The vulnerable sections in India comprise women, scheduled castes (SC), scheduled tribes (ST), children, aged, disabled, poor migrants, farmers, people living with HIV/AIDS and sexual minorities. These are the sections of the population which need government support and help to live a dignified life.

Problems Faced By Vulnerable Sections

They face a plethora of problems like

1. Gender inequalities and discrimination.
2. Caste-based discrimination.
3. Weak purchasing power.
4. Exclusion from social spaces.
5. Health and educational inadequacies.
6. Uneven and/or inadequate entitlements.
7. Income and economic inequalities.

Policies, Plans, Schemes For Vulnerable Sections

Since independence Governments have come up with several policies like the 20 point program, National livelihood mission, and various five-year plans targeting upliftment of vulnerable sections. Also, it constituted various committees and commissions:

1. Tendulkar Committee on poverty.
2. Institute for physically handicapped.
3. Xaxa committee for tribal communities.
4. Sachar Committee for minorities.
5. Swaminathan Committee for agricultural reforms.
6. Ashoke Dalwai committee for doubling the farmer’s income.

Based on recommendations of these bodies, and to fulfil the objectives of respective policies, various schemes for the upliftment of vulnerable sections have been developed over the years.

Mechanisms In Place To Ensure Effective Implementation

1. Constitutional Provisions For The Sc/St/Obc And Minorities

1. Article 17: This abolishes untouchability and its practice in any form b.
2. Article 15(1): The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them.
3. Article 16 (4A): This allows the state to implement reservation in the matter of promotion for SCs and STs.
4. Article 19(5): It allows the state to impose a restriction on freedom of movement or of residence in the benefit of Scheduled Tribes.
5. Article 39: Ensures equal pay to women for equal work.
6. Articles 338/338A/339: Establishes a National Commission of SCs and STs. Art. 339 allows the central govt. to direct states to implement and execute plans for the betterment of SC/STs

2. Ministries And Parliamentary Committees

They not only formulate schemes and programmes but also supervise the implementation and take suo moto cognisance of the needs of the vulnerable sections and violation of their rights.

1. Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare 2.
2. Ministry of Minority Affairs 3.
3. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment 4.
4. Ministry of Tribal Affairs 5.
5. Ministry of Women and Child Development

3. Judiciary

1. The Supreme Court through its activism has ensured that minority rights are respected in the country. Examples: Vishaka guidelines to prevent sexual harassment at the workplace; Verdict on section 377 IPC, etc.
2. Judgments like Sabarimala, Triple Talaq and Navtej Singh Johar judgement, etc are also examples of how the judiciary works as a mechanism to implement rights of vulnerable sections.

4. National And State Commissions

1. Government has taken initiatives from time to time to establish/reconstitute NHRC, National Commission for Women (NCW), National Commission for minorities (NCM), etc for protecting human rights, women rights and minority rights respectively.
2. In addition, the government has put in place the systematic mechanism to ensure effective implementation of the schemes through institutions, trusts, implementing agencies of State Government organisations and Non-Governmental Organisations.

Since Independence, India has successfully passed and implemented various laws and schemes to uplift and empower vulnerable sections of society. India’s success is visible from the fact that about 273 million Indians moved out of multi-dimensional poverty between 2005-6 and 2015-16, according to a UN report. Similarly, recent initiatives in the form of three farmers’ bills and labour code bills along with One Nation One Ration are also the welfare measures being taken to resolve the issues of vulnerable sections of the Indian society.