Social empowerment means ensuring all sections of society have control over their lives, can make important decisions, and have equal opportunities. Without empowering all societal sections, a nation cannot experience good growth.
Importance of Social Empowerment
- Social Importance:
- Historical Injustices: Social empowerment is essential to address historical injustices, particularly caste and race-based discrimination.
- Dignified Living: It enables disempowered groups such as women, elderly, and disabled individuals to live with dignity.
- Level Ground: Development of backward classes (OBCs), minorities, and other disadvantaged groups is necessary to bring them to par with the rest of society.
- Women Empowerment: Empowering women improves the social and economic health of families, communities, and countries.
- Equal Outcomes: Ensures that all sections of society reach their full potential and are not disadvantaged.
- Social Democracy: Following the views of Ambedkar, social democracy is regarded as the foundation of other forms of democracy.
- Political Importance:
- Representation: Empowered sections have better opportunities to represent themselves on political platforms.
- Seizing or Creating Opportunities: Provides a voice to the voiceless and helps them access resources and decision-making.
- Globalisation: Since the 1990s, globalization has emphasized “empowerment with development,” helping marginalized sections join the mainstream.
- Economic Importance:
- Upliftment: It aids in bringing marginalized groups out of poverty.
- Egalitarian Society: Helps create an equitable society where no one is disadvantaged based on birth, gender, or disability.
- Growth: More empowered individuals contribute to economic growth, increasing the nation’s GDP.
- Equitable Distribution: Prevents resource monopolization by certain groups, promoting distributive justice.
Issues to Social Empowerment
- General Issue:
- Caste Discrimination: Discrimination based on caste remains a significant barrier to achieving social empowerment in India.
- Illiteracy: Lack of education limits access to social tools and opportunities, making it harder for marginalized sections to become empowered.
- Corruption: Corruption hinders the proper allocation of resources to lower societal levels, obstructing empowerment efforts.
- Women:
- Domestic Violence: A widespread problem affecting nearly 70% of Indian women, usually at the hands of family members.
- Unemployment: Gender inequality in employment persists, with women being underpaid and underrepresented in many industries.
- Poor Digital Literacy: A significant gender gap exists in digital access; less than a third of India’s total internet users are women. Globally, women in developing countries use the internet 12% less than men.
- Scheduled Castes (SCs):
- Undignified Professions: Many were historically forced into manual scavenging and bonded labor, violating their basic human rights.
- Caste Violence: Violence against SCs continues in many parts of India, with lower-caste individuals facing social and economic marginalization.
- Access: Many SCs still struggle to access proper education and healthcare, impeding their social and economic growth.
- Underrepresentation: SCs are grossly underrepresented in higher government offices and the private sector.
- Scheduled Tribes (STs):
- Violation of Traditional Rights: Modern development policies have encroached on tribal lands, affecting their traditional livelihoods like hunting and gathering.
- Literacy: Though literacy rates are relatively high among tribal communities in the northeastern and island regions, there are still high dropout rates and infant mortality issues.
- Lack of Baseline Surveys: The absence of comprehensive surveys and data for several Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) hampers the effective implementation of welfare schemes.
- Health Issues: Many STs suffer from malnutrition, poor sanitation, and lack of access to healthcare, resulting in diseases like anemia, malaria, and gastrointestinal disorders.
- Private Property: The introduction of private property concepts has negatively impacted tribal communities, which traditionally operated through collective ownership.
- Isolation: ST communities often live in isolated regions, away from mainstream society, making them more vulnerable in terms of health and education.
- Identification Issues: There are more STs in India than the notified groups listed by the government, making it difficult to cater to the non-identified tribes.
- Prone to Violence: STs, due to their geographical isolation and economic challenges, are vulnerable to extremist influences like Naxalism and radicalization.
- Minorities:
- Prejudices: Minorities often face discrimination due to differences in socio-cultural practices, history, and background.
- Minority Insecurity: A sense of insecurity can arise due to strained relationships between minority communities and the majority.
- Higher Illiteracy Rates: The Muslim literacy rate in India was 68% as per the 2011 census, lower than the national average.
- Communal Tensions: Communal tensions and riots threaten the interests of minorities, leading to further marginalization.
- Rural India:
- Poor Infrastructure: Lack of social infrastructure in rural areas, compared to urban centers, hinders empowerment and development.
- Reliance on Agriculture: Agricultural dependency limits income diversification, creating economic stagnation in rural areas.
- Connectivity Issues: Poor transportation and internet connectivity isolate rural areas from national growth and development opportunities.
Government Initiatives
- For Women:
- PM Matritva Vandana Yojana (2016): A maternity benefit program that offers conditional cash transfers for pregnant and lactating women aged 19 years or above for their first live birth.
- Sukanya Samriddhi: A savings scheme aimed at parents of girl children to encourage savings for their daughters’ education and marriage expenses.
- Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017: Extends paid maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks and mandates crèche facilities in establishments with over 50 employees. It primarily covers formal sectors.
- Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act (2013): A law to protect women from sexual harassment in both public and private sectors.
- Skills for Employability: Government programs provide training to women through various vocational and industrial institutes.
- Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK): Offers microfinance services to uplift socio-economically disadvantaged women.
- Mahila e-Haat: An online digital platform that promotes marketing for women entrepreneurs and SHGs/NGOs.
- For Scheduled Castes:
- Stand Up India: Provides loans of up to ₹1 crore for entrepreneurship to women and SC/ST entrepreneurs.
- Special Central Assistance (SCA) to Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan (SCSP): A policy initiative providing 100% assistance for the development of SCs, supplementing state and union territory plans.
- Scheduled Tribes
- Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana: This scheme focuses on the holistic development of the tribal population, ensuring education, health, and livelihood opportunities for them.
- Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS): The objective of EMRS is to provide quality education to tribal students in remote areas so that they can pursue secondary and higher education.
- Minor Forest Produce (MFP) Development: To improve the livelihoods of the tribal population dependent on forests, this initiative ensures they get fair prices for the forest produce they gather.
- Forest Rights Act, 2006: Recognizing the rights of forest dwellers and giving them control over their resources, this Act is aimed at preventing the alienation of tribal land and ensuring their livelihoods.
- Minorities
- Prime Minister’s 15-Point Programme for Minorities: The programme aims to provide equitable opportunities to minorities in employment, education, and economic development. It also ensures that the minorities are safeguarded against communal violence.
- Nai Manzil Scheme: It is a skill development initiative for the youth from minority communities to increase employability and help them integrate into mainstream development.
- Seekho Aur Kamao: This scheme focuses on skill development for minority youth, aiming to upgrade their skills and increase their chances of employment.
- Rural India
- Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY): The scheme focuses on increasing employability among rural youth and providing sustainable livelihood opportunities to them.
- Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY): Aims to provide all-weather road connectivity to rural areas, thereby promoting rural development and economic growth.
- National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM): This initiative is aimed at promoting self-employment and providing livelihood options to rural populations, especially women.
- Tribals
- Van Dhan Scheme: It is a Market Linked Tribal Entrepreneurship Development Program targeting livelihood generation for tribes by harnessing the wealth of the forest, i.e., Van Dhan.
- Van Dhan Vikas Kendra: Seeks to improve the livelihood of the tribal population by harnessing the incomes through forest wealth. Marketing is done through Minimum Support Price (MSP).
- Young Entrepreneurs of TRIFED: Young Entrepreneur Development Programme of TRIFED plans to expand sales operations by empaneling young salesmen/women who will undertake house-to-house campaigns for the sale of tribal products.
- TRIFOOD Scheme: Under this scheme, a tertiary value addition center will be set up in Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh and Raigad.
- Forest Rights Act 2006: The Act is being implemented to recognize and vest the forest rights and occupation of forest land to forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes.
- Protection of Civil Rights Act: An Act to prescribe punishment for the preaching and practice of untouchability for the enforcement of any disability arising therefrom for matters connected therewith.
- Disabled
- Accessible India Campaign: Also known as Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan.
- Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/Fitting of Aids and Appliances (ADIP): Helping in improving the standard of living for disabled persons by bringing aids and appliances within their reach.
- National Fellowship for Students with Disabilities: 200 scholarships are granted to students with disabilities.
- Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016:
- Increased the types of disabilities covered from 7 to 21.
- Increased the quantum of reservation to 4% in government jobs and 5% in higher education institutes.
- Separate national and state funds to provide financial support to persons with disabilities.
- Designation of special courts in the East district to handle cases of violation of the Act.
- In line with the United Nations convention on the rights of persons with disabilities.
- Mental Health Act 2017: Provides for mental healthcare and services for persons with mental illness and to protect, promote, and fulfill the rights of such persons.
- Rehabilitation Council of India Act 1992: Ensures good quality rehabilitation services for the affected population.
- Minority
- Institutional support:
- The National Commission for Minorities was established in 1992.
- Ministry of Minority Affairs was established in 2006.
- Education and skill: Schemes like Seekho Aur Kamao, Nai Manzil, Padho Pardesh, etc.
- Women: Schemes like Nai Udaan to help attain education.
- Preserving culture:
- Hamari Dharohar Scheme: To preserve the rich heritage of minority communities in India.
- Jio Parsi: To help stabilize the dwindling Parsi population.
- Finance: National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation was specially established to provide concessional loans to minorities.
- Living conditions: Area development scheme like Pradhanmantri Jan Vikas Karyakram.
Way Forward
- Financial Inclusion: In order to enhance access to credit for consumption and production, the establishment of new and strengthening of existing micro-credit mechanisms.
- Equal access to education: Special measures will be taken to eliminate discrimination, universalize education, and eradicate illiteracy, which can ensure better economic and social outcomes.
- Economic opportunities: GOI should provide livelihood opportunities for vulnerable people by providing MGNREGS, various social security schemes, Universal Basic Income, National Urban Livelihood Mission, and other interventionist strategies.
- Assistive Healthcare: Distribution of aids to senior citizens who live below the poverty line should be prioritized as a sizable percentage suffers from age-related disabilities.
- CSR funds: The use of corporate social responsibility funds for empowering these groups is very effective compared to government-run programs.
- Civil Society Aid: Further NGOs like SEWA, AZAD Foundation, CRY, Bachpan Bachao Andolan, etc., for empowering these groups in a much more efficient and effective way.
- Awareness Generation: The increased use of social media to bring awareness about the discrimination and injustices to vulnerable sections is generating huge sympathy and support for their causes.
- Alternative Gainful Employment: This will help create proper prospects for all marginalized sections.
- Vocational Education: Helps school dropouts and the unemployed to gain a livelihood.
- Convergence of various programs: For adult education, literacy, and advanced skill training and higher education to enhance the employability of marginalized groups.
- Tax Incentives: Incentivizing enterprises, such as tax incentives for the recruitment of women.
- Awareness: Investing in large-scale social campaigns for changing social norms, which break gender stereotypes, includes women as well as redefining the role of men in households.