Sunday, January 19, 2003		Books

Caste in a mould
Kanwalpreet

Scheduled Caste Welfare: Myth or Reality
by Dr. R. B. Singh, APH Publishing Corporation, New Delhi. Pages 211. Rs 495

ARTICLE 46 of the Indian Constitution is a Directive Principle and it states that the state shall take steps to promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections, of the people belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and strive to protect them against social injustices and all forms of exploitation. In this study, Dr. R. B. Singh, a gold medallist from Panjab University, Chandigarh, and the founder president of the registered NGO Critique, which is devoted to the empowerment of weaker sections, writes about the various schemes announced by the government for the Dalits from time to time and discusses how far they have been actually implemented. He also tries to make the readers aware of the somewhat "messy reality" in which the Dalits usually find themselves.

Through Dr. R.B. Singh's study, the viewpoint of Thomas Sovell, a well-known Black American economist, is further strengthened. Thomas Sovell pointed out that neither the nation concerned nor the special target groups have ever benefited from policies such as those followed in India. The real beneficiaries, according to him, in every nation are a set of clever politicians and a small number of elite members of the target groups. This is why the innumerable policies announced by the government for the weaker sections fail to show the desired results. In fact, the discrepancy between what the Indian government set out to do and what has really been accomplished is simply a case of betrayal of trust.

Pinpointing Punjab, Singh paints a dismal picture. Besides the successive governments, he blames the social and political groups which are not there to ensure that the policies are enforced with efficiency and commitment. Though he talks of involving the downtrodden sections in the democratic process, he fails to spell out how this can be done. When the benefits do not reach the needy, how will they realise the importance of such schemes? The elite of these target groups would never want awareness to percolate down to the rest of the people. So, what is the solution? How do we bring about the radical change?

The readers at whom the book is aimed, are already aware of the wide gap that exists between the enunciation and implementation of these schemes. What R.B. Singh has succeeded in doing is providing empirical evidence of this gap. At a time when the welfare of Scheduled Castes is a keenly debated topic, this book is extremely relevant. The funds are misused with the connivance of officials who are supposed to implement them. The views of the officials have also been included, though these are not very detailed.

Unfortunately, Singh fails to offer any viable solution to uplift the weaker sections. The book also contains certain repetitions like the example of a woman who was the Sarpanch of her village while the real authority was her father-in-law's.

The present study has been undertaken to show what has actually happened at the level where the policies are expected to have a positive impact. The book is thought-provoking and essential for those who are working in this area, especially in Punjab. The work may offend those who are responsible for seeing that the policies are implemented. This work can be a starting point for a fresh discussion on how the concept of 'affirmative discrimination' can be applied effectively.