OP, do give Atlas Shrugged a read, if you have not. It is a little over the top. But, some of the things highlighted are what happen when you decide to suffocate private enterprise based on criteria other than competence.

Now to your point, even in the developed world people indulge in affirmative action like hiring based on race, veteran status. But, it is not like it is forced down the companies neck, it is done because it gets more diversity and +ve press. Rest assured our benevolent governments do not do anything special for corporates which is not done anywhere else in the world. Heck, every step from setting up to liquidating a business here is a virtual nightmare, so please do compare how India is in terms of ease of doing business before you go about saying how businesses are getting XYZ from government. If you find data to prove, I propose ask the government to raise corporate taxes/ reduce subsidies but not force corporates to do this. May be gov can incentivize business who do what you propose here rather than making it mandatory, I will willingly forgo these incentives but hire the candidates without asking them their caste (I don't care about your caste, your an individual to me)

Also, let me paint a crazy picture for you. I am all for reservation till education (I am not eligible for reservation and I did not need it) provided it benefits the right people. I have seen kids of police commissioners and moneyed individuals (definitely higher economic status than me) taking advantage not once but both for undergrad and graduate level in some of the toughest institutes to enter (Can we please get the political masters to fix issues like these first, before opening a whole new can of worms.)

So, now that we have education reservation and I as a private company owner come to hire at your institute or get your CV through some channel. I would not ask for your caste and will evaluate you based on your skills (you after all are in the same college as all the other "general" folks applying to same job and had same learning opportunity, no matter how you got in), but I guess in this new system you want me to ask you "caste", modify my hiring process and treat you differently than other candidates plus make your caste a hiring metric (essentially creating animosity in my mind as to why do I hire you based on your caste, if you are not at par with other candidates). But, sure government forces me to do so, I after all have to run a business and governments are never reasonable (how does it matter, if I pay tax as an individual or corporate they have no onus to fix real issues), so I hire someone based on their caste. Now, I am on ransom because if they can not do their job, either I do it for them, get other employees to do it. So both I and other employees are pissed because of carrying this load. God, forbid I fire you because of the incompetence, file a case on me for treating you differently based on your caste (you otoh want to be hired and treated differently based on your caste). Do, you want quota in promotions too or raises as well after all if I am not of your caste, I have no possibility of being impartial and judging you on the work you. I am supposed to have biases based on caste, which sub-consciously, even if I have never bothered even to find what even my own caste is.

While, I am at it, let me just move my business elsewhere or better just shut it down. I want to hire the best person for the job, without asking them what caste they belong to, but the system you propose here forces me to treat people differently. Thank you.