We are the culprit for human development

The paper attempts to address social exclusion issues. In that effort, it explains the concept and

meaning of caste-based exclusion and its implications for the poverty of excluded groups. This tries to provide empirical evidence on the practice of caste-based exclusion and discrimination and denial of rights to lower caste and especially Dalit in civil, social, cultural, political and economic –leading lack of income-earning capital assets like agricultural land, employment, education, and social needs like housing, water, electricity.

Concept of Social Exclusion

we can discuss the concept of social exclusion in general and the caste and untouchability-based exclusions and discrimination in particular which is seen as causative factors for the deprivation of these groups. Social exclusion can cause poverty and discrimination.

This theory implies that the caste system involves the negation of not only equality and freedom but also of the basic human rights, particularly of the low castes untouchables which become an impediment for personal development. Castes at the top of the hierarchy enjoy more rights and opportunities, at the expense of those located at the bottom. And the untouchables located at the bottom of the caste hierarchy have much less economic and social rights and opportunities.

Since the society, cultural, and economic rights (particularly with respect to occupation and property rights) of each caste are ascribed and are compulsory, the institution of caste necessarily involves forced exclusion of one caste from the rights of another. The unequal and hierarchal assignment of economic and social rights by ascription obviously restricts the freedom of occupation and human development. Below we define one case recently happen in Mumbai 2019

Dalit caste dr. gynecologist commits suicide because three seniors mentally harass her because of her caste and reservation in admission.

“The 26-year-old doctor committed suicide at a hostel of the government-run BYL Nair Hospital in Mumbai Central, police said on Thursday. The doctor hung herself after allegedly facing harassment at the hands of three senior doctors at the hospital.

The deceased has been identified as Payal Salman Tadvi. The victim was suffering from depression as three of her senior colleagues allegedly used to harass her with casteist remarks, police said. She hung herself on Wednesday night. Tadvi was the student of a post-graduate course in gynecology.

The police have booked three woman doctors — Hema Ahuja, Bhakti Mahere, and Ankita Khandelwal — in connection with the case. The three senior doctors allegedly made fun of her caste since Payal Tadvi belonged to a reserved category, according to a Mumbai Mirror report.

The accused doctors also used to shame Payal Tadvi on WhatsApp groups of the students, a police official said. Agripada police have registered a case against three doctors and the probe is on.

“All three were her seniors. She had even complained to the hospital authorities about the harassment,” an officer at the Agripada police station said. The woman had also informed her family members who claim that Tadvi committed suicide since the college did not act against the senior doctors.”

The studies on Dalit shows that they suffer from lower assets to capital assets like agricultural land and non-land assets (and/or low productivity of those assets ), lower urbanization and unemployment away from agriculture, exceptionally high dependence on casual wage labor, high underemployment, lower daily wages particularly in Non-farm activities, and low level of literacy and level of education, compared with Non-SC/ST groups in Indian society. The question remains as to why the SC/ST has poor access to all resources which directly and indirectly determine the level of income and capabilities to secure other sources of income? Why the ownership of agricultural land and Non-land capital assets is low compared with Non-SC/ST?

Indian constitution is adopted in 1949 where freedom, rights, reservation, and basic needs are distributed according to caste but still, it is not yet implemented 100% because of mindset people to have in their mind.

Figure in bracket are no of villages where the form is practiced in 2000

Affirmative action programs are there for Dalit from The civil right act of 1955 and the SC/ST act of 1989.

The National Commission of SC/ST was formed to protect Dalit interests and integrate them into society.

Need for International & EU action

“The same patterns as the ones mentioned above are seen in other caste-affected countries, especially in South Asia. Hence, there is a need for international action to ensure that these human rights obligations are respected. A useful basis for such action would be the draft UN Principles and Guidelines for the effective elimination of discrimination based on work and descent.

• The European Union should ensure that caste discrimination is dealt with as a major, cross-cutting the issue in human rights and policy dialogues with affected countries; and is included in programming discussions and country strategy papers;

• EU supported programs, including in the educational sector, must include targeted measures for Dalit inclusion and benefits, and take fully into account the needs and circumstances of Dalit women and the vulnerability of Dalit children”

Conclusion

From the above data, it may conclude that the concept of social exclusion is a process of blocking the development of the marginalized communities disintegrating people and communities into the mainstream of development, with a series of institutionalized social systems. The most affected population is SC/ST and other lower caste who lag in all spheres of developmental activities. Barrister Dr. Ambedkar therefore with his visionary mission provided a comprehensive framework for the development of people, society in general and Dalits in particular.

Bibliography

1. Thorat Sukhdev, “Caste, Social Exclusion and Poverty Linkages — Concept, Measurement and Empirical Evidence”
2. https://www.dalitsolidarity.org/dalits-and-untoucchability.html
3. Sen, Amartya. (2000) “Social Exclusion: Concept, Application and Scrutiny. Social Development Paper.o1”
4. Ambedkar, Babasaheb. (1949) “Indian constitution” Article 15, 16 & 17
5. Mumbai Mirror- https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/harassed-by-seniors-over-caste-mumbai-doctor-commits-suicide-1534304-2019-05-25
6. Kadun, Pradeep B & Gadkar, Ravindra D. (Apr 2014) “Social Exclusion –Its types and impact on Dalits in India”