Grade 11 Student Aayana Aggarwal Publishes White Paper on the One Young India Platform
Aayana Aggarwal, a Grade 11 student at Shiv Nadar School, Faridabad, has authored a white paper titled “Rethinking Who Reservation Leaves Behind”, which has been published on the prestigious One Young India platform.
Aayana’s paper offers a critical and balanced examination of the Indian Reservation System. It advocates for thoughtful reforms that reflect current social and economic realities—evolving the system rather than replacing it.
Highlights of the paper include:
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A constitutional and historical overview of India’s reservation framework
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Insights from a primary survey involving 101 respondents across diverse backgrounds
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A spotlight on underrepresented groups such as economically weaker individuals from the General Category and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs)
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Reform suggestions including:
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Ensuring full implementation of the 4% PwD quota with audits and accessibility
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Creating a transparent Central Dashboard to track reservation data
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Introducing sub-quotas for marginalized sub-castes and Denotified Tribes (DNTs)
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Linking reservation to skilling in futuristic sectors like AI and climate tech
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Strengthening support for the EWS category with better implementation
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The paper reflects Aayana’s commitment to social equity and her ability to engage with complex policy issues through research, empathy, and a reform-oriented lens.