EMPOWERMENT OF DALITS IN THE POST-INDEPENDENCE ERA

Dalits constitute about 25% of the population in India. The Directive Principles of State Policy emphasize the role of State in the delivery of social justice, distributive justice and natural justice to Dalits and other marginalized sections of society. The State is also responsible for allocating judicious funds under various plan periods for undertaking various welfare and development schemes for the empowerment of Dalits. Since national independence, the governments have been taking certain remedial steps for the upliftment of the socio-economic status of Dalits in India. The state has put in place laws, policies and programmes without which even the modest progress in the overall situation would not have been possible. However, these welfare measures are quite inadequate and have to be more effectively implemented to enable the Dalits to overcome the continued subordination, exclusion and exploitation in India. The empowerment of Dalits in India is amplified in this paper on the basis of qualitative research methodology.