CHAPTER 7: Understanding Marginalisation (Date : 05-02-2019)

Question 1:

With reference to term Adivasis, consider the following statements:

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer : A

Adivasis – the term literally means ‘original inhabitants’ – are communities who lived, and often continue to live, in close association with forests. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
Around 8 per cent of India’s population is Adivasi and many of India’s most important mining and industrial centres are located in Adivasi areas – Jamshedpur, Rourkela, Bokaro and Bhilai among others. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
Adivasis are not a homogeneous population: there are over 500 different Adivasi groups in India. Hence, statement 2 is NOT correct.

Question 2:

Consider the following statements:

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer : C

Niyamgiri Hill located in Kalahandi district of Orissa. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
This area is inhabited by Dongarria Konds, an Adivasi community. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
Niyamgiri is the sacred mountain of this community.
Vedanta a major aluminium company was planning to set up a mine and a refinery here which will displace this Adivasi community.
They had strongly resisted this proposed development and had been joined by environmentalists as well.
A case against the company was heard by the Supreme Court.
In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court in 2013 directed the smallest units of local governance to use their powers and take a decision on whether the Vedanta group’s $1.7 billion bauxite mining project in Odisha’s Niyamgiri Hills can go forward or not.

Question 3:

With reference to term Marginalisation, consider the following statements:

Marginalisation of a society means, “to be forced to occupy the sides or fringes and thus not be at the centre of things.”
Economic, social, cultural and political factors work together to make certain groups in society feel marginalised.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer : C

To be marginalised means to be forced to occupy the sides or fringes and thus not be at the centre of things. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
Marginalisation of the certain section of the society can be because they speak a different language, follow different customs or belong to a different religious group from the majority community.
They may also feel marginalised because they are poor, considered to be of ‘low’ social status and viewed as being less human than others.
Sometimes, marginalised groups are viewed with hostility and fear. This sense of difference and exclusion leads to communities not having access to resources and opportunities and in their inability to assert their rights.
They experience a sense of disadvantage and powerlessness vis-a-vis more powerful and dominant sections of society who own land, are wealthy, better educated and politically powerful.
Thus, marginalisation is seldom experienced in one sphere. Economic, social, cultural and political factors work together to make certain groups in society feel marginalised. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Question 4:

Consider the following statements:

According to 2011 census, Muslims are 19.2 per cent of India’s population and are considered to be a marginalised community
Justice Rajindar Sachar committee was set up by government to examine the social, economic and educational status of the Muslim community in India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer : B

According to 2011 census, Muslims are 14.2 per cent of India’s population and are considered to be a marginalised community in India today because in comparison to other communities, they have over the years been deprived of the benefits of socioeconomic Development. Hence, statement 1 is NOT correct.
Recognising that Muslims in India were lagging behind in terms of various development indicators, the government set up a high-level committee in 2005.
Chaired by Justice Rajindar Sachar, the committee examined the social, economic and educational status of the Muslim community in India. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
The report discusses in detail the marginalisation of this community. It suggests that on a range of social, economic and educational indicators the situation of the Muslim community is comparable to that of other marginalised communities like Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
For example, according to the Report the average years of schooling for Muslim children between the ages of 7-16 is much lower than that of other socio religious communities.