Page 1 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , Contents, GLOBALIZATION AND INDIAN SOCIETY ......................................................................................................... 2, Cultural Impact of Globalization ............................................................................................................... 8, Social Impact of Globalization................................................................................................................. 11, Globalization and The Tribal Communities ............................................................................................. 11, Globalization and Indian Women ........................................................................................................... 13, Impact of Globalization on Children ....................................................................................................... 20, Impact of Globalization on Older People ................................................................................................ 21, REGIONALISM ............................................................................................................................................. 24, COMMUNALISM ......................................................................................................................................... 33, SECULARISM................................................................................................................................................ 44, SOCIAL EMPOWERMENT ............................................................................................................................ 55, , IASBABA, , 1

Page 2 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , GLOBALIZATION AND INDIAN SOCIETY, Note- Since we have to focus on society related aspects, globalization won’t be dealt deep w.r.t, economy and aspects other than society. For GS Paper 1- Globalization and related issues, should be looked upon from societal perspective., Globalization can be defined as increasing global interconnectedness. It is not an outcome, but is, a process which tends to interconnect different parts of the world. The interconnectedness is, primarily an exchange of social, economic, political, cultural and technological attributes. These, attributes happen to interchange when societies of the world come in contact with one another., The process of globalization started ever since the beginning of human being itself. But one can, find a significant difference between present and past trends in globalization. The contemporary, globalization differs in terms of the quantum of exchange and interconnectedness and its, subsequent impact on the society. Because of technological advancement, the process of, globalization is much faster also. The current process of globalization, which is gradual in nature,, removes the barrier for trade and investment. Globalization aims to achieve economic efficiency, by competitiveness, while seeking to achieve the broader objectives of economic and social, development. It influences to each and every institution in which humans interact and involve, multiple platforms, such as economic, social, political, cultural and environmental., The present era of globalization can be referred to as growing integration of various countries, and societies, in terms of economy, social, cultural and political. The easy and free movement of, capital, including human capital, products, processes, ideas and information, is the outcome of, globalization process. But as already mentioned, the process affects not only economy but also, political, cultural, social and environmental aspects. With the process, faraway places are linked, with each other and hence, an event in one end of the world affects the other end as well. The, social relationship between the countries are intensified, and a culture gets affected by many, other cultures., , IASBABA, , 2

Page 3 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , Waves of Globalization, Globalization 1.0, • It was pre-World War I globalization, which was launched by a historic drop in trade, costs., • This globalization came with almost no government support., • There was no global governance., Globalization 2.0, • It is the post-World War II phase where trade in goods was combined with, complimentary domestic policies., • The market was in charge of efficiency while the government was in charge of justice., • It saw the establishment of institute-based, rule-based international governance,, specifically the UN, IMF, World Bank, GATT/WTO, International Labor Organization, etc., Globalization 3.0, • It created a new world of manufacturing in which high-tech was combined with low, wages., • This was achieved through establishment of global supply chains as factories crossed, international borders., • It was variously called New Globalization, Hyper globalization, Global value chain, evolution., Globalisation 4.0, • Major turbulence for Service Sector: While Globalization 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 were mainly, a concern of people who made/manufactured products for a living (since globalization, focused on things that we made), Globalization 4.0 is going to hit people in the service, sector., • Closely integrated with Industry 4.0: Ever-faster data connection speeds and new, artificial intelligence tools like machine translation, big data are opening up services, jobs in rich countries like architecture, accounting, and web design to competition, from practitioners in emerging economies., • Newer modes of Migration: Due to faster data connection as well as nature of work, which may involve no physical presence there may be a global tele-migration in which, the skilled migrants never have to leave home., , IASBABA, , 3

Page 4 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , Globalisation can be seen as a positive, negative or even marginal process. And regardless of, whether it works for good or ill, globalizations’ exact meaning will continue to be the subject, of debate among those who oppose, support or simply observe it., Few Definitions, The aim of globalisation is to secure socio- economic integration and development of all the, people of the world through a free flow of goods, services, information, knowledge and people, across all boundaries., Globalisation is seen as a conscious and active process of expanding business and trade across, the borders of all the states. It stands for expanding cross-border facilities and economic linkages., This is to be done with a view to secure an integration of economic interests and activities of the, people living in all parts of the world. The objective of making the world a truly inter-related,, inter-dependent, developed global village governs the on-going process of globalisation., Globalisation is the concept of securing real social economic, political and cultural transformation, of the world into a real global community. It is considered to be the essential means for securing, sustainable development of all the people of the world., “Globalisation represents the desire to move from national to a global sphere of economic and, political activity”. It seeks to transform the existing international economic system into a unified, system of global economics. In the existing system, national economies are the major players. In, the new system, the globalized economic and political activity will ensure sustainable, development for the whole world., “Globalisation is both an active process of corporate expansion across borders and a structure of, cross border facilities and economic linkages that has been steadily growing and changing.” —, Edward S. Herman, “Globalisation is the process whereby social relations acquire relatively distance-less and, borderless qualities.” —Baylis and Smith, , IASBABA, , 4

Page 5 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , Globalization and India, Indian adopted New Economic Policy in 1991 because of major economic crisis. Indian foreign, exchange reserve was depleted because of much import than export. India approached IMF for, short-term loans in order to manage its deficit. Impetus came from IMF to structurally alter the, economy. This includes the elements of ‘liberalization’, ‘privatization’ and ‘globalization’., Liberalization is making Indian economy liberal in terms of foreign investment, decreased, government spending, lowering tariff, etc. The privatization means engaging private sector and, ending monopoly of government. These two can be seen as direction or methodology to attain, the said objective of globalization., Social Dimension of Globalization, It is of the view that the current pace of globalization is reflected only on the perspective of, economics. It is a myth as it can be observed in social and cultural arena as well. Incidentally, IASBABA, , 5

Page 6 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , understanding these varied dimensions of globalization is essential for the development of a, rationalist response. The societal perspective refers to its impact over the lifestyle of civilians and, their surroundings. There are many issues being raised on its impact over employment, social, protection and working conditions, etc., Some of its Impacts include:, Impact on Family, Marriage and Kinship Ties, The globalization process has altered the family system to a large extent. Traditional joint, family is now replaced with nuclear family. Globalization has led to large-scale migration and, urbanization. Since it is difficult to maintain joint family system in urban places because of, high cost of living, people prefer to live in nuclear families. Increase in awareness also, influences people to have small families. Emergence of nuclear family has got its own, advantages and disadvantages., Globalization has also influenced the marriage pattern in India. Earlier people used to prefer, bride or grooms from their own caste. But nowadays, individual choice has become more, common. Love marriages, inter-caste and inter-religious marriages have become more, common. As a reaction to these changes, we could see the prevalence of khap panchayats, and honour killing., Impact on Labour Market, The present trend of globalization has its effect over casualization and informalization of the, work force that leads to poor wages for labourers and insecurity in jobs, though there are, increasingly employment opportunities., The rise in the informal sector gives us ideas that the benefits related to traditional, employment and protection mechanisms are unavailable to the people working in this sector., The demand for skilled labour has also raised due to increased mechanization and growth in, latest technology and has put before the government a challenge to improve the skills that, can match with the demand., This has also left unskilled labours unemployed which has provided an additional burden to, the government. Liberalization, that is, opening up of the market and free trade agreements, has increased the movement of goods and services which have in turn reduced the, employment opportunities for Indians., Impact Women and Employment of Women, Women are highly preferred in soft industries, such as apparel and leather, and industries, that require unskilled or semi-skilled labours. Since women are largely in informal jobs, their, IASBABA, , 6

Page 7 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , status has not improved along with very poor labour conditions and pay. Call centres in India, comprise an estimated 40% of the workforce as women. The increased women participation, in employment should be seen as a livelihood option rather than labour market expansion,, because they are not given a chance to exercise their choice regarding the kind of, employment owing to the increased family burden., With the onset of globalization, the position of women changed from mere dependent to a, self-liberator. The globalization provides an opportunity for them to stand up in life and, empower themselves through economic independence., Globalization and Poverty Level, Globalization on its core promised that the gap can be reduced but it is far from reality. The, rich is getting richer and poor becoming poorer. Hence, globalization does not live its dreams., Economic liberalization and globalization had a direct impact both on rural and urban poverty., Global Wealth Report- India’s richest one percent holds 73% of the country’s wealth., World Inequality Report- The top 10 per cent of the population owned 57 per cent of the, country's national income in 2021., OXFAM- Wealth of India's richest 1% more than 4-times of total for 70% poorest., Globalization and Sustainable Development, Initially, the development made by globalization was not sustainable, as it just satisfied the, present needs only without considering the next generation’s demands. Hence, impact was, made to environment and the society because of not considering equitable distribution of, wealth and resources. The goal of improving and raising the standards and quality of living for, citizen and environment was in vein, because of the unsustainable practice involved in, globalization. Following the globalization, the unsustainable development practices were, characterized with high level of market competitiveness. For instance, the replacement of, native seeds by imported hybrid seeds or cash crops in India has trickled down problems, which were not present indigenously in the country., Globalization and Wealth Concentration, Globalization is a very asymmetrical process, with unequal distribution of benefits and losses., In the ongoing process of globalization investment resources, growth and modern technology, are concentrated in few developed countries, such as North America, Europe, Japan, and the, East Asian countries, which are the industrialized nations of the world. The majorities of the, developing countries are excluded from the process and are used for satisfying the interests, of developed nations that are often detrimental to their interests: for instance, import, liberalization may harm their domestic producers and financial liberalization may cause, instability. Majority of natural resources are naturally present in the poorest countries- this is, a dichotomy of development under globalization., , IASBABA, , 7

Page 8 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , CULTURAL IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION, Language:, Positive impact:, Negative impact:, Many people in India became bilingual or Some languages have become extinct. Of the 380, multilingual than before., languages spoken in India, 96% are endangered., Prominence of English as a language Traditional knowledge that is expressed in the, increased and importance of many languages that are becoming extinct is getting, regional languages decreased., unutilized., Increased knowledge of English has led to Many patents are filed internationally which is, emigration in search of better jobs and life already mentioned in our traditional literature., standards., Music, Dance and Entertainment:, Positive impact:, Negative impact., a. Many foreign musical instruments a. The penetration of global pop music has, flooded Indian market., marginalized the traditional Indian music., b. Foreign movies became widely b. There is an increase in tendency of playing, available in Indian markets., western songs and pop music during, c. Indian classical music has gained, marriage functions, birthday celebrations,, worldwide recognition, engagements etc., d. Fusing western music with Indian c. Many Folk and tribal music is nearing, traditional music is encouraged among, extinction though the Government is taking, musicians, steps to preserve it., e. Many foreigners are learning Indian d. One can see in India that inhibitions have, dance forms, been diluted because of the advent of media, f. like Bharatanatyam while many Indians, and the medium of entertainment. This has, are getting attracted to foreign dance, also naturally had some effect on the old, forms like salsa, hip-hop etc., cultural values with the focus now being on, consumerism and success., Food and Dress, Positive impact, Negative impact:, , IASBABA, , 8

Page 9 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , a. Many dresses of foreign brands are a. Our traditional food and dress habits are, available in Indian local markets., getting changed generation after generation., Dressing style, costumes, etc. of b. Due to intake of western and fast foods there, Indians changed due to globalization, is a threat of non-communicable diseases like, b. Male and female dresses distinction is, obesity, hyper tension, cardio vascular, getting blurred., diseases etc., c. Food, and, dress, habits, are, internationalized Pizzas, burgers,, Chinese foods, and other western, foods have become quite popular., d. Fusion of Indo western clothing is the, latest trend. Ex: wearing western jeans, and Indian pyjama or kurtha., e. A distinct change in life-styles with, rapid adaptation to worldwide trends., Education:, Positive impact, Negative impact, a. Foreign universities tie up with Indian a. Education became commercialized, it is seen as, universities increased., a profitable enterprise now., b. Literacy rate has increased, b. Pressure on children increased by parents,, c. Scientific and technological innovations, teachers, peers to get succeed in education, have made life comfortable, pleasant, which is essential to compete in this globalized, and enjoyable., world, d. Extension of internet facilities to rural, c. Education is measured in the number of degrees, e. areas and thus increasing awareness in, a person holds rather than the useful knowledge, rural youth., he gained., f. Increased access to better and, qualitative education., g. The choices for the children increased as, there are many streams in education to, pursue., h. Extensive, use, of, information, communication technology., , IASBABA, , 9

Page 10 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , Globalization profoundly affects all our cultures and the ways human beings live their lives., Globalization impacts our daily life style, it influences the behaviour of a person, what one should, eat, wear, hear, read, etc. It even decides the communicating language which lets certain, language extinct from face of the earth. Latin is good example as it died because of English., English has become lingua franca. It is believed that the penetration of English language is, increasing and the East, generally stick to their language, is also adopting English for competitive, edge. Not every time local language will die when it is encountered by global languages. People,, with awareness, are bi-lingual and multilingual, trying to protect their local language and, considerably adopting global languages also. For example, a person in Kerala generally speaks, three languages: Malayalam, Hindi and English. Here, you can find cultural assimilation. Many, scholars spoke about cultural homogenization which is completely against cultural, heterogenization. Cultural homogenization results in cultural marginalization. It may further lead, to exclusion of a culture as well., , Resurgence of, Cultural, Nationalism, , Development, of Hybrid, Culture, , Increased Pace of, Cultural Penetration, , IASBABA, , 10

Page 11 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , SOCIAL IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION, Globalization unleashed a new social force which broke the traditional social interaction patterns, and, in its place, new social relationships were established., The major social impacts can be summarized as follows:, •, •, •, •, , •, •, , The free flow of Information both general and commercial., Globalization has through greater exposure liberalized our attitudes, reduced our biases, and predispositions about people, situations and communities worldwide., The advent of Information, Communication Technologies (ICT), Nations have built greater, awareness of themselves and the other countries and cultures of the world., One can see in India that inhibitions have been diluted because of the advent of media, and the medium of entertainment. This has also naturally had some effect on the old, cultural values with the focus now being on consumerism and success., The experience in India is of relevance because of the greater cultural diversity between, states and the economic divide between the urban and rural areas of India., There has been a tremendous increase in consumerism, for goods and services whether, necessary or perceived. A distinct change in life-styles with rapid adaptation to worldwide, trends., , GLOBALIZATION AND THE TRIBAL COMMUNITIES, •, , •, , •, , Globalization is a “process of trans-nationalization of production and capital, and, standardization of consumer tastes and their legitimization with the help of international, institutions like World Bank, IMF and WTO and therefore obviously the process is a move, towards a borderless regime of free trade and transactions based on competition”., Land and forest are exploited in the name of development that fundamentally altered, the tribal way of life. Due to rapid growth prospects in terms of monetary benefits land, has become a saleable private property. It is also seen that the region which is, traditionally inhabited by the tribes now inhabited by non-tribals which resulted into, tribals becoming a minority in their own region. The benefits of large-scale expansion of, industries and infrastructure, never reaches these tribals and what they get in return is, nothing but peanuts in the name of benefit. Examples are many like Amazon Forest, Destruction and its effects on indigenous South American Tribes, In India, many, indigenous tribal groups are displaced and forced to give away land they owned from, generations., In case of employment, it is seen that the employment opportunities are being denied, to them or they are employed on considerably lower wages by violating settled labour, IASBABA, , 11

Page 12 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , •, , •, , PART 2, , norms, hence overall so-called development of Tribal region had deleterious effect on, Tribal population however ironically Tribal people themselves seen as hindrance to the, development and their traditional socio-economic and cultural systems are blamed., Tribals always represented by media as backward, ignorant, and superstitious. Hence, the, emphasis has been on introducing alien cultural values and alien institutions with an idea, that it would help them to take advantages of fruits of development however this, approach resulted into gross failure and soon it was understood that development would, be more effective if it is in conformity with traditional values and cultural norms of Tribals., In order to initiate the eco-socio friendly projects, it is inevitable to include Tribals in them, because without their inclusion conservationary approach of industrial projects would not, succeed. Considering the government approach since 1947 it can be concluded that in the, name of development Government arbitrarily have been acquiring lands without, considering the fate of people who displaced due to various development projects. It is, estimated that owing to construction of over 1500 major irrigation development projects, since independence, over 16 million people were displaced from their villages, of which, about 40 per cent belong to tribal population., , The government and the planners are aware of:, •, , •, , •, , The eroding resource base and socio-cultural heritage of tribal population through a, combination of development interventions, commercial interest, and lack of effective, legal protection to tribal and,, The disruption of life and environment of tribal population owing to unimaginative,, insensitive package of relief. Still the development process continued unmindful of, displacement. There is no reliable and complete information on the number of Tribals, displaced in the country since independence. The estimates range between 5 and 7, million - mostly by the dams, followed by mines and industries - or approximately one in, every ten Tribals has been displaced by different developments projects., The impact of globalization is harshest on tribal population perhaps more than any, other because these communities have no voice and are therefore easily swept aside by, the invisible hands of the market and its operators. The process of globalization has made, disastrous changes in the lives of indigenous people across the world, though the degree, of exploitation and marginalization vary from state to state and tribal group to group. The, removal of import restrictions has seen the market flooded with imported agrarian, produce. Which has literally crushed local agricultural market hence also affected the, rural population including tribal population whose livelihood depend upon agriculture, and allied activities., , IASBABA, , 12

Page 13 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , GLOBALIZATION AND INDIAN WOMEN, It’s true that we are in the midst of a great revolution in the history of women. We see the, evidence everywhere; the voice of women is increasingly heard in Parliament, courts and in the, streets., While women in the West had to fight for over a century to get some of their basic rights, like, the right to vote, the Constitution of India gave women equal rights with men from the beginning., Unfortunately, women in the country are mostly unaware of their rights because of illiteracy and, the oppressive tradition. Names like Kalpana Chawla: The Indian born, who fought her way up, into NASA and was the first women in space, and Indira Gandhi: The Iron Woman of India was, the Prime Minister of the Nation, Beauty Queens like Aishwarya Rai and Susmita Sen, and Mother, Teresa are not really a representative of the condition of millions of Indian women., •, , •, , The Constitution of India guarantees equality of sexes and in fact grants special favors to, women. These can be found in three articles (Article 14, Article 15 (3) and Articles 15 (A), (e). All these are fundamental rights. Therefore, a woman can go to the court if one is, subjected to any discrimination. The most important issues stand as those pertaining to, marriage, children, abortion, crimes against women, and inheritance. Crimes like rape,, kidnapping, eve teasing and indecent exposure can be grouped as crimes against women., India, a country where women are becoming more prominent yet with increasing, numbers, women are fighting long-standing prejudices. Women still faces enormous, pressure to conform to social mores - conforming to traditional roles within families poses, as much of a barrier to businesswomen in India as the still-too-thick glass ceiling at, companies. Though women have made great strides in the corporate world in the last, three decades, women from all income classes are still too often discouraged by family, members from having careers that infringe too much on family life., , Changing role in work, •, , Globalization has undermined the traditional role of women in homemaking, farming,, livestock, animal husbandry, handicrafts, handlooms etc. and resulted in a relatively, better environment for women. Women have more jobs, become more active in avenues, generally reserved for men, have played a more prominent role in society and not just, restricted to the household. It has affected both the quantity and the quality of work, available to the majority of women in India., , Changing role in Family, Marriage, Caste, •, , Globalisation has posed a major challenge to the institution of patriarchy in India. As, women take up jobs and achieve social mobility, they have also begun to stand up for, IASBABA, , 13

Page 14 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , their rights. As nuclear families have become more common, it has become easier for, women to assertively claim their rights and ask for equality in an environment not stuck, in ancient mores. Marrying within the same caste has become less important, and women, have in many cases reserved the right to marry whoever they choose irrespective of caste., As countries come closer, and boundaries disappear in the globalised world, women in, India are inspired by women the world over to fight for their rights. Of course, there are, some notable exceptions to the above generalisations. But, to a large extent, these, changes have received a great push from the new era of globalisation., Positive Effects of Globalization:, •, , •, , •, , •, , Globalization has opened up broader communication lines and brought more companies, as well as different worldwide organizations into India. This provides opportunities for, not only working men, but also women, who are becoming a larger part of the, workforce. With new jobs for women, there are opportunities for higher pay, which raises, self-confidence and brings about independence. This, in turn, can promote equality, between the sexes, something that Indian women have been struggling with their entire, lives. Globalization has the power to uproot the traditional views towards women so they, can take an equal stance in society., Women in the urban settings have become more independent and self-sufficient. The, lower middle class is experiencing a shift in the way family relations worked. Traditionally, women stayed at home taking care of domestic needs and children. Now most of the, women are setting out of their private spaces to earn a living. Globalization has created, certain needs based on capitalist sentiments. Advertising everyday reinforces new needs, and creates a vicarious lust for more and more consumer good in the masses. This has, resulted in families desiring more household income to be able to afford these, items. Therefore, the women need to work and contribute to the household income to, afford a certain lifestyle, The Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in India is a union of women laborers, willing to work hard and seize any work opportunities they might get. Globalization has, aided their opportunities in various ways. SEWA has established a Women’s Cooperative, Bank with 125,000 members, and through the aid of globalization, they have even, reached the women in the rural areas of India. Markets in different areas can now be, reached by Indian women who have a part in businesses, or by craft-making women who, have licenses to export their goods. With more freedoms and opportunities, these, women are raising their standard of living by generating more income., Technology that may seem out-dated to the United States is viewed as modern, technology to India. With the aid of satellites and computers, SEWA has been able to, IASBABA, , 14

Page 15 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , reach more women to share self-help knowledge. Even the telephone is advancement to, many women in their business ventures. After one of the SEWA women took out a loan, of four dollars to buy a telephone, her income was increased because she could reach, more people., Remember, •, , Prospects of higher and quality education have become feasible for those women who, can afford them, economically and socially., Employment in technological and other advanced sectors, which have global bearing, has, opened up for suitably qualified women., With changing attitude towards women, especially in the urban areas, women enjoy more, egalitarian set of gender relationship., Augmentation of women’s movements through exposures at the international level will, help bring about major changes in the economic, social and political lives of women., Reduction in gender inequalities will have positive effect on women’s empowerment in, the socio-economic context., Attitudinal changes towards women’s role in the family due to good education, benefits, of family planning and health care, child care, good job opportunities etc. will surely help, in the development of more confident and healthy women., Positive approach to economic and cultural migration will facilitate women to be exposed, to better prospects at the international level., , •, •, •, •, •, , •, , FEW EXAMPLES:, •, , •, , One of the SEWA women, Mauna Dave, has made tremendous advancements and is, sharing her knowledge of the global world and economy with other Indian women so they, can establish a better life for themselves. Dave attributes the skills she has obtained to, SEWA since she had the opportunity to speak and listen to other women in this, organization. This UNIFEM Social Responsibility Award recipient is the director of, Kutchcraft, which is an association of 110 craftswomen’s groups with over 6,000, employees. She helped organize the craftswomen into an empowered group that have, obtained bargaining power to compete in the international market. Dave said that some, of the most difficult challenges are to keep current on the global economy and the fastpaced changes in India itself. Globalization has helped her and other Indian women share, ideas and network in the international markets (UNIFEM)., The effect has a lot to do with liberalization. Globalization has given women a stronger, voice. People are more vocal of women’s rights. Women are more vocal. There has been, a noticeable change in what women can do and what their opportunities are. The, IASBABA, , 15

Page 16 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , •, , •, , •, , PART 2, , government has done more advertising (TV and radio commercials) portraying women in, leadership roles., Different non-profit organizations have been brought to India from around the, globe. These organizations have given women the skills they need to advance, such as, literacy and vocational skills. One organization, Indiacorps, has brought in a range of, programs to help women help themselves. One program in Ahmedabad, India has taught, poor women how to create different crafts to generate income. With this program,, women are able to earn their own personal money and enable the children to attend, school instead of having to work to make more money. The women also gain business, skills that inform them about career opportunities., The women in rural settings have been influenced by globalization through media and, through numerous intervention programs –non-profit organizations- that are constantly, investing in women’s issues in big way. These NGOs are creating awareness and proposing, ways of change. The women are increasingly empowered and stronger than before. This, change is not universal and does not happen in any particular pattern. Hence, we can, observe pockets of changes due to efforts of a few. We need more such interventions and, investments so that this work can continue., Media can be viewed as a positive aspect of globalization. Media has the opportunity to, reach people, and convey a message to people all over the world. A magazine called, Femina is the top women’s magazine for Indian women. It was launched in 1959 and since, it showcased its website in 1996, it has received much feedback from Indians all over the, world., , Negative Effects of Globalization:, Globalization has had negative implications for Indian women. Their plights are similar to those, of women in other developing regions such as Africa and Asia., •, , •, , Globalization has made many international corporations richer by the billions. However,, what most people are not aware of is that women in these developing countries are, suffering enormously due to this expansion of corporate empires. According to estimates, from World Development Indicators, “Women work two-thirds of the world’s working, hours, produce half of the world’s food, but earn only ten percent of the world’s income,, and own less than one percent of the world’s property.’., According to Vandana Shiva, and Indian economist and scholar, globalization along with, the support of organizations such as the World Bank and the International Monetary, Fund, have created slave wages. These wages are not necessarily the result of “unjust”, societies, but of the fact that global trade devalues the worth of people’s lives and work., While globalization has brought jobs to rural, developing countries such as India where, IASBABA, , 16

Page 17 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , there was previously no employment, these jobs seem to be wolves in sheep’s clothing., The work available to women is almost always poorly paid, mentally and physically, unhealthy, demeaning, or insecure., Women are suffering two-fold. As women in developing countries move into the work, force, their domestic responsibilities are not alleviated. Women work two full time jobs., One in a factory, where they are paid next to nothing, the second is in the home where, they are paid nothing. According to Merlin A. Taber and Sushma Batra, editors of the, book Social Strains of Globalization in India, development for poor women has meant the, migration of men to cities, higher prices for commodities, poorer job opportunities. “The, mixture of corporate capitalism and Western culture models is dissolving family and, community social controls as witnessed by higher rates of family violence, rape, divorce,, and family breakdown.”, One example of women’s labor being exploited would be the Noida Export Processing, Zone, these “zones” prefer to hire women because they are “more docile and more, productive than men.” In short, they are easier to control and less likely to retaliate, against less than ideal working conditions, which are exactly what thousands of women, encounter 12 hours a day. The zone is dangerous, hot, and unsanitary. Unnecessary body, searches are routine. There are no maternity benefits and minimum wage is never, enforced. Women who become pregnant or marry are immediately fired. Overtime is, compulsory but women are paid lower rates than men. In order to avoid being fired,, women turn to unsafe abortions performed by unqualified “doctors.” In the zone,, “respiratory problems, pelvic inflammatory disease, and sever cases of dehydration and, anemia are common.”, Globalization has increased the number of low paid, part time and exploitative jobs for, women. Increased prices due to open economy demand more cope up with changes from, women. With increasing nuclear families, the older women’s life has become pitiable,, sometimes spending their later days in old age homes and isolation. The feminization of, population has further aggravated this problem. Similarly, male migration from rural, areas to urban centres has put the women under triple burden of home making, farming, and job in rural sector. At the same time, migration of women for economic reasons has, led to increased exploitation including sexual exploitation and trafficking., , •, , •, , •, , Women's Contribution to the Society:, •, , Although most women in India work and contribute to the economy in one form or, another, much of their work is not documented or accounted for in official statistics., Women plough fields and harvest crops while working on farms, women weave and make, handicrafts while working in household industries, women sell food and gather wood, IASBABA, , 17

Page 18 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , •, , •, , •, •, , PART 2, , while working in the informal sector. Additionally, women are traditionally responsible, for the daily household chores (e.g., cooking, fetching water, and looking after children)., Since Indian culture hinders women's access to jobs in stores, factories and the public, sector, the informal sector is particularly important for women. There are estimates that, over 90 percent of workingwomen are involved in the informal sector., The informal sector includes jobs such as domestic servant, small trader, artisan, or field, laborer on a family farm. Most of these jobs are unskilled and low paying and do not, provide benefits to the worker. More importantly, however, cultural practices vary from, region to region. Though it is a broad generalization, North India tends to be more, patriarchal and feudal than South India. Women in northern India have more restrictions, placed on their behavior, thereby restricting their access to work. Southern India tends to, be more egalitarian, women have relatively more freedom, and women have a more, prominent presence in society. Cultural restrictions however are changing, and women, are freer to participate in the formal economy, though the shortage of jobs throughout, the country contributes to low female employment. But in the recent years, conditions of, working women in India have improved considerably. More and more women find, themselves in positions of respect and prestige; more and more workplaces are now, populated with women who work on equal terms as men. Working is no longer an, adjustment, a mere necessity; but a means to self-worth and growth., Women have now not only found their place in work places but are also voicing their part, in governance. In recent years there have been explicit moves to increase women's, political participation. Women have been given representation in the Panchayati Raj, system as a sign of political empowerment. There are many elected women, representatives at the village council level. At the central and state levels too, women are, progressively making a difference. Today we have woman as President of India and few, women Chief Ministers in large states of India. The Women's reservation policy bill is, slated to further strengthen political participation., The visible faces of Women in Army, Navy and Air Force succinctly summarize their, valuable presence and role in the present society., The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has issued the formal Government Sanction Letter for, grant of Permanent Commission (PC) to women officers in the Army. This is a huge step, towards women empowerment., , The impact of globalization on women in agriculture (Just for reference- focus on the idea), •, , "Agriculture and allied sectors contribute below 20 percent of India’s GDP and accounts, for more than 50 per cent of employment. Nearly 63 per cent of all economically active, men are engaged in agriculture, compared to 78 per cent of women. In the three riceIASBABA, , 18

Page 19 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , •, , •, , PART 2, , growing states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, women provide more than 2/3 of, the inputs including transplanting, weeding, manuring and fertilizing, harvesting,, threshing, winnowing, drying, stacking and carrying produce. In the tribal economy of, Orissa, women spent 105.4 hours per year on shifting cultivation compared with 50.11 by, the men. In the Himalayas, a research study found that where a pair of bullocks works, 1,064 hours and a man for 1,212 hours a year, a woman works 3,485 hours a year on a, one-hectare farm., A woman on an average works for 640 hours for agricultural operations like weeding, 384, hours for irrigation, 650 hours for transporting manure, 557 hours for sowing, 984 hours, for threshing and harvesting.", Women's double burden - working long hours in the field as well as attending to, household chores like cooking and collecting water and fuel for the day - is often taken, for granted., , The impact of globalization on women in informal sectors: (Just for reference- focus on the, idea), •, , •, , The emergence of a global market, with its associated policies of privatization,, "stabilization", and liberalization, has led to the setting up of smaller new industries with, highly flexible organization and simple infrastructure in developing countries. Closely, related to this "in formalization" of work is the feminization of work. Labor-intensive, industries move to developing countries where women are the preferred labor force,, because they can be hired at a low wage. Jobs become available for women, but only as, unorganized laborers with no right to form unions or fight for their basic rights: the, situation of women working in the garment industry is a case in point. Low-skilled jobs, with low wages, long hours of work and lack of job security are typical of the feminization, of labor in unorganized sectors. The state generally supports the management and, ignores any violation of the labor laws., It is clear that the women are being exploited, but they may not raise their voices - not, even against the sexual harassment they may face in the work place., , IASBABA, , 19

Page 20 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION ON CHILDREN, Every child is a clear reflection of the environment in which he or she is being brought up. Home, and school form the first learning centres along with the society and people at large with whom, they interact on a daily basis. Both family and school are in turn influenced by the values, laws,, customs and policies prevalent in the society. As latter are the first to get impacted by the, globalisation so the effect trickles down to children via multiple sources., To put things in perspective, India, as is the case with most of the other developing countries, has, a comparative advantage in agriculture and allied sectors (on a relative basis to other sectors of, the economy). Integration into international markets has led to volatility in the market prices of, agricultural products. Trade liberalisation has contributed to an increase in exports, employment, and wages in the agricultural sector. Increased earning opportunities have distorted the labour, markets in the past, leading to a surge in demand for child labourers and thus child labour., An alternate argument in favour of globalisation is that improvements in earnings opportunities, can reduce child labour due to increased parental earnings. Increased parental earnings serve as, a substitute for the child’s income. Hence, globalisation can help parents in poor households stop, child labour., However, there is a caveat here. Globalisation has not resulted in intended gains in a country like, India that is encumbered with pressing socio-economic challenges like poverty, illiteracy and, income inequality. Regardless of the long-term benefits, short term challenges due to increased, exposure to foreign competition, has inarguably turned globalisation into a bane than a boon, for, majority of the poor households in India. This has certainly not helped the child labour situation, in India., Globalisation has also increased the ability of rich countries to influence policy in the world’s, poorer nations and increased child exploitation sharply. Poor nations are dependent on foreign, markets for trade (exports) and this has led to policy being dictated by rich countries, directly or, indirectly., Try to write pointers under given headings on impact of globalisation on Children (both positive, and negative), •, •, •, •, , Education, Life-style, Modern Technology, Do a comparison on Urban vs Rural Children based on impact of globalization on both., , IASBABA, , 20

Page 21 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION ON OLDER PEOPLE, Globalization simply means interaction of nations and its people in the form of products, services,, cultural aspects and knowledge. It has created a significant impact on the aging population of the, world. According to the United Nations, all the people who are 65 years old and above, are, termed as Aged people. The aging population has less value in the demographic dividends. But, with new reforms and cutting-edge technology, our bureaucracy and corporate world are on the, verge of effectively solving the problems of the aged population., , Globalization brought new opportunities for procurement of medical facilities and medicines and, increased competition among stakeholders. This is one of the major benefits to the old age as, healthcare has become more efficient with increase in competition. The treatments are now, available at doorstep for many ailments. The technological advancements have given shape to, many devices which can help the aged people who are little aware gauge their own body, condition. Average life expectancy and health has increased because of improvement in, technology, medical facilities, and living standards., Second thing is the emergence of internet during the early nineties. Due to internet, tasks such, as online voting, e-banking, digital currency and shopping became possible. It was only due to, internet that the problem of physical inability was solved. Knowledge sharing has helped elder, people to form self-help groups related to particular problems. With the help of these groups it, became possible to integrate and interact in a more mature way. Social media sites have solved, the problem of loneliness for aged people., Third thing is a pension sector. This sector has become more integrated due to globalization., Countries across the world have introduced pension reforms which have helped elder people., Due to nuclear families particularly in developing and developed countries, the problem of, isolation and degrading respect has become stronger. Men specially aged one find themselves, isolated which leads to various psychological problems. These problems give rise to various, health hazards specially blood pressure and diabetes., Dignity and self-respect are important for ageing population. Due to migration of families, the, problem of dependence on younger ones has increased. This dependence has restricted ageing, population to less resources and opportunities. However, globalization has helped them to, procure this self-respect in the form of global audience. People can now interact in a freer way, than they used to 20 years earlier. People are able to find opportunities which feed their need, for self-respect., , IASBABA, , 21

Page 22 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , On the positive note, the people now have become more economically prosperous because of, better employment opportunities across the world; and due to this they are able to save more, for their old age., •, , •, , •, , •, , •, , The cumulative implications of globalization, industrialization and urbanization have, imparted irreversible change into the structure of families in India. With more and more, nuclear families, young people leave their aged parents in faraway places in search of, employment opportunities and better living standards. This has resulted in isolation,, rejection and loneliness of aged persons leading to psychological distress; and the crimes, against older people., The result of disintegration of the joint families and ever-increasing influence of, modernization is that care of the elderly has emerged as an important issue in the, country., The problems of aged people can be solved if we can integrate resources, increase means, of communication and finally impart social values in younger population. If we could, prepare ourselves in advance for the possible problems related to aged population then, we can certainly tackle the side effects of globalization on ageing population., ‘Older people's poverty is still not a core concern in the social, economic and ethical, debates of our time. Their right to development is routinely denied, with ageing seen as, a minority interest or case for special pleading. Poverty and social exclusion remain the, main stumbling blocks to the realisation of the human rights of older people worldwide.’, The globalization of aging will have dramatic effects on local, regional, and global, economies. Most significantly, financial expenditures, labor supply, and total savings will, be affected. Changes in the age structures of societies also affect total levels of labor force, participation in society, because the likelihood that an individual will be in the labor force, varies systematically by age. Concurrently, global population aging is projected to lead to, lower proportions of the population in the labor force in highly industrialized nations,, threatening both productivity and the ability to support an aging population., , Globalization is such a process which left its imprints in every such human endeavour. As India is, moving towards the modernization of various arena, it receives imputes in various degrees from, various countries. The people with much awareness and self-consciousness started to approach, the modernization because it involves identity. For example, the cultural modernization needs to, be approached much consciously as it may affect the core character of Indian society. Hence,, modernization needs to be approached carefully. The vigour of the transformed sense of selfawareness among the people in India is vital for success of globalization. The sense and, globalization inputs should not mismatch and need to reconcile each other at the time of, mismatch. The interconnectedness between various cultures in India should reinforce without, IASBABA, , 22

Page 23 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , disturbing national unity. As the cultural sphere gets affected by the globalization and, modernization, the linkage will get stronger., Practice Questions, 1. Critically examine the cultural dimension of the globalization process., 2. Globalization, as a process, affects Indian society both on positive and negative, connotation. Explain., 3. “Globalization has led to religious resurgence, newfangled religious and god business, in different parts of the world”. Discuss the relevance of the statement in changing, Indian Social context, 4. Globalization has brought about the much-needed Gender Equality in India-Critically, examine., 5. Briefly discuss about the impact of Globalization on Indian youth highlighting on the, social, economic, cultural and psychological dimensions., Previous Year Questions, 1. Critically examine the effect of globalization on the aged population in India. 2013, 2. Discuss the positive and negative effects of globalization on women in India. 2015, 3. ‘Globalisation is generally said to promote cultural homogenisation but due to this, cultural specificity appear to be strengthened in the Indian society.’ Elucidate. 2018, 4. To what extent has globalisation influenced the core of cultural diversity in India?, Explain. 2016, 5. Are we losing our local identity for the global identity? Discuss. 2019, , IASBABA, , 23

Page 24 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , REGIONALISM, The general meaning of regionalism is the attachment to a particular region. The feeling of, regionalism produces more allegiance and love for one’s own region as compared to one’s, country. Regionalism can be defined as a multi-dimensional phenomenon in terms of its, components like geographical, historic-cultural, economic, politico-administrative and psychic. It, has both positive and negative dimension. In positive term regionalism embodies quest for selfidentity and self-fulfillment on the part of the people of an area. In negative terms, regionalism, reflects a psyche of relative deprivation on the part of people of an area not always viable in, terms of rational economic analysis. It is also believed that deprivation is deliberately inflicted by, the powers that leads to acuteness of feeling on those who carry the psyche of deprivation. The, factor of geographical boundaries to which the people of an area usually relate their quest of a, regional identity also differentiates in degree if not in kind., The following are the characteristic basis for demarcating a region:, •, •, •, •, •, •, •, , Language or linguistics basis, Caste (jatis) basis, Ethnic groups basis, Tribes basis, Particular social settings form as a basis, Cultural pattern form as a basis, Music, dance, folk arts, etc., , These above sentiments are shared by those people living in a continuous geographical area and, they have the sense of togetherness and uniqueness when compared with other such set of, people. Those characteristics have completed merged with people and it can be seen in every, activity of humans living there. They have been socialized with these factors and will not shed, these characteristics even if they move away to any other region., Regionalism is defined as the extreme attachment or affection to one’s region, and in Indian, context it is a state mostly. The attachment may result in developing an antagonistic view against, other region or state. Sometimes the feel may develop as big as it questions the national unity, itself. The reason for such feelings to arise may be, due to the feelings of constant negligence of, a particular region by others or by government. It even arises when people of a region acquired, political knowledge and awareness about the backwardness of their region. The increased, knowledge of those people serves as fuel for regionalism. As we already saw, regional feelings, demand for autonomy, which question the unity of a country itself. There are two different, connotations associated with the concept of regionalism. Those are as follows:, IASBABA, , 24

Page 25 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , Positive sense, In this sense, people show their love for their, own region, culture, etc., which results in, protection of their unique identity that, further accelerates the sense of fraternity, and oneness., , Negative sense, In this sense, people tend to hate or show, antagonistic feel towards other’s region,, which results in unhealthy environment that, threaten the unity and integrity of a country., In Indian context, various regions demand for, separate statehood or national hood, which, cannot be encouraged., Different Forms of Regionalism in India, Demand for State Autonomy, • Regionalism oftentimes motivates people to demand a separate state so that the state, can have more autonomy. In India, people of a region, within a state or states, feel, that they are continuously been targeted or rejected, combined with political, mobilization, the regionalism develops, which further gets intensified., • This evokes people to fight for their separate statehood so that they can enjoy more, autonomy. The demand for statehood or more autonomy has been a rising trend since, India’s independence. One of the best examples is the demand for ‘Gorkhaland’. The, Darjeeling district’s people have been demanding for a separate state as even, languages differ between the whole of West Bengal and Darjeeling district., • Darjeeling district’s people speak Nepali, whereas the rest of West Bengal speaks, Bengali. Gorkhaland Janmukti Morcha is the largest party in Darjeeling district, and it, pushes for the creation of a Gorkhaland state., • The other examples are Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Telangana people, for more, than four decades fought with Andhra Pradesh and government of India (GOI) in order, to carve out the state Telangana from the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh. It was, successfully done in ‘The Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014’., Secession from the Union, • India is a union and hence no state has any legal right to secede from the union. But, sometimes the regionalism feeling becomes intense and underestimates the sense of, nationhood and asks for independence from the union. The people feel that they want, to develop separate identity and protect those., • This type of regionalism is generally associated with complete violence. This can be, exemplified by citing ethno-national terrorism in the north-east part of India. People, here are demanding complete independence from the ‘Union of India’ and many, political parties are working towards it., • Here, the secessionist movement got an ugly turn and the GOI was forced to take a, hard step of bring in ‘The Armed forces (special powers) Act, 1958’, to restore peace., IASBABA, , 25

Page 26 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , Recently, GOI signed a peace accord with National Socialist Council of Nagaland (IM)., The NSCN demand a separate nation called ‘Greater Nagalim’. A Greater Nagalim, comprising ‘all contiguous Naga-inhabited areas’, including Nagaland. It includes, several districts of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, and also a large tract of, Myanmar., Inter-State Disputes, • Majority of inter-state disputes are the consequence of intensified feeling of, regionalism. The people of a particular region or state feel aversion towards other, people and they behave so differently which questions national unity., • The inter-state water disputes, son-of-the-soil concept, employment to local people, only are some of the inter-state conflicts that arise because of such rationalistic, sentiments. In this case, migrated people from another state or region feel insecure, and attacks are seen now and then by people of the host state., • While looking into the number of inter-state river water dispute tribunal, one can, conclude the presence of intensified regionalism in India., • As of 2017, there are eight different tribunals functioning to resolve water dispute, between the states. The problem arises just because the people see the natural, resource as their own and do not consider fellow-citizens’ need of such water., Demand for Full Statehood, • The union territories have been forwarding such demands like the NCT of Delhi., • Most of such demands have already been accepted. In 1971, Himachal Pradesh got, the status of a full state and thereafter Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, (former NEFA) and Sikkim got full statehoods, , Regionalism vs. Nationalism debate, • Nationalism is a sense of belonging to one nation, a feeling one shares with all the, citizens of the country regardless of their caste, creed, culture, religion or region., • This association with a nation is the primary mode of identification for a person and, every nation encourages its citizens to take pride in being its citizen., • However, when people begin identifying more strongly with their region than with, their nation, it is alleged that nationalism is undercut by a sense of regionalism., • While a nation tries to establish harmony between all its citizens by uniting them, through a constitution, national symbols, and songs, regionalism glorifies the heritage, of only one particular region and of one culture., • This leads to the formation of multiple communities within one nation and restricts, the efforts of national integration., IASBABA, , 26

Page 27 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , The following factors decisively affect the nature or outcome of regionalism:, •, , •, , •, , •, , •, •, , Socio-cultural factor: Socio-cultural setting brings in huge difference between regions,, which is especially true in India, and this encourages the feeling of regionalism. The, minorities want to protect their socio-cultural symbols, such as kinship relations, caste, and sub-caste, language, etc., from the majority. The ability to protect directly related to, various factors, such as economic power, social power, time factors, etc. The symbols give, the identity for an individual, and every individual often tries to protect themselves even, at the cost of others. In the course of protection, sometimes people believe in violence, and sometimes believe in peaceful means., Economic factor: Under development is basis for every type of problem. There is a linkage, between development and extremism. Whenever development shows sluggish growth,, people feel the heat of economic disproportion and resort to kindle the regionalism., Economic imbalance in a country brings in regionalist attitude in people. Economic, disparity prevails in India as one can see islands of richness and ocean of poverty. The, regionalism is getting a strong base due to economic disparity., Political factor: Political factors act as steering factors of regionalism. Without politicians,, the regional tendency cannot pick up. They add fuel to volcano, because it is important, to keep the heat of regionalism all the time to make sure they gain. Without political, mobilization, the regionalism will die eventually. The political leaders play regional cards, to gain political mileage. It is called as politics of natives. At times, in order to bring, oneness and the sense of nation, the central government attempts to improve a particular, factor in states which may be seen as onslaught of their culture. The states have very, strong desire of protecting their own sub-culture and language. For example, when GOI, give more important to Hindi, the non-Hindi-speaking states start hue and cry, which is, nothing more than regionalism., Geographical factor: The geographical uniqueness plays a major role for the resurgence, of regionalism from time to time. People living in a geographically contiguous area have, same sense which many a times turn to be hated over other area., Historical factor: Common historical experiences, such as social heritage, attitudes,, myths, etc., result in bust of regionalism., Population factor: The population explosion fuels regionalism on the basis improper, scared resource sharing., , IASBABA, , 27

Page 28 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , Reasons for persistence of regionalism in India, •, , •, •, , •, , Lack of pro-active approach: The central government and state governments are not, aligning their operations with dynamic society. They need to have long insight so they can, take steps which complement the changing society., Low rate of economic growth: Economic growth, as we already deal, keeps the, regionalism ongoing. With right level of economic growth, regionalism can be put down., Lack of political will: For every problem in India, political will is the solution. The lack of, political will and not educating the people in right direction is another reason for, persistence of regionalism., Low level of literacy rate: The literacy rate is directly linked to the thinking ability of, masses, which is an important factor for regionalism to grow., , Regionalism Vs National unity and integrity, •, •, , •, •, •, •, •, •, , Parochial regionalism poses a threat to the sovereignty of the nation., The anti-migrant or anti-Bihari stance of a political party in Maharashtra, which opposes, the employment and residence of non-Maharashtrian people in the state of Maharashtra, is a prime example of negative regionalism. Imagine the same being done in other states, of India?, Regionalism beyond a point can lead to secessionism, such as strong regionalism in Punjab, ultimately resulted in the growth of Khalistani terrorism., Regionalism often promotes Vote- Bank politics, thereby weakens the national, integration., Regionalism can weaken the time-tested fabric of 'Unity in Diversity', if promoted in an, ultra-manner., Positive regionalism promotes a sense of pride in connecting to one’s roots and culture., It has been noticed that often regional movements have helped the art and culture of, many neglected regions to flourish by increasing their exposure through local emphasis., Therefore, in principle, regionalism need not be regarded as an unhealthy or anti-national, phenomenon, unless it takes a militant, aggressive turn to encourage the growth of, secessionist tendencies., , IASBABA, , 28

Page 29 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , How does Constitution safeguard the National unity and integrity against the regionalism?, • Indian Constitution provides various institutional arrangements to resolve such, problem, including the threats posed by violent regionalism., • The provisions of the fifth and sixth schedules of the Indian constitution have been, applied by the government with intended objectives of constraining ethnic separatism, and tribal alienation in different regions, particularly in the North-east., • Also, institutionally, the government has become more receptive to the creation of an, autonomous regional council or district council for the people of ethnic enclaves., • The state language policy has been fine tuned to accommodate the claims of various, dialect or language groups. This has been done by:, • By including the major languages in the eighth schedule, and, • Granting official recognition to culturally significant languages of the state as the, language of education and official transaction., • All these policies have a significant impact on integrating the diverse regional, communities within the mould and measures of Indian nationalism., , The following are measures to contain the spread of regionalism:, •, , •, , •, •, •, •, •, , The area that are neglected and ignored, both conflict and non-conflict region should be, given preferential treatment as they should feel part of the nation. This can be done by, providing funding, developing infrastructure, recognizing their culture, etc., The interference of central government in the affairs of the state should be minimal or, interfere in unavoidable situations, such as national interest, national security, etc. In, other all areas, the state governments should be given with genuine autonomy or transfer, of power., The legislative mechanism should be put in place so that the leaders having political gains, from regionalism gets punished as it will act as deterrence., A peaceful and constitutional method should be used to solve already existing problem, which should set an example for resolving other issues., Election Commission should provide rules for regional parties as they should not use, regionalism as the main agenda to gain political mileage., Promoting inclusive growth & development., Non-Government Organization’s should be used to spread nationalism in every nook and, corner of the country., , IASBABA, , 29

Page 30 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , Evolving Trends in Regionalism:, •, •, , •, , •, , •, , •, , •, , Separation of Telangana from Andhra Pradesh in 2014 which recently happened., Demand for creation of new states from Darjeeling region of west Bengal, Vidarbha, region from Maharashtra, splitting up of Uttar Pradesh into four, Union territory status, for Kodagu region etc., Pathalgadi movement: Started in parts of Eastern India, the movement is based on selfassertion and governance based on customary laws and rejection of Central government, laws., Regional politics: Regionals parties like BSP, TMC, YSRCP, JDS, JDU have cropped up from, national parties and demanding more rights for states in form of transferring items from, Union and Concurrent list to State lists, residuary powers to states among others., Dravidian state: There has been demand for separate Dravidian land consisting of 4, southern states from certain fringe/regional political parties. Ex: United states of South, India., Demand for reservation in Jobs: Certain groups in states like Karnataka, Maharashtra, have started demanding for reservation in jobs for local people. Ex: Slogans like Mumbai, for Mumbaikars etc., Maharashtra’s Shiv Sena, Punjab’s khalistan movement, ULFA in Assam for securing, their boundaries, Telangana movement are some of the movements related to, regionalism., , Domicile-based Job Quota, Context: Madhya Pradesh announcement that only those domiciled there would be eligible for, government jobs in the State., Analysis, •, •, •, •, •, , It denotes a certain mainstreaming of nativism that more parties and States appear to be, adopting., Migrant populations fulfil a market demand created by gaps in skills and preferences., The spectre of locals losing out to migrants is hugely exaggerated to generate political, capital., Data – Gujarat asks for a domicile quota of 85% in the private sector workforce whereas, the government data showed in 2017 that 92% of it was local already., India has a severe unemployment crisis and efforts that match the challenge are badly, needed. Nativism is not a part of the solution., IASBABA, , 30

Page 31 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , •, •, , PART 2, , In fact, it can aggravate the crisis by creating a hostile environment to investment, growth, and employment generation., Discourages Migration and Increases sentiments of Regionalism, , Violation of Article 16, •, , •, , •, , Article 16 of the Constitution, which guarantees equal treatment under law in matters of, public employment, prohibits the state from discriminating on grounds of place of birth, or residence., Article 16(2) states that “no citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex,, descent, place of birth, residence or any of them, be ineligible for, or discriminated against, in respect or, any employment or office under the State”., Article 16(3) of the Constitution provides an exception by saying that Parliament may, make a law “prescribing” a requirement of residence for jobs in a particular state. This, power vests solely in the Parliament, not state legislatures., , Supreme Court, • The Supreme Court has ruled against reservation based on place of birth or residence. In, 1984, ruling in Dr Pradeep Jain v Union of India, the issue of legislation for “sons of the, soil” was discussed. The court expressed an opinion that such policies would be, unconstitutional but did not expressly rule on it as the case was on different aspects of, the right to equality., • Despite Article 16(2), “some of the States are adopting ‘sons of the soil’ policies, prescribing reservation or preference based on domicile or residence requirement for, employment or appointment… Prima facie this would seem to be constitutionally, impermissible though we do not wish to express any definite opinion upon it, since it does, not directly arise for consideration.”, Jharkhand Protest, Context: Several parts of Jharkhand are seeing massive protests against the inclusion of Bhojpuri, and Magahi as 'regional languages' in district-level competitive examinations for government, jobs., , IASBABA, , 31

Page 32 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , Practice Questions, 1. We find an increasing trend of regional consciousness. However, regional, consciousness is part of Indian social evolution. Elaborate the old and new reasons for, regional consciousness., 2. Will the demand for separate smaller states lead to disintegration of India? Give your, opinion in the light of the emerging demand for creation new, smaller states in India, and its consequence on national integration and unity., 3. Increasing regional attitude is a direct threat to the unity and integrity of India. In this, context discuss various steps taken by the government to promote national unity., 4. Explain the role of political parties in balancing federalism and regionalism in India, 5. “Regionalism is people’s love for their region, culture or language “. Examine, Previous Year Questions, 1. Growing feeling of regionalism is an important factor in generation of demand for a, separate State. Discuss. 2013, 2. Can the strategy of regional-resource based manufacturing help in promoting, employment in India? 2019, 3. Discuss whether the formation of new states in recent times is beneficial or not for, the economy of India. 2018, 4. Has the formation of linguistic states strengthened the cause of Indian unity? 2016, 5. What is the basis of regionalism? Is it that unequal distribution of benefits of, development on a regional basis eventually promotes regionalism? Substantiate your, answer. 2016, , IASBABA, , 32

Page 33 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , COMMUNALISM, Communalism, like most ideologies, is a school of thought shared by a specific group of people., Specifically, communalism is the shared belief within a particular culture that promotes religious, and secular isolation from another group. In other words, communalism is a form of segregation,, a segregation that the group being segregated actually chooses. In theory, there are many, different reasons a group could become communalist, but typically these groups resort to, isolating themselves based on religion., A communalist group believes that their loyalty should lie within the group that they are a part, of above any other loyalty, like nationalism (or loyalty to a country), because their ideals and, beliefs don't match those of other groups. Many communalist groups even believe that they are, a nation of separate confederacies rather than part of the country in which their members, actually reside., Often, the trouble with communalism is that each group denies the fact that they have more, commonalities with other groups than have differences. This can result in groups becoming, hostile to one another, which has given communalism negative connotations. But it's important, to remember that it's not always the groups themselves that originally instituted the ideology of, communalism. In India, for example, much of the communalism (and resulting inter-group, conflict) between the Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and Christians was initially promoted by the British., It would be a grave error to conclude that the communal riots are collisions between fanatics, over trivial religious issues. For ultimately these riots are only the products of a sustained,, seething and continuous discontent within people. Riots are only its sharpest forms but, communalism exists to a large extent even in normal times. For in our society a person from his, birth is subjected in a conscious or unconscious manner to a daily recipe of hatred towards “the, other community”. This onslaught of ideology may be through apparently harmless jokes,, through textbooks, through media or more through speeches of the politicians., Many people confuse religious beliefs with communalism. They believe that whenever and, wherever more than one religion exists, invariably, communal conflict takes place. This is a false, view. One finds in the history of civilization, various religions coexisting peacefully for centuries., Even in India the same trend is witnessed., , IASBABA, , 33

Page 34 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , Types of Communalism, Assimilationist/Communist Communalism, In this type of communalism, small religious groups are assimilated/integrated into big, religions group. Here, scheduled tribes are Hindu or Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists are Hindus and, they should be covered by Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. As far as the personal law is concerned,, all of them are covered under the same legislation. Hence, a Sikh, Buddhist, Jain does not, identify himself/herself too much different from a Hindu and Hindu religious beliefs and, sentiments., Welfarist Communalism, Here, the main emphasis is to provide welfare for the particular community. For example:, providing education, scholarship, financial assistance in higher studies. Matrimonial, assistance, skill development, residential accommodation, etc., are such communal, mobilizations that aim at working only for member of one’s own community. In the modern, Indian society, we can see a member of these welfare organizations involved in different kind, of charitable and other social upliftment activities related to their particular community, alone., Retreatist Communalism, It’s a type of communalism where a small religious community keeps itself aloof from politics, and any other politically related activity. They keep themselves away from any kind of political, activity, for example, Bahai religious community belongs to this category and keep themselves, away from any political activity., Retaliatory Communalism, This type of communalism attempts to harm, hurt and injure the members of other religious, communities. More often, this type of communalism is clearly seen in India where the fight, between different groups either religious or caste is omnipresent across all regions in India,, for example, Godhra Riots and its aftermath., Separatist Communalism, Under this type, one religious (or) cultural group wants to maintain its cultural specificity and, demands a separate territorial state within the country, for example, the demand for, Gorkhaland by Gorkhas, Bodoland in Assam by Bodos, Vidharbha in Maharashtra, separatist, tendencies in Mizoram., Secessionist Communalism, It is one in which a religious community demands for a separate political identity and insists, to have a separate state, for example, the demand for Khalisthan, the demand for an, independent Kashmir by militant groups in Muslims is engaged in practicing this type of, communalism. A recent example under this category is the demand for ‘Nagalim’ from the, erstwhile parts of Nagaland and Myanmar., IASBABA, , 34

Page 35 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , Communalism in India, •, •, , •, •, •, •, , •, •, •, •, , Communalism as a political philosophy has its roots in the religious and cultural diversity, of India., It has been used as a political propaganda tool to create divide, differences and tensions, between the communities on the basis of religious and ethnic identity leading to, communal hatred and violence., In ancient Indian society, people of different faith coexisted peacefully., Buddha was perhaps the first Indian prophet who gave the concept of secularism., Meanwhile, Kings like Ashoka followed a policy of peace and religious tolerance., Medieval India witnessed the arrival of Islam in India marked by occasional occurrences, of violence such as Mahmud Ghazni’s destruction of Hindu temples and Mahmud of, Ghori’s attack on Hindus, Jains and Buddhists., While, religion was an important part of people’s lives but there was no communal, ideology or communal politics., Rulers like Akbar and Sher Shah Suri followed the religious policy of toleration towards, different cultures and tradition practiced across country., However, some sectarian rulers like Aurangzeb were among the least tolerant towards, other religious practices., As a modern phenomenon it has arose as a result of British colonial impact and the, response of Indian social strata., , CAUSE AND CHARACTER OF COMMUNALISM IN INDIA, (a) Causes for the Growth of Communalism, •, •, •, •, •, •, •, •, , Communal political parties and organizations that have been fanning the fire of, separatism., Minority appeasement policy which the Indian National Congress and some other political, parties have been nursing since decades., The elections which make the political parties and organizations to make a communal, appeal to the voters and to keep alive the communal feelings., The media, literature and textbooks that have communal slant and that give support to, communal forces., The recent issues of conversion and re-conversion (Ghar Wapsi)., Emergence of interreligious marriages (e.g., Love Jihad controversy)., People’s religious sentiments (cow slaughter and related issues) (e.g. Dadri lynching)., Separatism and isolationism found among communities including Hindus and Muslims., IASBABA, , 35

Page 36 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , •, •, •, , •, , PART 2, , The economic and educational backwardness found amongst the large minority group, that is the Muslims., The aggressive religious chauvinism championed by a few forces., Political opportunism which is found in almost all the political parties in India, which, makes the political leaders to give priority to their partisan political interests rather than, to the national interests., ‘Divide and rule’ policy which the British had followed caused a lot of damage to our, national interest. The same type of policy is continued in a surreptitious manner even, now., , In addition to the above-mentioned factors, we can also list a few other factors which are, contributing to the phenomenon of communalism in the Indian society., •, •, , •, , •, , •, , •, , •, , Politization of religion and ideologies of political parties., Role of foreign forces which have been instigating communal activities and communal, riots in India. The role of these forces in giving training to the communal extremists and, in supplying sophisticated technical equipment’s for fanning the fire of communalism., Religious conversion is also a reason, as almost all religion is taking place in such, conversion in India, which contributes to communal tensions. These conversions are, often made in a forcible manner and sometimes by means of temptations and so on., The subversion of secularism by the political parties is also a factory encouraging, communalism. Political parties which speak of secularism pay only lip sympathy to, secularism but in practice support communalism in lieu of political gains., The religious militancy too has added to the problem of communalism. In their attempt, to defend religious interests and counteract attacks on it, some organizations have, resorted to militant activities. These activities have caused communal frictions and, conflicts., Clash in Economic Interest of Communities: the traditional occupational pattern of both, Hindus and Muslims were different. Advent of Industrialization and Globalization has led, to the change in occupational pattern, thereby bringing both the communities into, conflict with each other. On the eve of partition, the Aristocratic Muslims and the lower, class stayed back in India. Educated Muslims preferred to migrate to Pakistan as they, would get better employment and other opportunities., With the introduction of Zamindari Abolition Act, the upper-class Muslims lost their hold, over the land and property and lower-class people also were employed/took up selfemployment in low-income generation jobs. Hence it is the situation of fight for survival, for the Indian Muslims., , IASBABA, , 36

Page 37 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , •, , PART 2, , Integration of the Community: The integration amongst the people of minority groups is, also an interesting factor that unites them towards any common goal. A sense of lack of, security amongst the minority group also helps them to unite into a strong close-knit, group. So, their attachment to the group and the level of integration remains high., , (b) Main Characteristics of Communalism, In the present-day India, communalism as a socio-political problem is becoming more and more, complex, and it has become very difficult to arrest the spread of communalism. Unless we, understand the true nature of communalism, it becomes very difficult for us to identify the, differences between what communalism is and what it is not. Using a religious community, against other communities and against the whole nation is communalism. Let us now discuss the, main characteristic of communalism as follows:, •, •, •, , •, •, •, •, , •, •, , •, , Communalism believes that a particular religious community is separate from the rest of, the other communities., It further believes that not only the religious sentiments, but the secular interests of the, community, are also separate from the rest of the other communities., Communalism is driven by the idea that the specific interests of the community can be, promoted by keeping a separate identity and organizing it separately so that their interest, gets served better., Communal interests always super impose on the national interests., Communalism provides fertile ground for the emergence of mutual distrust and, disharmony amongst the communities., Communalism treats some citizens not as citizens but as member of some specific, religious community., The communal riots, earlier happened to spur the movement, but did not last long; but, in recent years, it is more prolonged. The communal riot that began in Baroda in 1981, lasted for more than a year., The strength and numbers of communal organization is growing and is a cause of concern., Communalism leads to abuse of power. It seeks to emphasis on the social and religious, norms of the community on the other communities by including force, fraud, economic, and other allurements and even assistance from foreign powers., In its extreme form, communalism demands nationhood for the whole community and, seeks to form a sovereign state., , IASBABA, , 37

Page 38 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , Communal History of India, Instances of Communalism and associated violent acts in the India, •, , •, •, , •, , •, , •, , •, , •, , •, , •, •, •, , Communal violence is a phenomenon where people belonging to two different, religious communities mobilise and attacks each other with feelings of hatred and, enmity., The partition of India witnessed mass bloodshed and violence that continued up to, 1949., No major communal disturbances took place until 1961 when the Jabalpur riots shook, the country due to economic competition between a Hindu and a Muslim bidi, manufacturer., In 1960s – A series of riots broke out particularly in the eastern part of India - Rourkela,, Jamshedpur and Ranchi - in 1964, 1965 and 1967, in places where Hindu refugees from, the then East Pakistan were being settled., In September, 1969, riots in Ahmedabad shook the conscience of the nation. The, apparent cause was the Jan Sangh passing a resolution on Indianisation of Muslims to, show its intense opposition to Indira Gandhi's leftward thrust., In April, 1974, violence occurred in the chawl or tenement, in the Warli, neighbourhood of Mumbai after the police attempted to disperse a rally of the Dalit, Panthers that had turned violent, angered by clashes with the Shiv Sena., In February, 1983, the violence took place in Nellie as fallout of the decision to hold, the controversial state elections in 1983 in the midst of the Assam Agitation, after, Indira Gandhi’s decision to give 4 million immigrants from Bangladesh the right to, vote. It has been described as one of the worst pogroms since World War II., In October, 1984, the anti-Sikh riots broke out after the assassination of Indira Gandhi,, where more than 4000 Sikhs were killed in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and other parts of, India., Meanwhile, the Bombay-Bhiwandi riots were instigated by the Shiv Sena when it, jumped on the Hindutva bandwagon to revive the political fortunes of the Shiv Sena, which had lost its appeal., The Shah Bano controversy in 1985 and the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi, controversy became powerful tools for intensifying communalism in the Eighties., The communal violence touched its apogee in December 1992 when the Babri Masjid, was demolished by right wing parties., This was followed by the worst riots of post-independence India - in Mumbai, Surat,, Ahmadabad, Kanpur, Delhi and other places., , IASBABA, , 38

Page 39 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , •, •, •, •, •, •, , PART 2, , In 2002, Gujarat witnessed communal riots when violence was triggered by burning of, a train in Godhra., In May, 2006 riots occurred in Vadodara due to the municipal council's decision to, remove the dargah (shrine) of Syed Chishti Rashiduddin, a medieval Sufi saint., In September, 2013, Uttar Pradesh witnessed the worst violence in recent history with, clashes between the Hindu and Muslim communities in Muzaffarnagar district., Since 2015, mob lynching is quite prevalent in India as near 90 people have been killed., It can be termed as manufactured communal violence as through the use of social, media and rumours society is polarized along religious lines., The most recent violence in Delhi is also a testimony of communalism prevalent in the, society., , Measures required to Deal with Communalism, •, •, , •, , •, , •, •, , •, , There is need to have reform in present criminal justice system, speedy trials and, adequate compensation to the victims, may act as deterrence., Increase in representation of minority community and weaker sections in all wings of lawenforcement, training of forces in human rights, especially in the use of firearms in, accordance with UN code of conduct., Codified guidelines for the administration, specialized training for the police force to, handle communal riots and setting up special investigating and prosecuting agencies can, help in damping major communal disgruntlement., Emphasis on value-oriented education with focus on the values of peace, non-violence,, compassion, secularism and humanism as well as developing scientific temper (enshrined, as a fundamental duty) and rationalism as core values in children both in schools and, colleges/universities, can prove vital in preventing communal feelings., Government can adopt models followed by countries like Malaysia that has developed, early-warning indicators to prevent racial clashes., The Malaysian Ethnic Relations Monitoring System (known by its acronym Mesra) that, makes use of a quality of life index (included criteria such as housing, health, income and, education) and a perception index to gauge people’s needs and feelings about race, relations in their area., Also, the Hong Kong model of combating communalism by setting up a “Race Relation, Unit (RRU)” to promote racial harmony and facilitate integration of ethnic minorities, can, be emulated by India., , IASBABA, , 39

Page 40 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , •, , •, , •, , •, •, , •, , PART 2, , RRU has established a hotline for complaints and inquiries on racial discrimination., Meanwhile, to create awareness about communal harmony, RRU talks to schools on, culture of ethnic minorities and concept of racial discrimination., Government can encourage and support civil society and NGOs to run projects that help, create communal awareness, build stronger community relation and cultivating values of, communal harmony in next generation., There is a need for a greater number of minority welfare schemes to be launched and, implemented efficiently by administration to address the challenges and various forms of, discrimination faced by them in jobs, housing and daily life., A pro-active approach by National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH), the body, responsible for promoting communal harmony is needed., NFCH provides assistance for the physical and psychological rehabilitation of the child, victims of communal, caste, ethnic or terrorist violence, besides promoting communal, harmony, fraternity and national integration., A legislation is required to curb the communal violence. Communal Violence (Prevention,, Control and Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill, 2005 must be enacted soon., , The long-term Remedies:, •, , •, , •, , •, , Firstly, in initiating the process of de-communalizing the people at all levels, say, by, bringing home to them that communal assumptions are false, by explaining to them the, socio-economic and political roots of communalism, and by telling them that what the, communalists project as the problems are not the real problems and what they suggest, as reme-dies are not the real remedies., Secondly, communalization of the state and of the political elite in power has to be, checked because it leads to inaction against communal violence and covert or overt, political and ideological support to communalism by the state apparatuses, including the, media under state control., Thirdly, the communalization of civil soci-ety also needs to be checked because it leads to, more communal riots and other forms of communal violence. People with communal, ideas and ideologies pressurize the government to act in a manner which is always against, the principle of secularism. The secular state, the secular party in power and the secular, power elite many a time succumb to the pressures of these communal people. It is here, that intellectuals, political parties and voluntary organizations can be most effective., Fourthly, the role of education, particularly emphasizing on value-oriented education, both in schools and colleges/universities, is important in preventing communal feelings., Education based on traditional cultural ideologies can protect the young people from, philosophies and ideologies of hate. Particularly harmful in the Indian context has been, IASBABA, , 40

Page 41 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , •, •, , PART 2, , the role of the teaching of history. Communal interpretation of history, specially of the, medieval period, forms the bedrock of communal ideology in India. Teaching of history, along scientific lines in educational institutions has to be a basic element in any ideological, struggle against communalism., Fifthly, the media can also prove to be significant in preventing communal feelings., Communal press can be banned and legal action can be taken against communal writers., Sixthly, the ideology that economic development, industrializa-tion, growth of capitalism, and the growth of the working class would automatically weaken and ultimately eliminate, communalism should not be overplayed. This economic reductionist approach of the left, parties and organizations like naxalites only increases communal poison. It is not being, suggested that modern economic development is not needed in our society., , Steps needed to increase the efficiency of Police:, •, , •, •, •, •, •, •, , •, , The police should be held fully responsible for the control of communal riots. If a, concerned officer fails to check violence within 24 hours, he or she should be transferred, or suspended., Police should be given specialized training to handle communal riots. In some of the, recent riots, more people were killed in police firing than in rioting., Non-lethal rubber bullets and water cannons should be made available to the police., In order to spare innocent lives, policemen with guns must be trained as marksmen., Preventive arrests should be made mandatory., The intelligence machinery must be toned up, and competent and secular officers should, be trained in intelligence gathering., Absence of codified guidelines paralyses the administration., There should be refresher training for the entire police force. Honest and impartial police, officers must be encouraged to speak and share their experiences and to create peer, pressure on the communal officers to act impartially., The police force should also have representation from minority community and Dalits., Riot prevention calls for the screening of recruits for their secular credentials., , Communalism: International Context, •, , International communities of various countries are constantly engaging in tussle amongst, one another because of growing communal ideologies and thoughts. The tension prevails, in various regions of the world especially in Middle East, which is very much a cause of, concern for India. Indian citizens who are working there have been constantly brought in, to the fold of violence., , IASBABA, , 41

Page 42 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , •, , •, , •, , PART 2, , The rise of ISIS as a strong terrorist organization in recent years is based on communal, feeling and hatred towards other religion. International forces belonging to various, countries are fighting against ISIS, but ‘the battles are won not the war’. The notorious, organization has so much potential, as one cannot forget its attack on the UK’s, parliament., Other such community-based organization is ‘Boko Haram’. It happens to be originated, in northern Nigeria, whose main aim is to convert the Nigeria into an Islamic nation. They, always indulge in violence, and their most notorious crime activity is they kidnap girls of, other communities and try and force them to convert to Islam. Many countries use, communal feelings against other countries to defeat them., The country which uses terrorism against other countries is generally called ‘Statesponsored terrorism’. The proxy war is a type of strategy used by some countries (e.g.,, Pakistan). In the name of religion, Pakistan is sponsoring terrorism against India, which, creates huge security breach and internal security problems., , Communal violence, now a days, has become very common in the world as well as in India. The, communal violence is polluting the young minds of the present generation, which is evident from, increasing ISIS and other terrorist organization’s strength. They are known by various alternative, names; as in China, the communal violence in Xinjiang province is called ethnic violence., Communal violence and riots have also been called non-State conflict, violent civil or minorities, unrest, mass racial violence, social or inter-communal violence and ethno-religious violence., Violence between Buddhists and the Muslim Rohingya, inhabit Rakhine state (formerly Arakan, province), which stretches along most of Myanmar’s coast up to the Bay of Bengal and borders, the Chittagong province of Bangladesh, erupted in 2013. Such violence in neighbouring countries, like Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Pakistan causes violence in retaliation in India also., It also catalyzes the problem of refugees, as in case of Pakistani Hindus & Myanmar’s Rohingyas, etc. Sri Lanka is also facing international critics related to ethnic clashes and action of government, against minority Tamilians, which has direct bearing on India and Sri Lanka relations and India’s, internal security aspect as well. Communalism has played a major role in affecting the secular, character of India. It has been one of the major problems persistent in India since independence., It has always affected the unity of India and disturbed the prevailing peace and order in the, country. Communalism has always been a major threat to the secular fabric of India. Time and, again, the people have suffered due to this extreme practice of religious fundamentalism., Rationalism seems a possible answer for it. The attitudinal change, a changed outlook and, tolerance towards other community are the need of the day in order to stop all the communal, tension and its associated violence. It is the duty of the educated citizens to propagate the, adverse effects of communalism on the development of the country. We should take every, IASBABA, , 42

Page 43 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , possible step to avoid communalism from entering political, social and economic spheres of the, nation. They are to be opposed not to be appeased. In India, religion and caste should not be, mixed with politics to maintain common brotherhood. The unity and integrity of the nation, should be attained and the ideology of ‘sarva dharma samabhav’ should be encouraged amongst, all., Repeated and instigating media coverage that may induce communal prejudice and hatred, should be censored. Also, the division of the society on the basis of majority and minority religion, should be done away with. The policy of acquiring votes through such means has proven to be, detrimental for India. Above all, an overall and equitable development of society will, in the long, run, provide for the much-needed unity where people of all religious faiths will be united on the, common belief and sentiment that we are all one and belong to the common motherland., Practice Questions, 1. Communalism has spread its wings in India intensively, which cost too much for Indian, unity and stability. Elaborate., 2. Communalism affects both the sections of the People, the perpetrators of, communalism and the passive people. Critically Examine, 3. Trace the origin of communalism in India and explain communalism in the present, context., 4. Communalism gains new ground in rural India as Incidence of violence grows in rural, areas and turn into a battleground for communal politics. In the light of the statement, discuss with recent examples the emergence of communalism in rural India, 5. Bring out the relationship between Reservation policy and communalism with recent, relevant examples from Indian society., Previous Year Questions, 1. Debate the issue of whether and how contemporary movements for assertion of Dalit, identity work towards annihilation of caste. (2015), 2. ‘Communalism arises either due to power struggle or relative deprivation.’ Argue by, giving suitable illustrations. 2018, , IASBABA, , 43

Page 45 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , Secularism does not mean irreligion or atheism or even stress on material comforts. It, proclaims that it lays stress on the universality of spiritual values which may be attained by a, variety of ways., —Dr. Radhakrishnan, , India has a democratic setup in which people elect the government through adult franchise. Due, to its pluralistic culture, every citizen has been given the right and freedom of religious belief, without any kind of interference by the government. The Indian polity is, therefore, known as, secular., The Constitution of India declares India to be a secular nation, the meaning of which through, historical evolution, parliamentary debates and judicial pronouncements has come to mean that, that The India State will protect all the religions equally and will take steps to protect and, promote the various faiths that have made India their home., Unlike the Western definition of Secularism which is a negative restriction on the State, in the, sense that the Church/religion is completely separated from the activities, i.e., complete, separation of the Sacred sphere and the political sphere, Indian constitution puts a positive, obligation on the state to protect and promote all the religions of the country, irrespective of the, place of origins., The term “secularism” delineates the nexus between the state and religions. It also enlightens us, on the role of religious institutions in the governance of state. Secularism can broadly be, categorised into three groups., •, , •, , •, , The first one is restricting the role of religion in politics, that is, religious institutions, should not play any role in the functioning of the state administration. It regards religion, as purely a private affair of state. Meanwhile, the state remains impartial in the religious, matters and considers people of all the religions equally. This is viewed as scientific, secularism that evolved after French Revolution, questioned the domination of church in, state affairs and was widely adopted in the Western countries, such as the United States,, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Italy., The second aspect is abrogation or abolition of religion in the state. The communist, ideology asserts materialism an alternative name for secularism. Karl Marx, the Father of, Communism, once called religion the opium of the masses. Communist countries like, China and North Korea are immersed with this kind of extreme secularism., To move on to the third one, ensuring the equal social participation and recognition to all, religion, especially minority religions, is another important principle of secularism. The, state should be unbiased in promoting religions. It should safeguard the religious, IASBABA, , 45

Page 46 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , institutions. India, as a patron of many religions, follows this kind of positive secularism, to ensure the judicious attitude in dealing with religions., Relevant constitutional provisions pertaining to Secularism, With the 42nd Amendment of the Constitution of India enacted in 1976, the Preamble to the, Constitution asserted that India is a secular nation. It separated the power of religion and the, power of the state., Fundamental rights, • Article 14: Equality before law., • Article 15: Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place, of birth., • Article 16: Equality of opportunity in matters of public employment., • Article 19: Protection of certain rights regarding freedom of speech etc., • Article 21: Protection of life and personal property., • Article 25: Freedom of consigns and free profession, practise, and propagation of, religion., • Article 26: Freedom to manage religious affairs., • Article 27: freedom as to payment of taxes for promotion of any particular religion., • Article 28: freedom as to attendance at religious instruction or religious worship in, certain educational institutions., • Article 29: Protection of interest of minorities., • Article 30: Right of minorities to establish and administer educational institution., Directive Principles of State Policy, • Article 44: Uniform civil code for the citizens., • Article 48: Organization of agriculture and animal husbandry., Article 51 A: Fundamental duties, • Clause (e): To promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all, people of India transcending religious linguistic and regional or sectional diversities, and to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women., • Clause (f): To value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture, , IASBABA, , 46

Page 47 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , Philosophy of Indian Secularism, •, •, •, , •, •, , •, , The term ‘secularism’ is akin to the Vedic concept of ‘Dharma nirapekshata’ i.e. the, indifference of state to religion., This model of secularism is adopted by western societies where the government is totally, separate from religion (i.e. separation of church and state)., Indian philosophy of secularism is related to “Sarva Dharma Sambhava” (literally it means, that destination of the paths followed by all religions is the same, though the paths, themselves may be different) which means equal respect to all religions., This concept, embraced and promoted by personalities like Vivekananda and Mahatma, Gandhi is called ‘Positive secularism’ that reflects the dominant ethos of Indian culture., India does not have an official state religion. However, different personal laws - on, matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, alimony varies with an individual's, religion., Indian secularism is not an end in itself but a means to address religious plurality and, sought to achieve peaceful coexistence of different religions., , Over the years, India has developed its own unique concept of secularism that is fundamentally, different from the parallel western concept of secularism in the following ways:, Indian Model of Secularism, •, , •, , •, , •, •, , In India, neither in law nor in practice any, 'wall of separation' between religion and, the State exists., In India, both state and religion can, and, often do, interact and intervene in each, other's affairs within the legally, prescribed, and, judicially, settled, parameters., In Indian secularism does not require a, total banishment of religion from the, State affairs., Indian model has chosen a positive mode, of engagement., In India, the state provides all religious, minorities the right to establish and, maintain, their, own, educational, , Western Model of Secularism, •, , •, , •, , •, , As per the western model of secularism,, the “State” and the “religion” have their, own separate spheres and neither the, state nor the religion shall intervene in, each other’s affairs., Thus, the western concept of secularism, requires complete separation of religion, and state., As per the western model, the state, cannot give any financial support to, educational institutions run by religious, communities., In the western model, State does not, intervene in the affairs of religion till the, time religion is working within the limits, of the law., , IASBABA, , 47

Page 48 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , •, •, , •, , institutions which may receive assistance •, from state., In Indian secularism, state shall interfere, in religion so as to remove evils in it., •, India has intervened by enforcing, legislation against the practices of sati or, widow-burning, dowry, animal and bird, sacrifice, child marriage, and preventing, Dalits from entering temples., In India, state has the policy of setting up, Departments of Religious Endowments,, Wakf Boards, etc. It is also involved in, appointing Trustees of these boards., , PART 2, , In western concept of secularism, religion, is relegated entirely to the private sphere, and has no place in public life whatsoever., The western model prohibits any public, policy to be drafted on the basis of, religion therefore; state is absolutely, distanced from the religious activities and, practices of its citizens., , DETAILED ACCOUNT: THE WESTERN MODEL OF SECULARISM:, All secular states have one thing in common: they are neither theocratic nor do they establish a, religion. However, in most commonly prevalent conceptions, inspired mainly by the American, model, separation of religion and state is understood as mutual exclusion: the state will not, intervene in the affairs of religion and, in the same manner, religion will not interfere in the affairs, of the state. Each has a separate sphere of its own with independent jurisdiction. No policy of, the state can have an exclusively religious rationale. No religious classification can be the basis of, any public policy. If this happened there is illegitimate intrusion of religion in the state. Similarly,, the state cannot aid any religious institution. It cannot give financial support to educational, institutions run by religious communities. Nor can it hinder the activities of religious, communities, as long as they are within the broad limits set by the law of the land. For example,, if a religious institution forbids a woman from becoming a priest, then the state can do little, about it. If a religious community excommunicates its dissenters, the state can only be a silent, witness. If a particular religion forbids the entry of some of its members in the sanctum of its, temple, then the state has no option but to let the matter rest exactly where it is. On this view,, religion is a private matter, not a matter of state policy or law., This common conception interprets freedom and equality in an individualist manner. Liberty is, the liberty of individuals. Equality is equality between individuals. There is no scope for the idea, that a community has the liberty to follow practices of its own choosing. There is little scope for, community-based rights or minority rights. The history of western societies tells us why this is so., Except for the presence of the Jews, most western societies were marked by a great deal of, IASBABA, , 48

Page 49 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , religious homogeneity. Given this fact, they naturally focused on intra-religious domination., While strict separation of the state from the church is emphasized to realize among other things,, individual freedom, issues of inter-religious (and therefore of minority rights) equality are often, neglected. Finally, this form of mainstream secularism has no place for the idea of state, supported religious reform. This feature follows directly from its understanding that the, separation of state from church/ religion entails a relationship of mutual exclusion., THE INDIAN MODEL OF SECULARISM:, Sometimes it is said that Indian secularism is an imitation of wester n secularism. But a careful, reading of our Constitution shows that this is not the case. Indian secularism is fundamentally, different from Western secularism., Indian secularism does not focus only on church-state separation and the idea of inter-religious, equality is crucial to the Indian conception. Let us elaborate this further. What makes Indian, secularism distinctive? For a start it arose in the context of deep religious diversity that predated, the advent of Western modern ideas and nationalism. There was already a culture of interreligious ‘tolerance’ in India. However, we must not forget that tolerance is compatible with, religious domination. It may allow some space to everyone but such freedom is usually limited., Besides, tolerance allows you to put up with people whom you find deeply repugnant. This is a, great virtue if a society is recovering from a major civil war but not in times of peace where people, are struggling for equal dignity and respect., The advent of western modernity brought to the fore hitherto neglected and marginalised, notions of equality in Indian thought. It sharpened these ideas and helped us to focus on equality, within the community. It also ushered ideas of inter-community equality to replace the notion of, hierarchy. Thus, Indian secularism took on a distinct form as a result of an interaction between, what already existed in a society that had religious diversity and the ideas that came from the, west. It resulted in equal focus on intra-religious and interreligious domination. Indian secularism, equally opposed the oppression of dalits and women within Hinduism, the discrimination against, women within Indian Islam or Christianity, and the possible threats that a majority community, might pose to the rights of the minority religious communities. This is its first important, difference from mainstream western secularism. Connected to it is the second difference. Indian, secularism deals not only with religious freedom of individuals but also with religious freedom of, minority communities. Within it, an individual has the right to profess the religion of his or her, choice. Likewise, religious minorities also have a right to exist and to maintain their own culture, and educational institutions., , IASBABA, , 49

Page 50 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , A third difference is this. Since a secular state must be concerned equally with intra-religious, domination, Indian secularism has made room for and is compatible with the idea of statesupported religious reform. Thus, the Indian constitution bans untouchability. The Indian state, has enacted several laws abolishing child marriage and lifting the taboo on inter-caste marriage, sanctioned by Hinduism. The question however that arises is: can a state initiate or even support, religious reforms and yet be secular? Can a state claim to be secular and not maintain separation, of religion from state? The secular character of the Indian state is established by virtue of the fact, that it is neither theocratic nor has it established any one or multiple religions. Beyond that it has, adopted a very sophisticated policy in pursuit of religious equality. This allows it either to, disengage with religion in American style, or engage with it if required. The Indian state may, engage with religion negatively to oppose religious tyranny. This is reflected in such actions as, the ban on untouchability. It may also choose a positive mode of engagement. Thus, the Indian, Constitution grants all religious minorities the right to establish and maintain their own, educational institutions which may receive assistance from the state. All these complex strategies, can be adopted by the state to promote the values of peace, freedom and equality., Advantages of Being a Secular State, Secularism and democracy are the twin pillars of our state, the very foundation of our society., —Indira Gandhi, • Excelling democracy: Secularism has marked the six decades of successful journey of the, Indian democracy. It has led the democracy on the path of progress and thereby created, an inclusive and matured democracy. Now Indian secularism is a prototype to the multireligious countries across the world. India had many Presidents from minority, communities, including Dr. Zakir Hussain, APJ Kalam and Giani Zail Singh. Dr. Manmohan, Singh, who hails from Sikh community, was elected twice by the people of India to the, office of Prime Minister., • Peace and stability: Secularism inculcated extreme tolerance among the Indians and also, taught them to revere the belief and practices of other religions. This tendency of people, widely ensured religious harmony and peaceful co-existence of different religions. The, crux of India remains intact despite having attained the position of multi-religious, country. Conversely, Countries which advocate particular religions are faced with, frequent issues of terrorism, violence (say bombing), religious fundamentalism, intrareligious conflict (Shia-Sunni), huge civil causalities, etc. For example, Pakistan,, Afghanistan, and many Middle-East countries., • Minority protection: Secularism undoubtedly prevents the major religious group from, dominating minor religious groups. This principle of secularism deters communal riots as, , IASBABA, , 50

Page 51 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , •, , •, , PART 2, , they happened just before the Independence. It also resists the religious prosecution of, minorities. Hitler’s prosecution of Jews is the best example for religious prosecution., Economic growth: Adherence to secularism would accelerate India to transform itself into, world’s fastest economy. This would apparently remove the blemish created by the, famines that happened in 1940s. It has drastically improved the overall standard of living, of Indian masses by changing their outlook., Cultural enrichment: Pursuance of secularism during freedom struggle and postindependence journey made the communal strain on Indian society disappear, which was, created by medieval theocratic regimes and British’s decisive divide and rule policy., , Challenges and Threats to Secularism, In spite of the government’s adhering to religious equality by giving equal space for religious, minorities in socio-economic-politico and cultural sphere and being firm towards religious belief, and practices of citizens, following things continue denting India’s secular credentials:, •, , •, , •, , •, , Communal politics: Politicians play with the religious sentiments of masses. Usually,, people of one religion are aroused against other religion for political gains. It leads to, religious polarization of society by forming political parties, trade union and student, unions on religious lines. All these would result in hatred and create rivalry towards the, people of other religions. Eventually, these would push the people to involve themselves, in the activities anathema to secularism like Babri Masjid demolition, and Muzaffarnagar, riots in 2013., Inter-religious domination: Equality to all citizens, particularly for minorities, is the, primary principle of secularism. But the following incidents showcase that it is often, neglected: For about 2,700 Sikhs were massacred in Delhi and in many other parts of the, country in 1984. Several thousands of Hindu Kashmiri Pandits were evacuated from their, homes by the Muslims in Kashmir valley in the early 1990s. More than 1,000 people,, especially Muslims, were massacred during the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat in 2002., Intra-religious domination: Despite the explicit prohibition of untouchability in any form, under Article 17, upper-caste Hindus still continue to suppress and humiliate the so-called, lower caste, particularly Dalits. The ban on of cow beef showing political interests, Dadri, lynching, the attack on Dalit youth in Una town of Gujarat for skinning dead cow, not, allowing Dalit to enter temples and inter-cast marriages resulting into honor killing etc., are the worst instances that affect the secular model of our democracy., Forced conversion: Allegations are continuously being made against the Christian, Missionaries for exploiting the lower status accorded to the Dalits in the fourfold Varna, System in order to persuade them for conversion to Christianity for which they use the, IASBABA, , 51

Page 52 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , •, , •, , •, , •, , PART 2, , baits of good social status and a dignified life. As a reaction, right wing groups have started, Ghar Wapsi (Home coming) movement which aims to bring back the converted people, into Hindu fold. Same is the controversy related to Love Jihad., Discrimination: The overall participation of religious minorities in political sphere, continues to occupy a tiny space and they are not given their due shares. They were, discriminated in public services particularly in defence services. Their economic status is, unenviable and worse. Sachar Committee reported “while Muslims constitute 14% of the, Indian population, they comprise only 2.5% of the Indian bureaucracy”. The Committee, also highlighted that the conditions of Indian Muslims are below those of scheduled, castes and scheduled tribes. It is to assume they are socially and politically more, marginalised than the scheduled tribes and scheduled castes., Constitutional contradiction: Constitutional provision meant for secularism has, loopholes and is discriminative in nature. There are certain secular principles that are, mutually exclusive. For instance, Article 48 bans cow slaughter for respecting the religious, sentiment of Hindu but such actions are approved of as a part of Muslim tradition. And, also, law objects to religious wearing religious cues, but Sikhs are allowed to wear Kirpan, and to maintain religious identity., Growing fundamentalism: Religious fundamentalism refers to the blind and, unquestioning adherence to particular religious belief. It is manifest in orthodoxy,, conservatism and singularity as against democratic norms of modernism and plurality. It, may motivate the radicalization of youth and formation of anti-India terror group. The, awful increase in the participation of youth in terrorist activities and joining Islamic State, Group reflect it clearly., Practice of pseudo-secularism: Implementing the secularism in an indifferent manner or, pretending themselves as champion of secularism may explain the pseudo-secularism., For example, the lack of political will to implement Universal Civil Code., , Steps Taken to Promote Secularism, •, •, •, •, •, , Abolition of separate electorate and introduction of universal adult franchise (Article 326), immediately after the Independence., Establishing India as secular state with many constitutional securities., Creation of Ministry of Minority Affairs in 2006 as an offspring of Ministry of Social Justice, & Empowerment., National Integration Council (NIC) was formed in 1962 under the chairmanship of Prime, minister., Prime Minister’s 15-point programme for minorities., , IASBABA, , 52

Page 53 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , •, , •, , •, , •, •, •, •, , PART 2, , Sachar Committee was designated to find out the socioeconomic conditions of Muslims, (2005–2006), and Ranganath Misra Commission was set to ascertain the status of, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (2004–2007)., National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation (NMDFC) was formed in 1994 to, promote economic activities among the backward sections of notified minorities by, providing them financial aid with discounts for self-employment activities., The government launched Multi-Sectoral Development Programme, which aims to, enhance the socioeconomic conditions of minorities, provide basic amenities for, improving their quality of life and reduce imbalances in the identified minority, concentration., Beginning of welfare schemes like Nai Udhan, Nai Roshni (leadership development of, minority women), Seekho aur Kamao (Learn & Earn)., Skill development cum employment programmes like Udaan and Himayat to, accommodate J&K youth into mainstream development of India were started., Regularization and computerization of Wakf Board., Introduction of value and moral education along with regular curriculum., , The history of civilizations and the painful experiences felt because of the communal problems, have made us realize that the secularism is indispensable to overcome the religious anomalies., Secularism is crucial to restrain the authority of the majority religion and restrict the use of, political clout on religious base. It is also to safeguard the freedom of individuals (i.e., to exit from, their religion, embrace another religion or have the freedom to interpret religious teachings)., The kind of politics and governance run by the religious minorities across the world (Middle- East), and in the neighbouring states of Pakistan and Bangladesh (pathetic status of Shia Muslims) and, Myanmar (Rohingyas) affirms the necessity of secularism which keeps religion away from politics., Secularism is requisite for discouraging the minorities from claiming for a separate space ruled, by their religious leader. The history of Indian civilization stands a testimony to the unity among, the people of various religions in India. It occurred elsewhere in the Ottoman Empire., Need of the hour is to ensure intra-religious and inter-religious equality and freedom (Sarva, Dharma Sama Bhava) and accept the universality and plurality in religions (Ekam sat, viprabahudhavadanti–Rig Veda). Furthermore, it is mandatory to ensure adequate space for, historically suppressed communities and minorities to enable them to effectively participate in, the economic development. The intervention of the state in religious matter is necessary to, reform the religion that should suit futuristic change among the people’s mindset and worldview,, but this kind of reform must be in tandem with the ideals enshrined in the constitution. If we, , IASBABA, , 53

Page 54 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , succeeded as an absolute harmonious state, India will acquire a lot more phrases of adulations, like “Unity in Diversity” and “melting pot” of multi-culturalism, “world in miniature,” etc., Practice Questions, 1. Indian model of secularism is different from the Western model of secularism in both, structure and sprit. Elucidate., 2. India is secular in theory but not in practice. Elucidate., 3. Suggest some measures to improve the secular credentials in India., 4. “Indians are historically accustomed to secular ideals and principles”. Do you agree, with the statement, Discuss the relevance of this statement in the 21st century India, 5. “Unity in diversity” is the outcome of secular nature of Indian society. Comment, Previous Year Questions, 1. How do the Indian debates on secularism differ from the debates in the West? (200, words) 2014, 2. How is the Indian concept of secularism different from the western model of, secularism? Discuss. 2018, 3. The spirit of tolerance and love is not only an interesting feature of Indian society from, very early times, but it is also playing an important part in the present. Elaborate. 2017, 4. Distinguish between religiousness/religiosity and communalism giving one example of, how the former has got transformed into the latter in independent India. 2017, , IASBABA, , 54

Page 55 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , SOCIAL EMPOWERMENT, Social empowerment is understood as the process of developing a sense of autonomy and selfconfidence, and acting individually and collectively to change social relationships and the, institutions and discourses that exclude poor people and keep them in poverty., The notion of empowerment entails numerous things including concepts of choice, liberty,, agency, capacity, contribution, self-sufficiency, and increased resources among others. This is to, be done by adopting the approach of ‘social justice’ to ensure equal rights, access to benefits and, resources and ‘empowerment’ to enable them to develop their potential and capacities as agents, of social change, through the process of planned development. Social empowerment is a means, to build a socially just society. The holistic empowerment of all sections of the society is a, necessary condition for the development of a country., Social empowerment is the process of accessing opportunities and resources in order to make, personal choices (e.g., choosing what to eat, what to wear, what neighborhood to live in, etc.), and have some control over our environment., Social empowerment = greater personal choices, Social Empowerment is the process of enhancing the capacity of socially disadvantaged, individuals or groups to make choices and to transform those choices into desired actions and, outcomes by overcoming the social restrictions, taboos and barriers., Socially disadvantages sections of the society include:, , IASBABA, , 55

Page 56 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , Women, , Scheduled castes, , Tribes, , Socially backward, class, , Minorities, , Children, , Youth, , Rural population, , Disabled, , People affected by, various social, crimes and, diseases, , Transgender, , Senior citizens, , Prerequisites to achieve social empowerment, •, , •, •, , •, •, , •, , Reduce Poverty: Social empowerment is one magic wand to reduce poverty. When, people are empowered, they tend to use the knowledge in right direction and somehow, reduce their poverty which is so important for national growth also., Unemployment: Social empowerment leads one to take the right job and hence reduce, the incidence of unemployment and under-employment., Overall Development of Society: The main advantage of empowerment is that there will, be an overall development of the society. The money that people earn does not only help, them and or their family, but it also helps develop the society., Economic Benefits: Social empowerment also leads to more economic benefits not to the, individuals but to the society as well. Next section deals with this briefly., Reduction in Domestic Violence: Social empowerment leads to decrease in social, violence engineered against the deprived section early. In one empowered socially, they, know the rights they enjoy and the duties they serve., Reduction in Corruption: Social empowerment is also advantageous in case of corruption, as people tend to understand the exploitive class and restrain from giving any bribe which, ultimately reduces the corruption., , IASBABA, , 56

Page 57 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , Economic empowerment is thought to allow greater control over their resources and life choices., The economic empowerment kindles people to think on long-term basic and beyond immediate, survival. It allows people to take wise decision in the matter of investment analyzing the risk, involved and maximize their income. It is evidently proven that economic empowerment leads, to social empowerment by allowing the vulnerable section of society to think on long-term basis, and participation on decision-making process that affects them and national as the whole. Hence,, it is important to increase the cash flows to vulnerable section of the society to make them, participate in main stream of the society. The cash flow can be increased by employment, generation programme, Universal Basic Income or by whichever mean suitable., Disadvantaged, sections of, society, Women, , Problems faced them, , •, •, •, •, •, , Scheduled, Castes, , •, •, , Constitutional and other legal protections, , Patriarchal society and Articles 14, 15, 16, 39(a), 39(d), 39A, 42, 243D,, 243T., gender discrimination, The Crimes under the Indian Penal Code (IPC):, Dowry, • Rape (Sec. 376 IPC), Workspace and domestic, • Kidnapping & Abduction for specified, violence, purposes (Sec. 363 - 373 IPC), Poverty, • Homicide for Dowry, Dowry Deaths or, Unemployment, their attempts (Sec. 302/304-B IPC), • Torture - both mental and physical, (Sec. 498-A IPC), • Molestation (Sec. 354 IPC), • Sexual Harassment (Sec. 509 IPC), • Importation of girls (up to 21 years of, age) (Sec. 366-B IPC), The Crimes under the Special & Local Laws:, • Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, • Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, • Indecent Representation of Women, (Prohibition) Act, 1986, • Commission of Sati (Prevention) Act,, 1987, •, Social Problem, Human rights violation, , •, , Social Safeguards: The State to provide, social safeguards to Scheduled Castes, IASBABA, , 57

Page 58 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , Scheduled, Tribes, , Socially, Backward, sections (OBC), , •, •, •, , Economic inabilities, Lack of education, Religious issues, , •, •, •, •, •, •, , Forest related issues, Poverty and exploitation, Lack of education, Poor economic status, Technological, backwardness, Problems of assimilation, , •, •, •, •, •, , Poverty, Unemployment, Health indicators, Unemployment, Asset ownership, , PART 2, , under the articles 17, 23, 24 and 25(2)(b), of the Indian Constitution., • Economic Safeguards: Articles 23, 24 and, 46 form part of the economic safeguards, for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled, Tribes., • Educational and Cultural Safeguards:, Articles 15(4) empowers the State to make, special provisions for the advancement of, any socially and educationally backward, classes of citizens and for SCs, • Political Safeguards: Article 243D and, 243T speaks about the reservation in rural, and urban local bodies. Article 330 and, 332 speaks about reservation of seats for, Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribes in, House of People and state Legislative, assembly, • Service Safeguards: Article 16(4), 16(4A), and 335 are those article speaks about the, service related safeguards., Article 342, 15, 16, 19, 46, 243D, 243T, 330,, 332, 334, 335, 338A., • Provision of reservation, • Tribes’ Advisory council, • Commissioner for the scheduled castes, and tribes, • Tribal research institute, • Scheduled areas administration, Article 14, 15(4), 16(4), 340, 38(1), • Scholarship Scheme, • Reservation, • Assistance to Voluntary Organizations for, Welfare of OBCs, • Scheme under National Backward Classes, Finance and Development Corporation, (NBCFDC), IASBABA, , 58

Page 59 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , •, , Minorities, , •, •, •, •, •, •, , Children, , •, •, •, •, •, •, •, , Youth, , •, •, •, •, , National Commission for socially and, educationally backward classes, providing Article 15, 16, 25, 29, 30., National Commission on Minorities, , Problems of, protection, Problem of communal, tensions and riots, lack of representation in, civil service and politics, Problem of separatism, Failure to stick on strictly, to secularism, Problem relating to the, introduction of a common, civil code, , Article 21(a), 21A, 23, 24, 41, 45, 46, 47., • Integrated Child Development Services, • Janani Suraksha Yojana, • Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, • Midday Meal Scheme, • National Tuberculosis Control Program, • The Mother and Child Tracking System, • Operation Smile-II and Operation Muskan, • National Child Labour Project Scheme, Lack of quality education, Articles, 21A, 23(1), 24, 39 (a), 39 (f), 46, etc., Jobs., • Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Kaushal, Yojana, Corruption, • Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National, Poor infrastructure, Urban Livelihoods Mission, Red tapism, • Director General of Training-Modular, Employable Skills, • National Rural Livelihood Mission –, Ajeevika skills, • Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, • Sabla or Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for, Empowerment of Adolescent Girls, Mortality rate, Gender discrimination, Child trafficking, Child bonded labour, Poverty, Malnutrition and diseases, Poor, health, and, Sanitation, , IASBABA, , 59

Page 60 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , Transgenders, , Senior Citizens, , Disabled, sections, , •, •, •, •, •, •, •, •, •, •, , •, •, •, •, •, , Social stigma, Lack of education, Lack of employment, opportunities, Economic disparity, Health issues, Failing Health, Economic Insecurity, Isolation, Neglect, Lack of Preparedness for, Old Age, , Isolation, Discrimination, Infrastructure, Apathy, Psychological Issues, , PART 2, , •, , •, •, , Supreme Court’s judgement stating that, Transgender community to be considered, as the ‘OBC’ with respect to employment, and education benefits., Bill on Transgender rights, Invalidation of the Section 377 of the IPC, , •, , Article 41 of Directive Principles of State, Policy has particular relevance to old-age, social security. According to this Article,, “the State shall, within the limits of its, economic capacity and development,, make effective provision for securing the, right to work, to education and to public, assistance in case of undeserved want”., • Section 20 of the Hindu Adoption and, Maintenance Act, 1956, speaks about the, maintenance of parents., • Even in Muslim person law, it is important, to take care of their parents. The Hanafi, law of succession also speaks about taking, care of parents by children., Article 14, 15, 16, 21, 41, 253., • The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act,, 2016, • Reservation is increased from 3 to 4, percent which will benefit the disabled, hugely., • The Mental Health Act, 1987, • The Rehabilitation Council of India Act,, 1992, • The Draft National Policy on Education, 2020, , IASBABA, , 60

Page 61 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , To take forward the development of our country, all the stakeholders—women, SCs, tribals, and, all stakeholders, need to participate. In this regard, the importance of social empowerment is far, reaching. The role of Ministry of Social Justice and empowerment along with the NGOs and, corporate in supplanting the formers efforts are crucial., “Social empowerment” enables the disadvantaged sections of the society to partake in the, decision making and enhances their competency in turn it will empower the society as a whole., In this endeavour, it has to be accompanied by economic and political empowerment., Practice Questions, 1. Explain the necessity of social empowerment in India. Discuss the various components, that constitute social empowerment., 2. Do you think social empowerment is the only solution to the existing problems like, communalism and regionalism in India? Express your opinion with suitable examples., 3. “Empowerment of women is not only morally righteous but also economically viable, for our nation”. With respect to the above statement, bring out various constitutional, and statutory provisions for women empowerment in India., 4. “The poverty percentage of India has reduced considerably due to empowerment of, various section of society”. With reference to the above statement, elucidate the, necessity of social empowerment in Indian Society., Previous Year Questions, 1. What are the two major legal initiatives by the State since Independence addressing, discrimination against Scheduled Tribes (STs)? 2017, 2. Why are the tribals in India referred to as ‘the Scheduled Tribes’? Indicate the major, provisions enshrined in the Constitution of India for their upliftment. 2016, , IASBABA, , 61

Page 62 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , THE TRANSGENDER PERSONS (PROTECTION OF RIGHTS) ACT, 2019, The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill was recently passed by the Parliament., Key Provisions of the Act, • Definition of a transgender person: The Act defines a transgender person as one, whose gender does not match the gender assigned at birth. It includes trans-men and, trans-women, persons with intersex variations, gender-queers, and persons with, socio-cultural identities, such as kinnar and hijra., • Prohibition against discrimination: The Act prohibits 8 types of discrimination against, a transgender person, including denial of service or unfair treatment in relation to:, education; employment; healthcare; access to public goods and facilities; right to, movement; right to reside, rent, or own property; opportunity to hold public or private, office; and access to a government or private establishment which has custody of a, transgender person., • Recognition of Identity: It provides for the right to self-perceived gender identity. A, certificate of identity as a transgender person can be issued by the District Magistrate., A revised certificate can also be obtained after Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS)., • Offences and penalties: It recognize the following offences against transgender, persons. Penalties for these offences vary between six months and two years, and a, fine, forced or bonded labour (excluding compulsory government service for public, purposes), denial of use of public places, removal from household, and village,, physical, sexual, verbal, emotional or economic abuse., • National Council for Transgender Persons will be setup with representatives from the, government, transgender community and experts in the field. It will advise the, government on formulating policies for the community, and monitor the, implementation, and address grievances, among others., • Welfare measures by the government: Government must take steps for their rescue, and rehabilitation, vocational training and self-employment, create schemes that are, transgender sensitive, and promote their participation in cultural activities., • Health care: The government must take steps to provide health facilities to, transgender persons including separate HIV surveillance centre and sex reassignment, surgeries. The government shall review medical curriculum to address health issues, of transgender persons and provide comprehensive medical insurance schemes for, them., , IASBABA, , 62

Page 63 : M2IxMjcxNzVhZTA4, , IASBABA ILP VAN 2022: INDIAN SOCIETY & ISSUES, , PART 2, , The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012, •, , •, •, •, , •, , •, •, •, , •, •, , •, , The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012 was formulated in order, to effectively address sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children through legal, provisions., India being a party to the ‘UN Convention on the Rights of the Child’ is also under legal, obligation to protect its children from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse., The act defines a child, (irrespective of gender) as a person under the age of 18 years, which, prevents the “inducement or coercion of a child to engage in any unlawful sexual activity”., It mandates the Central and State governments to take all measures to ensure publicity to the, provisions of the Act and obliges government officials to be trained in how to implement the, Act., It also seeks to establish Special Courts for speedy trial of such offences. The Act stipulates, that a case of Child Sexual Abuse must be disposed of within one year from the date the, offence is reported., It is gender neutral law, wherein the law takes cognizance of sexual crimes committed against, both girls and boys under the age of 18 years., The law protects children from both contact and non-contact sexual abuse., It addresses a wide range of sexual offences which include anything from complete and partial, penetration, non-penetrative sexual assault, stalking of a child, showing children, pornography, using the child for pornography and exhibitionism., It places the burden of proof on the accused and ensures punishment for all perpetrators, irrespective of age and gender., It does not recognize consensual sexual acts among children or between a child and an adult., Prosecutes any person (including a child) for engaging in a sexual act with a child irrespective, of whether the latter consented to it., It introduces child friendly measures and defines the role of the police as a child protector and, pronounces the importance of mandatory reporting of sexual offences., , Copyright © by IASbaba, All rights are reserved. No part of this document should be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,, without prior permission of IASbaba., , IASBABA, , 63