100 likes | 341 Views
In search of models for Social Inclusion: case studies in rural and urban Bihar, India . Development Studies Association Conference Development Paths: Values, Ethics and Morality, London, November 5, 2010 MeeraTiwari m.tiwari@uel.ac.uk.
E N D
In search of models for Social Inclusion: case studies in rural and urban Bihar, India Development Studies Association Conference Development Paths: Values, Ethics and Morality, London, November 5, 2010 MeeraTiwari m.tiwari@uel.ac.uk
In search of models for Social Inclusion in India: case studies in rural and urban Bihar • Introduction • Social exclusion overview, practices in India and the context in Bihar • The policy framework for social inclusion in India • Grassroots social inclusion models in Bihar • Top down state model and the grassroots bottom up approaches – what can be learned?
Social exclusion overview, practices in India and the context in Bihar • The meaning: not being being a part of or be able to participate in the society where the individual lives • The literature: broad Aristotelian perspective of human life, further enriched by the contributions of Petty, Quesnay and Adam Smith amongst others • Lenoir (1974), Silver, 1995; Gore and Figueiredo (1997); de Haan and Maxwell (1998), Sen(2000), Thorat(1999-2004), Buvinic(2005) • Indian SE practices: rooted in cultural stratification of the society going back thousands of years based on caste and ethnicity • Bihar: rigid ‘semi-feudal’ tendencies, complex social-exclusion politics and fragile state structures.
Social Exclusion practices in India • High prevalence of caste based exclusions • Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) & some religious minorities comprise socially excluded class in the post independence era. • SC and ST make up a quarter of India’s population & make up the biggest deprivation cohorts • Benefits of occupational specialisation through intergenerational engagement non-existent Table 1 Caste based indicators in India Source: Based on Thorat, 2005, NSS, ODI
Social Exclusion context in Bihar • Lowest HDI in all of the 15 major states of India • India’s 3rd most populous state, accounts for one-seventh of India’s BPL poor • 90 % of its population in the rural sector with a poverty incidence at 41 % • 70 % of households are landless/near landless, 25 % of landless are SCs , 15 % are Muslim • SCs = 15 % of state population, 93 % reside in the villages, comprise 23 sub-castes • Horizontal inequalities deep rooted and visible within the SC communities in Bihar Source: Census of India, 2001
The policy framework for social inclusion in India • Adopted in 1950, Article 13 of the Constitution of India provides: • justice, equality and fundamental human rights to all citizens • to address the suffering of a large cohort through social exclusion, • GoI’s well-defined affirmative action – the Reservation Policy in state & state supported sectors: • Reservations for SCs and STs in proportion to their share of population • Relaxations in the minimum age for entry & minimum standard of suitability. • Three key domains targeted: employment & promotion in govt services, entry to state run educational institutions & representation in the legislature. • In govt services SCs&STs have reserved quotas in all but defence & judicial services. • In education, SC & ST students have reserved places in all govt educational institutions. • In political representation, SCs&STs have reserved constituencies in central & state legislatures • The framework incorporates complementary provisions to enhance the abilities of the SCs and STs to avail the opportunities offered through the reservation policy.
Grassroots social inclusion models in Bihar JeeVika: a state supported initiative, based on ‘savings-led’ self-help-groups for the poorest and the most socially excluded women • The conceptual model for JeeVika is rooted in participatory and capability approaches to development • Focal point of the process: the socially excluded rural and her ‘agency’ • Objective: livelihood opportunities and wellbeing • Outcome: overcoming the exclusionary practices, empowering the women to participate in the society they live in Super30: athird sector initiative for affirmative action to enable teenagers from backward socioeconomic classes to pursue the aspiration of education in elite engineering institutions • Rigid selection criterion of poor socio-economic background • Children of richshaw pullers, street hawkers, manual and landless labour and subsistence farmers – the most likely livelihoods of the SC communities in the state • Objective: Capability & skill enhancement of youth to compete & seek entry into the highly ranked technical institutions • Outcome: Assimilation & participation in society as equals & be recognised for their diligence, determination & intellect
Top down state model and the grassroots bottom up approaches – what can be learned? *Off-springs of those SC-ST cohorts who are already beneficiaries of the Reservation Policy Source: Author’s research
Tentative conclusions • Could the national Reservation Policy be more effective? • Top down output based national Reservation Policy needs to be revisited • Who & what is the focus – the socially excluded individual or higher representation of SC/ST in • Increasing horizontal inequalities through the current model • Further research needed to investigate the implementation of the framework for complementary provisions to enhance the abilities • Grassroots models focus on the capability deprivations of the socially excluded individual • Individual and collective agency to overcome the exclusionary practices • Capability enhancement to expand and access opportunities in life • Complementarity needed between top down and bottom up approaches?Thank you