Examining Social Discrimination: Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s Narration of Social Welfare in Indian Society

Social discrimination became a part of life for the lower caste people in the caste ridden Indian social order. Especially the scheduled caste communities with the practice of untouchability by the mainstream population of the Indian society face social discrimination in each and aspect of their life even denying to their basic human rights. The discriminatory practices at socio-cultural level have been extended to economic activities. This has further dehumanize the down trodden people and subjected to various types of exploitation due to caste based occupational distribution in the name of religion. No area of Indian life style is free from caste principles and the basic fabric of society has been designed in such a manner that caste has the connection with all social institutions including family, marriage, property inheritance, community life, religion, polity, culture and economy.

Looking into the plight of the poor down trodden people and undergoing himself through this un-codified discriminatory social policy in Indian society, Ambedkar has attempted to establish a new social order and new Indian society in post-independent India with democratic principles of Liberty, Equality, Justice, and Fraternity.

This paper is an attempt to understand Ambedkar’s vision of social order and social policies created on democratic values in Indian society by referring the primary as well as secondary sources of literature. Now his conception of new society is under severe attack by the caste protagonist for its renewal efforts for establishing old caste based social order by replacing the democratic principles attempted to establish by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar ideas of social policies.