The term "social exclusion" is of relatively recent origin. Rene' Lenoir writing about a quarter of century ago, is given credit of authorship of the expression. The term Social Exclusion was first widely used in developed countries since 1980s, where the deprived conditions of certain groups were explained in terms of exclusion by the society.

The concept of social exclusion is seen as covering a remarkably wide range of economic and social problems. Even in the practical context of identifying "the excluded" in France, Rene'Lenoir, as Secrataire d'Etat a I'Action Sociale of the French government spoke of the following as constituting the "excluded" – a tenth – of the French population.

mentally and physically handicapped, suicidal people, aged invalids, abused children, substance abusers, delinquents, single parents, multi-problem households, marginal,asocial persons, and other social 'misfits'. [Silver (1995)]

The literature that has followed Lenoir's original initiative has vastly added to this already bulging list of the "socially excluded". As Silver (1995) notes, the list of "a few things the literature says people may be excluded from" must include the following:

a livelihood; secure, permanent employment; earnings; property; credit; or land; housing; minimal or prevailing consumption levels; education, skills, and cultural capital; the welfare state; citizenship and legal equality; democratic participation; public goods; the nation or the dominant race; family and sociability; humanity, respect, fulfillment and understanding.[Silver (1995)]

What is Social exclusion?

Social exclusion describes a process by which certain groups are systematically disadvantaged because they are discriminated against on the basis of their ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, caste, descent, gender, age, disability, HIV status, migrant status or where they live. Discrimination occurs in public institutions, such as legal the legal system or education and health services, as well as social institutions like the household.

We find a much more useful perspective on social exclusion to be what Beall and Clert call 'transformationalist'. According to the perspective,

whereas concepts such as poverty, vulnerability, deprivation and inequality do not impute causality, a social exclusion framework implies not only that a person or persons are being excluded but that someone or something 'is doing the excluding' (de Haan, 1998) [De Haan, A. (1998) 'Social Exclusion: an Alternative Concept for the Study of Deprivation?' IDS Bulletin, 29 (1), p.10]. This point up another key dimension of the social exclusion perspective, as we understand it and that is that it is relational, deriving from social relations, invariably founded on differences in status or power. [Beall and Clert, 2000]

Social exclusion relates to the alienation or disenfranchisement of certain people within a society. It is often connected to a person's social class, educational status and living standards and how these might affect their access to various opportunities. It also applies to some degree to the disabled, to minority men and women of all races, and to the elderly. Anyone who deviates in any perceived way from the norm of a population can become subject to coarse or subtle forms of social exclusion.

"Social exclusion is about the inability of our society to keep all groups and individuals within reach of what we expect as a society... [Or] to realise their full potential." [Silver (1995)]

To be "excluded from society" can take various relative senses but social exclusion is usually defined as more than a simple economic phenomenon: it also has consequences on the social, symbolic field.

Social Exclusion could be in the form of excluding from education, land and property rights, participation in democracy, health and basic services, government welfare schemes, etc.

Like poverty, there is no commonly agreed – upon definition of social exclusion, though it's a widely acknowledged phenomenon. Governments, institutions, academics and international organizations all view social exclusion differently, yielding on a rich, but sometimes there is a confusing tapestry of perspectives. Yet amid the intellectual debates about the definition of exclusion, there is some degree of consensus about its main factors and aspects.

There is broad agreement that exclusion is multi dimensional, including deprivations of economic, social, gender, cultural and political rights, making exclusion a much broader concept than material poverty.

Beyond these broad principles, there is considerably less argument regarding the dimensions of exclusion. But there are three common elements – relativity, agency and dynamics – that are widely regarded as central.

• Relativity – Exclusion can only be judged by comparing the circumstances of some individuals, groups and communities relative to others at a given place and time.
• Agency – People are excluded by the act of some agent. This focus on agency can help in the identification of the cause of exclusion and ways to remedy it. 
• Dynamics – Exclusion may be based on bleak future prospects, not just current circumstances.

Poverty and Social Exclusion

There is a marginal difference between the concept of Poverty and Social Exclusion. Poverty is related with the lack of basic minimum needs and necessities and Social exclusion is a multi level process which defines the reasons for poverty. Marginalized communities, such as, Dalit, Adiwasi, Urban poor, are economically excluded from the mainstream society as they hardly have land and property rights and have to face the brunt of displacement in the name of developmental process. Due to their social exclusion from the society these marginalized communities are not been able to become the beneficiaries of economic gains and thus are left out in the developmental process. Therefore, poverty can be termed as an off – shoot of the process of Social Exclusion.

Poverty and Social Exclusion shall neither be considered as synonym nor antonym for each other. Poverty is a situation and Social Exclusion operates as a process for sustaining this system of poverty and its vicious circle

Social exclusion causes poverty
It causes poverty in two main ways.

Social exclusion causes the poverty of particular people, leading to higher rates of poverty among affected groups.

It hurts them materially – making them poor in terms of income, health or education by causing them to be denied access to resources, markets and public services. It can also hurt them emotionally, by shutting them out of the life of their community.

Socially excluded people are often denied the opportunities available to others to increase their income and escape from poverty by their own efforts. So, even though the economy may grow and general income levels may rise, excluded people are likely to be left behind, and make up an increasing proportion of those who remain in poverty. Poverty reduction policies often fail to reach them unless they are specifically designed to do so.

Social exclusion reduced the productive capacity – and rate of poverty reduction – of a society as a whole.

Exclusion doesn’t cause poverty through a simple sorting of those who are 'in' or 'out', those who can or cannot participate in society. Socially excluded groups often do participate but on unequal terms.

Levels of Social Exclusion

There are three basic levels of Social Exclusion:

• At family level – Available resources in the family, discrimination and its causes. 
• At policy and state level – Employment, social security, nutritional programme, policies and their implementation. 
• At societal level – We are perceiving society in the light of various castes. On basis of this aspect we would like to analyze how the caste based discrimination is casting its impact on human rights.

Victims of Social Exclusion

Major victims of Social Exclusion are marginalized communities and sections of the society, such as, Dalit, Adiwasi, Minorities, children and women. Also, street children and people living on streets, people living with HIV/AIDS, migrant labors, etc, also are facing the brunt of Social Exclusion. Social exclusion processes are related to patriarchy, power equations and other socio – political dynamics. Also, this process of Social Exclusion is linked with human rights violations of a citizen of this nation.

Being excluded can sometimes be in itself a deprivation and this can be of intrinsic importance on its own. For example, not being able to relate to others and to take part in the life of the community can directly impoverish a person's life. It is a loss on it own, in addition to whatever further deprivation it may indirectly generate.

How do people become excluded?

In order to tackle social exclusion it is important to understand the processes by which people are excluded. People are excluded by institutions and behavior that reflect, enforce and reproduce prevailing social attitudes and values, particularly those of powerful groups in society.

Sometimes, this is open and deliberate, such as when state institutions deliberately discriminate in their laws, policies or programmes. Exclusion is frequently more subtle and unintentional, for example when disabled people are excluded from services, markets and political participation through a lack of awareness of their needs or by social attitude, or when minority groups are excluded by language barriers. In addition, the resulting sense of powerlessness can rob people of their self-confidence and aspirations and their ability to challenge exclusion.

Operational importance of the concept of Social Exclusion

The word exclusion suggests that there is a core and a periphery, and that 'excluded' people are those who are actively blocked access to the core. The importance of these perspectives is that poverty is not supposed to be a mere attribute of certain categories of people. Instead, it is seen as something that is actively done to people. It is not what they are, but what they have been made.

In other words the usual understanding that 'low income results in poverty of individuals who experience low standard of living' was expanded with the understanding that 'it is not only income but multi dimensional factors resulting from the structure of the society that result in deprivation of individuals who actively experience social exclusion'. The novelty infused by this understanding is that the deprivation can be studied through the lens of social exclusion, which will bring out economic, cultural, social and political factors that deprive people of rights, valued goods and services, and the opportunities to live with dignity and well-being.

A general analysis of the deprivation or poverty would begin with an enquiry of 'what an individual or a group has been deprived off?' or 'what is deprivation – including material factors like income and land and non material factors like education and freedom?' and then it may proceed with analyzing and listing the number of interlinking factors that lead to deprivation. Many times it would see deprivation in relative terms, where another factor is actively responsible for the deprivation of the subject.

However, the approach of social exclusion starts by looking at relational forms of deprivation, which is its major strength. As exclusion necessarily involves [a] two sides one, which is excluded and another which excludes and [b] a process of exclusion, the approach has to go through a real life situation, throwing live questions and challenges for policy makers to solve and tackle. In other words, the concept helps in pinning down the so far anonymous 'impoverisation' and 'marginalisation' processes and sheds light on 'how these exclusion processes actually occur due to social dynamics'.

While analyzing the question 'who excludes?' the concept of institutions is very useful. Different social actors, as individuals and groups at different level exercise their agencies and make the institution, which plays the major role in exclusion. These institutions can be public like government or ICDS centre or can be private like family. The practical significance of the concept lies in the understanding the processes through which these institutions exclude people and to find ways to address the exclusion either through reforming institutions or through empowering the excluded groups.

These institutions may deny resources, recognition, participation, decisions and access to public service hence excluding certain groups and individuals in a certain pattern.

The Social Exclusion process completely ignores the identity and importance of deprived social groups so that their situation and circumstances seems congruent to the existing structure and any clamoring for change could be regarded as 'anti-societal'. Here, it is also made sure that the political movement too supports the exclusion process in order to get legal approval at others levels.

Social systems from which people are excluded

Understanding Discrimination, Marginalization and Social Exclusion

Often there is confusion over what does the social exclusion process concludes and what its causes are and affects? This is so because the agents and behaviors manifesting social exclusion process find many commonalities in discrimination and marginalization process as well. Since all the three factors have many overlapping features and processes we have found it quite tedious to draw a line between them. Though the differentiating line is very slender but we found it imperative to mention for our conceptual clarity. These have been pursued through defining each one of them and deriving the commonalities and differences through the definitions and features.

Discrimination

Definition - In general, discrimination is the discernment of qualities and recognition of the differences between things. It can be done in the following form.

Age Discrimination -Age discrimination is discrimination against a person or group on the grounds of age. Although theoretically the word can refer to the discrimination against any age group, age discrimination usually comes in one of three forms: discrimination against youth, which is also called 'adultism'; discrimination against those 40 years old or older [De Haan, A. (1998) 'Social Exclusion: an Alternative Concept for the Study of Deprivation?' IDS Bulletin, 29 (1), p.10] and; discrimination against elderly people.

Gender Discrimination – This is discrimination against a person or group on the grounds of sex or gender identity. Socially, sexual differences have been used to justify societies in which one sex or the other has been restricted to significantly inferior and secondary roles.

Caste Discrimination -People are sometimes discriminated on the grounds of belonging to a particular caste or creed, which comes at the lowest rung in the caste hierarchy system in our society. Such people are often treated as 'untouchables' or are subjected to receive an inferior treatment and behavior by people from other caste.

Language Discrimination - People are sometimes subjected to different treatment because their preferred language is associated with a particular group, class or category. Commonly, the preferred language is just another attribute of separate ethnic groups.

Marginalization

Definition -To relegate or confine to a lower or outer limit or edge, as of social standing.

Young (2000) defines marginalization as exclusion from meaningful participation in society, partly because the labor market does not or cannot accommodate them, proving to be one of the most dangerous forms of oppression. Marginalization has the ability to cause severe material deprivation, as well in its most extreme form can exterminate groups. Minority groups such as individuals living with disabilities (physical or mental), women, racial minorities, Aboriginal communities, elderly individuals, single mothers, and homosexuals may all face certain forms of marginalization due to dominant discourse(s) within the structures of society (Mullaly, 2007).

Material deprivation is the most common result of marginalization when looking at how unfairly material resources (such as food and shelter) are dispersed in society. Along with material deprivation, marginalized individuals are also excluded from services, programs, and policies (Young, 2000).

Marginalization can be understood within three levels: individual, community, and global-structural / policies. Although examples are listed within these three specific levels, one must recognize the intersecting nature of marginalization and its capacity to overlap within each.

At individual level - Marginalization at the individual level results in an individual’s exclusion from meaningful participation in society. The example of individual marginalization is the 'exclusion of individuals with disabilities from the labor force'.
At Community level – An example of marginalization at the community level is the marginalization of women. Women were excluded from the labor force and this lead to their marginalisation from the topmost executive positions and decision making.

Marginalization of certain groups is a problem even in many economically more developed countries, including the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US), where the majority of the population enjoys considerable economic and social opportunities.

At Global/Structural level -Welfare states and social policies can also exclude individuals from basic necessities and support programs.

Social Exclusion

Definition - Social exclusion relates to the alienation or disenfranchisement of certain people within a society. It is often connected to a person's social class, educational status and living standards and how these might affect their access to various opportunities. It also applies to some degree to people with a disability, to minority men and women of all races, and to the elderly. Anyone who deviates in any perceived way from the norm of population can become subject to coarse or subtle forms of social exclusion.

Social exclusion refers to processes in which individuals and entire communities of people are systematically blocked from rights, opportunities, and resources (e.g., housing, employment, healthcare, civic engagement, democratic participation, and due process) that are normally available to other citizens and which are key to social integration.[ Dr. Lynn Todman, Director, The Institute on Social Exclusion at the Adler School of Profesional Psychology]

Common grounds between Discrimination, Marginalisation and Social Exclusion

• In all these three equal opportunities, access to rights and resources, ownership of resources, land and economy to certain individuals have been denied. 
• In most of the cases all the three phenomenons might overlap and coincide and it might seem difficult to differentiate. Moreover, these three factors can mutually act as cause and effect in given circumstances. The concept of exclusion includes the reinforcing socio – political factors that are the basis of discrimination and disadvantage within society, requiring a strong focus on the processes and agents behind the deprivation to guarantee inclusion and equality of opportunity. For instance, women are subjected to face gender discrimination. Due to this gender discrimination women are marginalized from the labor force, higher positions in society and decision making. The persistent patriarchal mind set systematically blocked women from gaining equal access to resources, rights and opportunities. They could not avail the benefits of development process and thus become excluded. Also, when children are discriminated against they can be denied access to essential care and services. This can lead to their social exclusion from school or unable to get essential medical treatment. Discrimination can also result in violence or exploitation. Many of the children exploited in the worst forms of child labour, for example, come from minority or excluded groups.
• Social exclusion intensifies marginalisation as when the needs of those who are deprived not taken care of, they fail to perceive the benefits of developmental process. These socially excluded groups are then pushed to the lower edges or limits thus making them marginalized. 
• All three of them are related with lack of ownership on resources, access to the resources or mastery over land and economy.

Differences

• While discrimination and marginalisation are quite overt in the practice and behavior social exclusion is invisible.
• While discrimination is an inbuilt perception and behavior in a person, Social exclusion operates largely as a process and a person doing exclusion is generally unconscious of it.
• Exclusion is frequently more subtle and unintentional, for example when disabled people are excluded from services, markets and political participation through a lack of awareness of their needs or by social attitude, or when minority groups are excluded by language barriers.
• While discrimination is related to the mental ability of recognizing difference between two things social exclusion may be done consciously or unconsciously. 
• Discrimination could be a behavior but social exclusion and marginalization operates as a process where systematic blockades are placed in the access of equal resources, opportunities and rights of certain individuals. 
• To be "excluded from society" can take various relative senses but social exclusion is usually defined as more than a simple economic phenomenon: it also has consequences on the social, symbolic field. Whereas the concept of marginalization has been largely derived from the economic phenomenon and 'exclusion from the labor force'. 
• Examples to differentiate – While the exclusion of Scheduled castes in the Indian society is an off-shoot of caste-based discrimination the deprivations and exclusion caused in the Scheduled Tribes is a product of marginalization based on ethnicity. But ultimately both these factors meet the similar end, ie., social exclusion of Scheduled Castes and Tribes.

Social Exclusion in Indian context

It is imperative to note that in the Indian context "exclusion" shall be perceived in a special purview. Dalit [untouchable castes], adivasis [tribal groups] and religious minorities represent socially marginalized groups in the Indian context. [The following estimates are taken from Thorat and Louis [2003]; Xaxa [2003]; Dubey [2004]; de Haan and Dubey [2004] and de Haan [2004]]. Socially excluded groups have been denied access to the resources, opportunities and rights. Despite the development taking place in their surroundings these groups cannot join it stream. To substantiate this the estimates from the 2000 National Sample Survey suggest that dalits constituted 20 percent of the rural population, but 38 per cent of the poor, while adivasis made up 11 per cent of the rural population but 48 per cent of the poor. In urban areas, figures were 14 per cent and 37 per cent respectively for dalits and 3 percent [The following estimates are taken from Thorat and Louis [2003]; Xaxa [2003]; Dubey [2004]; de Haan and Dubey [2004] and de Haan [2004]] and 35 per cent for adivasis. In addition, estimates using the same data set suggest that poverty was around 30 percent for minorities [mainly Muslim] but 16 per cent for non-deprived groups. There has been some decline in poverty among dalits between 1993-94 and 2000 lower than for the rest of the poor, but very little among adivasi group.

A number of studies suggest that the greater poverty of socially excluded groups cannot simply be explained by their lower levels of assets and education. Using national data, Dubey [2004] found that, holding a variety of individual and household characteristics constant [such as education, occupation, gender and age of household head], dalits were still 19 per cent more likely to be poor than the rest of the population, while adivasis were 10 per cent more likely to be poor, 'Other Backward castes' were 5 per cent and Muslims 3 per cent more likely to be poor.

Similarly, in the Indian context social exclusion of women and children has also emerged as a major phenomenon. Women and children are denied at large their basic rights to education, health and good living. Though the process of social exclusion takes its toll on almost every person coming under its realm but its impact falls more negatively [comparatively] on women and children as they are already marginalized in the Indian society.

Social Exclusion and Dalit

Caste also perpetuates inequality and exclusion. Caste in Indian society is a particular form of social inequality that involves a hierarchy of groups ranked in terms of ritual purity where members who belong to a particular group or stratum share some awareness of common interest and a common identity. The caste system is linked to the possession of natural resources, livelihood resources and in the Indian context also to land economy and land based power relations.

Traditionally, caste relations were based on the hierarchy of occupations where work related to leather, cleaning dead cattle from village grounds, work related to funeral ceremonies, etc. were placed at the bottom. People or castes that were performing the task of eliminating the polluted elements from society were considered untouchables’ vis-à-vis the Brahmins who were highest in the order based on the purity-impurity principle. Structurally the lower castes were dependent on the higher castes for their existence. The Scheduled Castes [lower castes] remained economically dependent, politically powerless and culturally subjugated to the upper caste. This impacted their overall lifestyle and access to food, education and health.

Two defining characteristics of social exclusion are particularly relevant, namely, the deprivation caused through exclusion [or denial of equal opportunity] in multiple spheres –showing its multidimensionality. Second feature is that, it is embedded in the societal relations, and societal institutions – the process through which individuals or groups are wholly or partially excluded from full participation in the society in which they live [Arjan Hann 1997].

A major proportion of the lower castes and Dalits are still dependent on others for their livelihood. Dalits doesn’t refer to a caste but suggests a group who are in a state of oppression, social disability ad who are helpless and poor. They were earlier referred as ‘untouchables’ mainly due to their low occupation i.e.., cobbler, scavenger and sweeper?

In a caste-dominated country like India, Dalits who comprises more than one-sixth [16.48%] of Indian population [160 million approx], stands as a community whose human rights have been severely violated. Literacy rate among Dalits are only about 24 per cent. They have meager purchasing power; have poor housing conditions; lack or have low access to resources and entitlements. In rural India they are landless poor agricultural laborers attached to rich land owners from generations or poor casual laborers doing all kind of available work. In the city they are the urban poor employed as wage laborer at several work sites, beggars, vendors, small service providers, domestic help, etc. living in slums and other temporary shelters without any kind of social security. The members of these groups face systematic violence in the form of denial of access to land, good housing, education and employment.

Social exclusion of these groups takes place in the form of physical, psychological, emotional and cultural abuse which receives legitimacy from the social structure and social system. Physical segregation of their settlements is common in the villages forcing them to live in the most unhygienic and inhabitable conditions. All these factors affect their health status, access to education, employment opportunities, healthcare, and quality of services received.

Social exclusion directly impacts their equal access to basic services such as education, health, and nutrition. In the case of women, discrimination increases by the complex mix of two factors- being a woman and being a member of the marginalized community. A large proportion of Dalit girls dropout from primary school in spite of reservations and academic aptitude, because of poverty, humiliation, isolation or bullying by teachers and classmates and punishment for scoring good grades (National Commission Report for SC/ST, 2000). The manual scavenger community among the Dalits is vulnerable to stress and diseases with reduced access to healthcare.

Concept of Caste exclusion and Discrimination

The process of social exclusion also revolves around the societal interrelations and institutions that exclude, discriminate, isolate, and deprive some groups on the basis of group's identities like caste and ethnicity. The nature of exclusion revolving around the caste system particularly needs to be understood and conceptualized. It is the caste based exclusion, which has formed the basis for various anti-discriminatory policies in India. Historically, the caste system has regulated the social and economic life of the people in India.

The organizational scheme of the caste system is based on the division of people in social groups [or castes] in which the civil, cultural and economic rights of each individual caste are pre­determined or ascribed by birth and made hereditary. The assignment of civil, cultural and economic rights is therefore, unequal and hierarchal. The most important feature of this caste system, however is that it provides for a regulatory mechanism to enforce the social and economic organization through the instruments of social ostracism [or social and economic penalties], and reinforces it further with the justification and support from the philosophical elements in the Hindu religion [Lal 1988, Ambedkar 1936 and 1987].

Since the civil, cultural and economic rights (particularly with respect to occupation and property rights) of each caste are ascribed, and are compulsory, the institution of caste necessarily involves forced exclusion of one caste from rights of another. The unequal and hierarchal assignment of economic and social rights by ascription obviously restricts the freedom of occupation and the human development. Such caste based exclusion manifests discrimination in the society.

Social exclusion of Tribal people

The Scheduled Tribes like the Scheduled Castes face social exclusion within the Indian society. Unlike the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes are a product of marginalization based on Ethnicity. In India, the Scheduled Tribes population is around 84.3 million and is considered to be socially and economically disadvantaged. Their percentage in the total population and numbers however vary from State to State. They are mainly landless with little control over resources, such as, land, forest and water. They constitute a large proportion of agricultural laborers, casual laborers, plantation laborers, industrial laborers, etc. This has resulted in poverty among them, low levels of education, poor health and reduced access to healthcare services. Their exclusion from the development process have pushed them to the lowest strata of the society.

Cultural devaluation of groups and categories and the internalization of inferiority

The concept of Social Exclusion is related with identity and ethnicity of various tribal groups as well. Though Rene', an officer of French government described this concept in economic context but in the Indian context the issue is linked generally with 'ethnicity'.

Processes of cultural devaluation are key mechanisms through which the social exclusion of certain groups and categories by other dominant groups is perpetuated as a property of societal structures. These processes draw on beliefs, norms and values to disparage stereotype, invisible, ridicule and demean these 'despised' groups and categories and thereby explain and justify the denial of full rights of participation in the economic, social and political life of that society. Such processes can have profound effects on the sense of self-worth and 'sense of agency' of those who are treated in this way and on the terms on which they are able to access the resources and opportunities in different spheres of their society.  For instance, tribal population in the heterogeneously populated villages are often discriminated and mocked at by the other social groups owing to their different ethnicity, culture and traditions.

The nature of livelihoods may also be a basis for social exclusion.
 In India, indigenous groups pursue a nomadic or semi-nomadic way of life which is regarded as 'inferior' by the rest of the society but which also serves to keep them outside mainstream development efforts. It's worthy to note that the tribal communities have sustained their livelihood and systems by deriving from forest produce. This dependence on forest produce was the main foundation of their living system. But over the period of time the lust to gain access over forests have led to tribal displacement from the forests. They are thrown at the verge of the 'mainstream' society which seems quite alienated to them. Due to the loss of their habitant the tribal people have to adjust to the stream and norms of other communities and this paves way for their procrastination.

The economic dynamics of social exclusion
The economic dynamics of poverty among excluded groups are mediated by these processes of cultural devaluation. For instance, while gross inequalities in land distribution are recognized to act as a constraint on growth [World Bank 2000-2001], excluded groups often do poorly in land distribution not only because they cannot afford to buy or claim land but also because they are not permitted to do so on caste grounds. Tribal and indigenous groups tend to be confined to marginal and unproductive land. They are also more liable to dispossession because the differences in their landholding practices render their claims less secure.

In many contexts, government policies to protect forests or undertake large-scale development projects have led to the marginalisation or displacement of indigenous groups. Large infrastructure projects are often located at their areas of habitation and accompanied by involuntary resettlement, which can have a major impact on their lives.

A study estimates that in the recent past the government has been acquiring land at an average of 170,000 acres annually under compulsory land acquisition scheme –more than what it is distributing. A large amount of this land comes from the small and marginal landowners particularly Adivasis. Various developmental projects since 1950, according to an estimate, have displaced 50 million persons of which 40 percent have been Adivasis.  These projects include large irrigation dams, hydroelectric projects, open cast and underground coalmines, thermal power and engineering plants and mineral based industrial units. These industries are modern and based on incomprehensible technologies which lacked any remunerative avenues for the displaced inhabitants.  Rehabilitation and resettlement polices, based as they are on academic concerns, lacked visible impact.

Sahariya, a Primitive Tribal Group [PTG], residing in Sheopur and Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh is questing with the process of social exclusion and cultural devaluation. Owing to their different ethnicity Sahariyas are discriminated by the other villagers and are thus made to live an ostracized life in their own village. Sahariyas have been largely dependent on forest produce for their sustaining their living system and needs. But the operating socio-political forces have virulently destroyed this living system for gaining access and control over natural resources. In the name of umpteen and nefarious wild life and animals act their access to forest areas have been completely blocked.

Consequently, children of Sahariya tribe are succumbing to malnutrition as 72% Sahariya children are malnourished compared to the 58% non-Sahariya malnourished children. Their indigenous knowledge and practices have been influenced and tampered with so that their removal from forest areas becomes easier. In the wake of persistent food insecurity Sahariya are opting to come nearer to the oppressive social structure and are standing along with labor and untouchable communities.

Food insecurity in Sahariyas

Sahariya tribe is largely dependent on forest produce for their livelihood and sustaining their living system. Since last 6-7 years the persistent drought conditions in their region and deforestation have made them to leave their forests and natural habitants. Due to the loss of their habitants Sahariyas were forced to take up other means of livelihood and economic activities. They had no choice but to settle down with other non-tribal communities. Members from other community discriminate Sahariyas and treat them as inferior, dirty and menial creatures. Benefits of modern health system, education and nutrition have not trickled down to Sahariyas and they Sahariyas have lagged behind in the flow of development benefits. This process had relegated them to the outer edge of the social standing. Being robbed of their indigenous livelihood system and living mechanisms food security is a major challenge for Sahariya today. While questing with this struggle Sahariya have fell a prey to food insecurity and malnutrition and have trapped in the vicious circle of poverty. Over the period of time Sahariyas have learned to live with it.

Though the tribal groups have their indigenous mainstream socio-economic-political system but non-tribal groups have pushed hard to declare tribal 'backward', proved that they are outside the mainstream system and started the process of bringing tribal into the mainstream system. Khutiya Patel, an old Sahariya from Maanpur village says, "We had our own mainstream system and we are not a part of the varna system of Hindu religion. Since last hundred fifty years we are been pressurized by the non-tribal groups to join the varna system of Hindu religion at a rank above Dalits and to assist Brahman, Kshatriya and Vaishya varnas in the production activities. They want us to be at the lowest rung of their system so that our growth and development can be restricted". This cultural devaluation and marginalization of tribal owing to their varied ethnicity has not only formed the basis of their social exclusion but also have initiated an entire process of their procrastination where they have started feeling unworthy and inferior.

Socially excluded children

We can perceive the process of social exclusion in the context of children at two levels – One, in comparison to the other children those who are vulnerable to marginalization in the mainstream society due to persistent negligence, exploitation, discrimination in priorities and services will be treated as socially excluded. This is a comparative level where varied discriminatory processes are inflicted upon children from different categories. Second, the direct situation of social exclusion process appears in our families where children are socially excluded strategically.

In our families, community and society children are often deprived of the space to share their expression, ideas, needs and views. Given below is the definition of social exclusion of children given by UNICEF-

"Deprivation of children from adequate food, health services and school education in present and future affects the capacity of children in participating in community and society. This violates other child rights as well, especially child right to protection is violated and children living out of their families are neglected by the state.  This limits the freedom and mobility of children. Due to this their identity as representative of children equipped with special rights gets limited…….being deprived of their rights, physically invisible from the community, unable in attending school, absent from state's policies, programmes and statistics, they are completely disappeared from state's priority"

There is a basic principle that a family can be poor but within the family children are comparatively more subjected to face the adverse consequences of such poverty. Poverty and social exclusion process has a direct impact on the mortality and morbidity among children. To substantiate it the data from Madhya Pradesh Draft Health Sector Reform Strategy, August 2006 says that IMR is double and Under-five mortality is more than five times in poor families having a low standard of living index.

We need to understand that the process of social exclusion starts in a child's life right since his/her conception in birth to childhood. This exclusion reduces the opportunities in his/her life and despite encouraging for it the child cannot participate in the development and systematic process. Not only their situation is feeble in the context of physical health, role in production and creative process also on their ideological grounds they start believing that the actual idea of their life is to lead an excluded life. Their subtle dreams and hopes have also disappeared from the list of their rights.

Right from the childhood there are two contradictory things – [firstly] there is prompt growth in physical and mental development of children at this stage and [secondly] at this stage the larger society cannot understand the way a child expresses his/her need. And even if the child is successful in expressing his/her need the social exclusion existing in deep roots of societal connotations and relations doesn’t let those needs fulfill.

Moreover, it is also imperative to note that since the child's expression or the endeavor for so doesn’t include any violent needs his/her primary needs always go unaddressed and neglected. In India, a girl child faces discrimination and differential access to nutritious food and gender based violence is evident from the falling sex ratio and the use of technologies to eliminate the girl child. Among children the health indicators vary between the different social groups. Children also have to bear the brunt of social exclusion process in the form of denied access to healthcare, education and other rights.

As per the NFHS-3 data access to healthcare is poor among the children in household with low standard of living index as 12 % of children in poor families were vaccinated compared to 50% of economically better off families, 11% of ST children received vaccinations compared to 22.4 % in total MP [Madhya Pradesh Draft Health Sector Reform Strategy, August 2006]. Vaccination coverage is poor in rural remote areas. Children from Scheduled tribes are more deprived from vaccination than the other children. Only 31.3% children from scheduled tribes have received all vaccinations compare to 40.7% OBC and 39.7% SC children. Similarly, 11.5% ST children have received no vaccination compare to 3.9% OBC and 5.4% SC children [National data].

Also, the prevalence of Anaemia is considerably higher in rural areas, among children of women with no education, among scheduled castes and tribes, and among children in households in the lower wealth quintiles.

Notwithstanding the constitutional provisions and international commitments for so children are being made part of this vicious circle of poverty, deprivations, marginalization and exclusion right from the birth. Their destiny has been decided by the pertinent social structures and approvals as they march firmly to join the category of socially excluded groups.

Social Exclusion of women

In India, members of gender, caste, class and ethnic identity experience structural discrimination and exclusion that impact the opportunities in their lives. Women face double discrimination being members of specific caste, class or ethnic group, apart from experiencing gender vulnerabilities. Women have low standard compared to men in Indian society. They have little control on the resources and on important decisions related to their lives. The social exclusion at family and societal level impacts their healthcare and access to healthcare of women. While a woman toils tirelessly day and night her healthcare and other needs are hardly taken care of.

Around 78050 pregnant women die every year in India. Surveys have found that the maximum number of maternal deaths is recorded among the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. Incidentally, these are the most deprived, marginalized and excluded social groups in the country.

Women in tribal and urban area are completely excluded from the state's policies and programmes. While the government has been clamoring repeatedly for encouraging institutional deliveries scanty efforts have been made to include needs of the tribal women in its policies or design any programmes for so. Only 17% of births to women who belong to Scheduled Tribes were assisted by a doctor, compared with 47% births to women who do not belong to a scheduled tribe, scheduled caste or other backward classes. Similarly, Two- third deliveries [67.3%] in urban areas and 29% of deliveries in rural areas take place in health facilities. By caste/tribe, the likelihood of receiving any antenatal care and care from a doctor is lowest for scheduled tribe mothers and highest for mothers who do not belong to a scheduled caste, scheduled tribe, or other backward classes. This clearly shows that let alone addressing women's needs it have not been even assessed. Thus, a large proportion of women from deprived and needy groups remain outside the periphery of development processes and its benefits.

Also, women in such families are subjected to face the aftermaths of various socio-political dynamics such as displacement, poverty, exclusion and marginalisation in the development process.

Not only at the state/policy level a women's need and care is completely neglected at the family level as well. In the patriarchal Indian society women is objected merely as a reproductive machine. She is supposed to take care of the entire family without asking very little in the return. More than half women in the nation [55.3%] are suffering from anaemia closely in comparison to 24.2% male.

Due to her low status and standing in the society women is also subjected to face violence, both at society and family level. According to a household level; study on domestic violence in India, 50 per cent married women reported facing spousal violence and among those reporting abuse, 50 per cent reported abuse during pregnancy. [Study quoted in, Advancing Right to Health: The Indian Context, by Sama: Resource group for Women and Health, New Delhi, pg.26]. More than a third [34%] of women age 15-49 have experienced physical violence and 9% have experienced sexual violence. In all, 35% of women age 15-49 years in India has experienced physical or sexual violence.

Apart from the physical violence women are also subjected to face mental harassments and violence. Her marginalization from the ownership of resources has lead to exclusion in addressing their health needs, ensuring their say in the decision making in family, intra-household equity. The low status among family and society is sufficient in itself to make oneself feel less worthy, burden, inferior and low confident.

References

• A paper on Vulnerable Groups in India by Chandrima Chatterjee, Gunja Sheoran.
• A paper on The Cast of Social Exclusion and the Challenges of Social Exclusion.
• Social Exclusion in ICDS: a participatory research design – Manual [Harsh Mandar].
• Social Exclusion: Concept, Application and Scrutiny – Amartya Sen
• Reducing Poverty by tackling Social Exclusion – A DFID Policy Paper.
• Caste, Social Exclusion and Poverty linkages – Sukhdeo Thorat
• NFHS-3 [2005-06]
• Economic Survey 2007-08