequality of opportunity in employment and education, that arein favor of the members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes have been made in theConstitutionof India.

The primary criticism raised against the policy of reservations is that it is at the cost of meritocracy and that it promotes mediocrity in a developing nation like India. This is very common in the counseling sessions for entry into an educational institution where a merit student might lose a seat to a mediocre reservation student.