(i) Reservation policies for SC and STS are directed basically towards the goal of greater equality in society. Its period has been extended from time to time by bringing several amendments in the Constitution of India.

(ii) OBCs are usually not defined exactly as SC and ST's and in the same proportion in different parts of our country. These are neither part of the forward castes at the upper end of the status spectrum nor of the Dalits at the lower end. But since caste has entered all the major Indian religions and is not confined to Hinduism alone there are also members of other religions who belong to the backward castes and share the same traditional, occupational identification and similar or worse socio-economic status. The most important measures adopted or recommended for their advancement are reservations in the educational institutions particularly in the technical and professional colleges and government service.

The Dalits (or the Harijan) and Adivasis have been the victims of active social discrimination through segregation in the first case and isolation in the second. The same cannot be said to be true of OBCs. Forced incorporation of tribal communities into mainstream processes has had certain changes in tribal identity. Their identity is formed by interactional processes rather than any primordial (original) characteristics peculiar to tribes. Some tribal states have been declared as disturbed areas Eg. Manipur or Nagaland.