Equality in Post-Independence India: Progress and Challenges

Explore the complex landscape of equality in post-independence India through this insightful talk by Professor Steven I. Wilkinson. Delve into the fundamental right to equality enshrined in the 1950 Constitution and examine the ongoing challenges in achieving caste, religious, gender, and sexual equality. Analyze the impact of market liberalization on equality and investigate the historical context, including the fierce pre-independence debates on protecting disadvantaged groups. Gain a comprehensive understanding of the political inclusion of Backward Classes and Scheduled Castes, regional disparities in poverty, and the overrepresentation of Muslims in low-paid occupations. Examine market discrimination, pre-market inequalities, and the role of cultural capital in perpetuating disparities. Evaluate the effectiveness of public distribution schemes and consider the prospects for greater equality in India's future.

Intro
Commitment to equality central to Indian nationalist project
Fierce debate among Indians before independence on how to protect weaker groups and tackle discrimination
1950 Constitution reflected Nehru's vision
1951 established precedent that who benefits from reservations can be as much about political clout and upcoming elections as disadvantage
Large scale political inclusion of BCs and SCs and creation of SC middle class
Big differences in poverty by state and region
Muslims overrepresented in low paid and unpredictable occupations
By Caste: Likelihood of different kinds of employment (2014)
Still lots of Market Discrimination (Thorat, Attewell & Rizvi 2006; Madheswaran 2006)
'Pre-Market' Inequalities also fed by deep-rooted casteism and anti-poor bias (eg Weiner 1990; Rao 2013)
Excluded groups' lack of cultural capital' and connections (Jeffrey 2010; Jodhka and Newman 2007) We also ask a lot of questions related to family background. Questions like how many family members are there, how many are educated, etc. The basic assumption
Failures in the delivery of food to poor through Targeted Public Distribution Schemes 2003-04