Indore: “Social inclusion has become one of the core issues while discussing social problems in contemporary Indian society,” said Dr Lilavati Krishnan, a retired professor of humanities and social sciences, IIT Kanpur said.
She was addressing the participants and faculty members of IPM in Indian Institute of Management-Indore during a special talk on ‘Leaving No One Behind: The Need for Social Inclusion’
“The two concepts of inclusion and exclusion are inextricably related and include keeping out or leaving behind certain individuals groups or sections of society, or denial of certain rights or opportunities or resources or having a voice in decision making which are normally available to a members of a society and which are fundamental to society integration or might be closely associated with poverty and deprivation, diversity in society or minority and voiceless groups,” she said.
Discussing that women also have faced social exclusions and now attempts are been made to include them, there are other sections as well in the society who’re excluded and there are questions that need to be taken care of.
Sharing that social inclusion is the process of improving the terms of individuals and groups to take part in the society, she said that there are certain segments which are stigmatised or marginalised. The way they speak or look, or if someone in their previous generations has been criminalized, the entire family is treated differently even after reformation.
“There has been a shift in focus for exclusions from poverty to other things like Hindu caste system, someone being physically or mentally challenged, transgender or minorities—and these are socially deprived and disadvantaged, she said adding “However, a positive side of exclusion is that it may help those excluded form their own group and keep the earlier ‘excluders’ out,’ she said while citing some examples of social inclusion strategies - groups for orphaned abandoned or malnourished children and various voluntary groups which provide community services without any conditions imposed on recipients.
Dr Krishnan then concluded her talk suggesting that such exclusions need to be taken care of, and the effective ways for this include organising community events and transmitting the message through mass media especially films- which would help in developing this from micro to the macro levels.
