Book Description

Upliftment of the scheduled castes is not merely a matter of compassion or charity as is commonly assumed but a developmental necessity. Centuries of exploitation and neglect have forced the majority of these hapless people into sub-human existence. They occupy the bottom rung of the social lader. Devoid of education, information and the necessary motivation, information and the necessary motivation, they are not in a postion to take advantage of teh reservation policy and other programmes evolved to improve their situation. Are the need and relevance of development of these exterior castes duly appreciated? Have development programmes of rthe betterment of the dperessed classes been able to achieve their objective? Is there the necessary social, political and administrative will to evolve social, intervention strategies and implement them in letter and spirit? The present work addresses itself to these questions and strives to identify those factors which facilitate or hinder development and change in these weaker sections of society. It examines the socio-cultural background, economic situation, social interactional patterns, development programmes, the magnitude of participation in these development of participation in these development programmes and programme preference of the members of the scheduled castes.