Dalits constitute one-fifth of the total Indian population and, being located at the bottom of the caste hierarchy, suffer from the acute problem of discrimination and exclusion in every sphere of society. Despite various government affirmative actions and policies, Dalits experience discrimination, which in turn lead to inaccessibility of welfare services among them. Based on the author’s engagement in field work for data collection,1 this article highlights that discrimination in welfare programme is not only caused by favouritism and corruption but also linked to the sociopolitical structure of the state and society. Through a dense analysis of the process of social exclusion in availability, accessibility and affordability of welfare programmes, this article examines the role of the state and society in the context of discrimination against Dalits in welfare programmes. This article deals with discrimination and exclusion of Dalits during the identification of beneficiaries and delivery of the state-sponsored welfare services. It specifically looks into the discriminatory mechanism in welfare programmes, particularly the programmes that are directly linked with poverty eradication and employment. This article uses the lens of social exclusion to examine caste discrimination in welfare programmes.
Dalit women in India experience gender in an entirely different way from upper-caste women because, along with gender discrimination, Dalit women face caste discrimination. Their experience of gender discrimination intersects with their caste identity, which intensifies their suffering. Dalit women experience genderbased discrimination and social exclusion and stigma. Drawing from the Tamil movie Karnan, two Bollywood movies-200-Halla Ho and Article15-and the Netflix web series Azib Dastan-Geeli Pucchi (an anthology), we endeavor to answer several questions: What patterns exist in the gender-and caste-based humiliation of Dalit women? How do gender and caste intersect in the humiliation and social exclusion of those women? How is their experience of gender-based discrimination different from that of upper-caste women? How do Dalit women assert their agency and struggle against gender and caste oppression in society? What kind of resilience do they rely upon to negotiate gender and caste discrimination? What inspires and motivates them to fight for their dignity? Despite the challenges and hurdles, how are these women achieving their aspirations?
Social exclusion has been identified as an obstacle for Dalits in every sphere of society, which deprives them of access to resources. It has multiple forms which exclude Dalits from labour market and which creates adverse impact on their means of living. This article provides a theoretical and empirical perspective on the study of caste-based discrimination in the sphere of resource accessibility and consumer market discrimination. It sets the stage for addressing some of the key questions surrounding discrimination in consumer market and labour market, by highlighting the ways in which the caste system persists through various forms of discrimination. It specifically looks into the plight of discrimination in various labour markets in terms of access to employment, wages and employer behaviour at workplace. It also examines the consequences of discrimination in labour market on Dalits, that is, labouring class and caste relation in the local market. The article, in its essence, contextualizes from literature and empirical evidences collected from the field.
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