Over the last three years, we have
witnessed a fundamental shift in the narrative of social justice for the
marginalized. The focus has moved from the politics of welfarism and
entitlement to a more participatory model of empowerment. By all means, the
Government of India (GoI) is effectively exploring multiple facets of
empowerment for the socially deprived sections of the society. This article
outlines certain observations about the steps taken by the present regime to
actualize the pristine objective of social justice and holistic development of
the last man in the village, which is reflective of the eternal commitment to
the principles of Anthyodaya. The annual financial statements of the government
since the last three years have reaffirmed its commitment to strengthen the
rural economy and indigenous infrastructure that lies at the core of our
villages. It is indicative of the commitment reiterated by the Prime Minister
Sh. Narendra Modi on more than one occasions. Since the inception of the
current government, he has made his intentions clear that the core agenda of
the government will remain, “welfare of the marginalized”.
Social Justice remains a vital cornerstone of
our constitution. Within the dichotomy of development and justice, one should
not ignore the core responsibilities of the state. As far as development is
solely concerned, non-state actors are sufficiently equipped with the resources
and wherewithal to carry out developmental activities, however more sustainable
inclusion can only be realized with the intervention of the state. Here it
becomes imperative to revisit the role of the state as an active enabler. It is
therefore opined that the State’s role is critical and should not be minimized.
Disinvestment and abrupt privatization should be transparently debated and
discussed as profit making and revenue generation leads to immense competition
and ‘survival of the fittest’ syndrome. Those on the fringes of the society may
not be able to compete in the extremely demanding circumstances of the
corporate world. Hence one of the paramount challenges is to create an amicable
atmosphere to enable ease of doing business for these sections of the society.
Here comes the idea of ‘Subaltern
Entrepreneurship’ which aims to equip the subaltern skill base with the
requisite support system comprising of financial and regulatory facilities. One
is aware of the fact that, government jobs are shrinking and in any case, too
much reliance on the government jobs might not be a desirable proposition.
India has been traditional preservers of various skills and crafts such as shoe
making, embroidery, polishing, handlooms etc. It is in the area of Skill
Development that one must evolve ways to match the existing skills sets amongst
citizens with the ever increasing demands of the globalized world. Policies
facilitated by actions must ensure adequate representation of the weaker
sections in co-operatives, corporates and civil societies through well-organized
interfaces as well as through engagements at both institutional as well as at
individual levels. This is where the present government is invested in this
regard.
Financial inclusion is the delivery
of financial services at affordable costs to the economically weaker and the
lower-income segments of society. True to this, GoI has taken several
initiatives on the social sector front, all of which are potentially
game-changers in the realm of social sector policy canvas. An actionable policy
armed with inclusive growth is the need of the hour and the present government
is successfully executing several schemes and programmes on this premise.
The key initiatives undertaken by
the Union Government for social and economic security are enumerated below:-
· Financial Inclusion of the Poor: Prime
Minister Jan Dhan Yojana. This is a very
significant scheme that strives to end Financial Untouchability by ensuring
that the economically weaker sections have access to bank accounts.
· Expansion of Social Security Net. This has
been achieved through Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (Accident Insurance),
Atal Pension Yojana (Unorganized Sector) and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Yojana
(Life Insurance), which provide social and economic security to the
marginalized sections of the society.
· Institutional Support for Subaltern
Entrepreneurship. This has been achieved through MUDRA Bank, to provide
microfinance to entrepreneurs in rural hinterland of India. National Hub for
SC/ST entrepreneurs has been created to support the entrepreneurs coming from
the marginalized communities.
Mudra loan for Financial Year:
2015-2016
No. of Mudra Loans Sanctioned to
Micro Units – Rs 3, 48, 80,924 (3.48 Cr)
Amount Sanctioned: Rs 1, 37,449.27
Crore
Amount Disbursed: Rs 1, 32,954.73
Crore
Social Category Mudra Loan Beneficiary: Fact
Sheet
Social Category
No. Of Loans 2015-16
(Shishku/Kumar/Tarun)
% Of Total Mudra Loan (3.48 Cr)
Disbursement Amt in Rs. Cr.
SC
61,14,737
17.53%
14,691.79
ST
16,78,346
4.81%
4,742.03
OBC
1,06,08,416
30.41%
29,762.51
*Source - mudra.org.in Complied by
DICCI Secretariat
· 'Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Caste
Entrepreneurs'. The objective of this Scheme is to promote entrepreneurship
among the Scheduled Castes and to provide concessional finance to them. The
scheme would be implemented by the Industrial Finance Corporation of India
(IFCI) Limited for which Rs. 200 cores has been allotted.
· Credit Enhancement Guarantee
Scheme for the Scheduled Castes: The objective of the Scheme is to promote
entrepreneurship amongst the scheduled castes and to facilitate concessional
finances to them. A budget of Rs. 200 crores has been allocated to IFCI Limited
to facilitate the scheme.
· Swachhta Udyami Yojana: As an
integral part of 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' launched by the Prime Minister on 2nd
October, 2014, the National Safai Karamcharis Finance & Development
Corporation(NSFDC) has launched a new Scheme 'Swachhta Udyami Yojana' for
financing viable community toilet projects and sanitation related vehicles to
collect garbage.
· Green Business Scheme: The scheme
has been started by NSFDC, with the aim of promoting green businesses to
support sustainable livelihoods of Scheduled Castes and Safai Karamcharis.
Financial assistance would be provided for those economic activities that could
address the challenges of climate change, e.g., E-rickshaw, solar pumps and
other instruments working on solar energy etc.
· Sanitary Mart Scheme. Launched in
2014-15, under the scheme, loans are provided to up to Rs. 15 Lakhs to Safai
Karamcharis for construction of toilets/bio-degradable toilets.
· Stand up India- This scheme was
recently launched to boost the spirit of entrepreneurship among the most
vulnerable groups of the society. The specific groups are Scheduled caste,
scheduled tribes and women. Under the umbrella of this scheme every single
branch of a public sector bank is asked to support one entrepreneur each from
women and SC/St. category.
· Declaration of Panchtirth by GoI-
The government of India has decided to dedicate 5 key places related with
Babasaheb as Panchtirth which means places of pilgrimage to inspire the present
generation Dalits. The state government of Madhya Pradesh has established a grand
memorial at Mhow, the birthplace of Babasaheb. Government of Maharashtra has
purchased the house situated at 10, King Henry Road in London where Babasaheb
pursued his higher education. This was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Sh.
Narendra Modi during his visit to the city in 2015.
These schemes clearly highlight that the
present government is committed to the cause of upliftment of Dalits and other
disadvantaged sections of the population. As outlined, various landmark
initiatives have been initiated under the present regime to eliminate poverty
and empower the weaker sections of the society
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