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Paper short abstract:

Dalits have been historically excluded section of the mainstream Indian society. There has not been much improvement in the social, economic and/or political status of Dalits over the years. However, there have been efforts on part of various government and non-government organisations to uplift and develop this downtrodden section of the Indian society. This paper focuses on Ambedkar Gram Vikas Yojana (AGVY) as a development initiative and identifies Dalit women as a vulnerable group amongst Dalits in the study area. The study explores whether there has been improvement in socio-economic and health status of Dalit women as a result of Ambedkar Gram Vikas Yojana (AGVY) scheme. The paper also tries to highlight the forms of social exclusion and challenges associated with development initiative to instill human dignity

Paper long abstract:

The state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) is one of the largest states and also has the highest number of scheduled caste population in the country. The government of UP with its social justice approach has come up with an exemplary development initiative for the upliftment of Dalits called Ambedkar Gram Vikas Yojana (AGVY) by providing them with better infrastructure. This paper focuses on AGVY as a development initiative and explores whether there has been improvement in socio-economic and health status of Dalit women as a result of AGVY. The paper also tries to highlight the forms of social exclusion and challenges associated with this development initiative to instill human dignity. The paper is based on a micro level study conducted in two selected Ambedkar villages (by using composite index) of Sonbhadra District, Uttar Pradesh during the year 2010. For the purpose of interview, a total of 90 Dalit Women were selected by purposive sampling. Data was collected by using in-depth interviews, case-studies, group-discussions and observations. The study shows that after the implementation of the AGVY in both the villages, there has been improvement in the living condition, communication, electricity, sanitation and education of some Dalits but not all. This refers to the intra caste discrimination as a form of social exclusion and this is one of the major challenges in instilling human dignity to all. The study concludes that the confluence of caste, class and gender act as hindrance to overall development of Dalit women.