Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: The reason behind the Urbanisation is not a liberating force for Dalits
Why in the News?
The Indian cities have failed with the aspirations and expectations of the Dalit liberation movement in urbanization.
View of Ambedkar and Jyotirao Phule on Urbanisation:
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Why Urbanisation is not a liberating force for Dalits?
- Extension of Caste in City: The logic of purity-pollution extends to the broader urban environment, where Dalits carry the stigma of their ghettoized identity into public spaces. This perpetuates the association of Dalit identity with impurity and reinforces caste-based discrimination.
- Meat as impure by the State: Governments impose Brahminical regulations on public spaces, reinforcing the perception of meat as impure. For example, it includes Regulations on meat shops and bans on meat-based street food in certain areas, often justified by citing religious sentiments.
- Secular and Religious Spaces: The state’s regulations to maintain purity in both secular and religious public spaces, even extending to what pedestrians can visually encounter.
- Poor Sanitation: A large-scale study also found that public services and access to Municipal Infrastructure such as clean drinking water are the worst in Dalit and Muslim ghettos
- Issue of Sacrifice Zone: Research in sacrifice zones regions marked for severe environmental pollution such as landfills shows that such areas are overwhelmingly inhabited by Dalits and Muslims.
- Statistics: A recent report by the ‘Housing and Land Rights Network’ on forced evictions in India also shows that Dalits and Muslims are the most impacted by slum demolition drives.
Suggestive Measures:
- Community Empowerment: Empower Dalit and Muslim communities through grassroots initiatives, community organizations, and advocacy groups.
- Awareness and Sensitization: Conduct awareness campaigns and sensitization programs aimed at challenging caste-based stereotypes and prejudices in urban society.
- Infrastructure Development: Prioritize investment in infrastructure development in Dalit and Muslim ghettos to improve access to basic amenities such as clean water, sanitation, healthcare, and education.
Conclusion: Urbanization hasn’t fulfilled Dalit liberation hopes. Ambedkar and Phule envisioned cities as liberating, but caste persists. Measures include community empowerment, awareness campaigns, and infrastructure development to combat discrimination and improve living conditions.
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