20Dec 2016

SOCIAL INDICATORS OF SCHEDULED CASTE: A SOCIALLY EXCLUDED GROUP OF UTTARAKHAND.

  • Department of History, H.N.B. Garhwal University (A Central University) Campus Tehri Garhwal
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The present research paper deals with the study of some social indicators of scheduled caste in Uttarakhand. It has been noted that despite of various welfare measures adopted to improve their socio-economic condition they still remain vulnerable and are subjected to various forms of atrocities committed against them. This inter-group inequalities are sharply marked with major contrast of social indicator i.e. income, education, health, employment and so on. The contemporary understanding about social exclusion and social inequality has created interest among the academia and policy makers to understand the problems from the perspectives of the excluded groups. In an Indian context, exclusion is witnessed in various forms and it is much inter-related. It revolves around the axes of class, race, caste, religion, age, gender, tribal status, social position, occupational hierarchy and health status, physical or mental disable and so on. Inter-group disparities are sharply marked with major contrast of social, economic condition and cultural resources that is income, education, employment, housing, health and so on. These inequalities are more historically rooted and more structural in nature and have kept entire group or individual trapped in a cycle of social problems and unable them to take advantage of opportunities. Thorat and Newman 2007 rightly pointed out that in Indian context exclusion is embedded in societal interrelations and institutions that discriminate, isolate, shamed and deprive subordinate groups on the basis of group identities like caste, religion, ethnicity and gender. India?s historically rooted hierarchal social system plays a central role in the context of caste exclusion. Caste based exclusion prevent the disadvantaged groups from taking part in the full economic, social, religious and political life involving denial of equal opportunities, resources and rights of the community. Social exclusion is the denial of equal opportunities imposed by certain groups of society upon others which leads to inability of an individual to participate in the basic political, economic and social functioning of the society (Rao 2010). Srinivas in 1962 defined caste as ?a hereditary, endogamous group which is usually localised, it has a traditional association with an occupation and a particular position in the local hierarchy of castes. Relation between castes is governed among other things by the concept of purity and pollution and generally maximum commensality, i.e. inter-dinning occur between castes?. This definition described the ideal form of caste system.


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[Manisha Shah and J.C. Joshi. (2016); SOCIAL INDICATORS OF SCHEDULED CASTE: A SOCIALLY EXCLUDED GROUP OF UTTARAKHAND. Int. J. of Adv. Res. 4 (Dec). 2411-2418] (ISSN 2320-5407). www.journalijar.com


Manisha Shah
H.N.B. Garhwal University Srinagar Garhwal Uttarakhand (India)

DOI:


Article DOI: 10.21474/IJAR01/2667      
DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.21474/IJAR01/2667