Vulnerable sections of the population - The Concept

Vulnerable sections of the population are a part and parcel of our socio-economic and political formations in the form of caste, Class, gender and biological disability. They are also referred to disadvantages groups, weaker sections, and backward classes in different contexts.

Vulnerable sections constitute of those sections which face disability or discrimination in one form or the other hindering their inclusion in the society. Presence of these sections, represent a situation of inequity in the society. Democratic system is based on the promise of equal opportunity for all individuals regardless of colour, national origin, race, religion and sex,

In order to correct such inequities, especially in the areas of housing, education and employment, steps were taken to ensure that those groups that, historically, had been excluded or given limited access to societal rewards, were now given an opportunity to catch up. Thus, it referred to social policies encouraging favourable treatment of socially disadvantaged groups,

Backward castes still exhibit traces of centuries old discrimination and exclusion.

Women are discriminated against because of the negative meaning given to their gender.

Tribal sections still show the effect of cultural and geographical segregration.

Disabled or differentially challenged sections still feel isolated in terms of facilties they get in society.

Apart from this slum population, child labour, sex workers, aged , workers in the unorganised sector also can be studies under vulnerable sections.

Affirmative Action

Efforts have been on to assimilate these vulnerable sections of the population into the mainstream of socio-economic and political life, especially since the the beginning of twentieth century. India has been practicing affirmative action in its essence, longer and more aggressively than any other place in the world. Quotas have been applied widely in the educational and the employment arena since the 1950s for deprived members of the caste system, such as the untouchables.

The protective discrimination programme was devised under the Indian Constitution. However, this ideal of egalitarianism did not come about in a day or two; rather it was the culmination of a long process of change in the traditional pattern of a medieval caste ridden society. Two factors worked as catalysts in the process; the indigenous Reforms ( internal) and western influences(external)

The founding fathers of the Indian Constitution were aware of the prevailing miserable and appalling conditions of vulnerable groups who had remained far behind and segregated from the national and social mainstream and had continued to be socially oppressed and economically exploited for centuries due to various types of disabilities.

India, the biggest democratic system of the world, with a thousand million plus population and a mind-boggling variety, a system which boasts of more than 5000 years of history and continued civilization and a hoary past, has been experimenting with protective discrimination programmes on an unprecedented variety. Constitutional provisions , legislations,  Reservations policy in jobs, educational institutions, legislatures and in local self-governing institutions, better known as Panchayati Raj institutions for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward classes and now women has been a grand experiment by any standard. Apart from this there are numerous statutory and other bodies/institutions which aim at safeguarding the interests of vulnerable sections.