Page 214 - SST Class 08

Social Justice and
the Marginalised
q Marginalised communities
q Untouchability
Introduction
In our society, social inequality exist since times
immemorial which creates discrimination at many
levels even today. These social inequalities are the
biggest hindrance in the smooth functioning of a
democratic government and are also responsible
for economic inequality.
MARGINALISED COMMUNITIES
By a marginalised community is meant a
community or group of people that has been
deprived of social rights due to some social and
economic causes. Due to this, the people of these
communities have remained underdeveloped
socially and economically.
The marginalised communities are many, the
important of which are the Scheduled Castes , the
Scheduled Tribes , the Other Backward Classes
and the minorities. The minorities can be on the
basis of language or religion.
Info Bits
Info Bits
The Government of India Act 1935, first time
brought the term ‘Scheduled Castes’ into use.
Scheduled Castes
The castes which were formerly treated as
untouchables in the society are called Scheduled
Castes. These people were forced to live outside
the village, in the worst possible conditions and
were exploited by those who called themselves as
upper castes . These people had their own separate
culture. They were backward and uneducated. It
Contemporary Social Science-8
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q Social inequality
q Manual scavenging
is rather surprising that even now their condition
has not improved much. According to 2011
census, the Scheduled Castes constitute about
16.6% of the total population of India.
Scheduled Tribes
The tribal people who have traditionally lived in
tribal areas have been classified as Scheduled
Tribes. These people have remained aloof from
the other people because they live in isolated or
far off areas, such as forests and hills. Due to this
aloofness, they have remained isolated from the
national mainstream and have lagged behind in
social and economic development.
Other Backward Classes
The people other than the Scheduled Castes and
the Scheduled Tribes, who have remained
underdeveloped socially and economically due to
some causes have been classified as Other
Backward Classes.
Minorities
A minority is a group of people which is less
numerous due to the religion it observes or the
language it speaks. Since this minority is less
numerous in a particular region, it may be
discriminated against socially and economically,
though it is not always the case.
F ind Outind Out
Find out the names of some minority groups.
Unfortunately, in India, the people belonging to
certain religions and languages are considered a
minority, though it should not be so. For example,
the Sikhs can be regarded a minority in all other