Social Challenges: Marginalised Sections, Communalism, Regionalism and Secularism

What the official syllabus says

GPSC Main Examination, Paper IV: General Studies-I, (C) Indian Society.

• Social Challenges: Measures for uplifting marginalized sections. Communalism, regionalism, and secularism: Causes, consequences, and policy responses.

Topics in detail

Two halves: measures for marginalised sections, and three ideas (communalism, regionalism, secularism) whose causes, consequences and policy responses must be explained.

Marginalised sections and measures

• Scheduled Castes: Articles 15(4), 16(4), 17, 46, 338; the Protection of Civil Rights Act (1955) and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act (1989)
• Scheduled Tribes: Fifth and Sixth Schedules, Article 338A, PESA, the Forest Rights Act
• Other Backward Classes: the Mandal Commission, the Indra Sawhney case (1992), the constitutional status of the National Commission for Backward Classes
• Economically weaker sections: the 103rd Amendment (2019)
• Persons with disabilities: Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (2016)
• Transgender persons: NALSA judgment (2014), Transgender Persons Act (2019)
• Minorities: Articles 29 and 30; the National Commission for Minorities
• Other vulnerable groups: denotified and nomadic tribes, manual scavengers, bonded labour
• Policy tools: reservation, scholarships, hostels, credit, legal aid; their impact and limits

Communalism

• Meaning and forms
• Causes: colonial divide-and-rule, political mobilisation, economic competition, misinformation
• Consequences: riots, segregation, loss of trust
• Policy responses: law and order, fast-track justice, the National Integration Council, education, community peace committees

Regionalism

• Meaning; positive and negative regionalism
• Causes: language, uneven development, 'sons of the soil' politics
• Examples: demands for new states, inter-state river disputes
• Responses: linguistic reorganisation, special provisions (Article 371), finance commission transfers, balanced regional development

Secularism

• Indian secularism as equal respect for all religions; difference from the Western model
• Constitution: Preamble (word 'secular' added by the 42nd Amendment, 1976), Articles 25 to 30
• S. R. Bommai case (1994): secularism as part of the basic structure
• Debates: personal laws, a uniform civil code (Article 44), state support to religious institutions

Role of society and the state

• Civil society, NGOs and social movements for the marginalised
• Media and social media: spreading or countering hate
• Education for citizenship and constitutional values
• Inclusive development as a long-term answer to regional grievances
• Policing, intelligence and the justice system in preventing communal violence

Causes and responses

Overlaps

• Governance and social justice: General Studies-II.
• Ethics of fairness and compassion: General Studies-IV.