With the nation celebrating the 125th birth anniversary of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution on Thursday, the Karnataka State Women’s University’s Ambedkar Study Centre has launched a unique project to mark the day.
The centre has decided to visit some 125 villages in Vijayapura district to conduct a sample-survey for recording the socio-economic condition of the Dalits in these villages.
“The survey report would later be submitted to the government for consideration and for it to initiate steps to bring about a change in the lives of Dalits,” Narayana Pawar, Director of the centre, said.
He said that the centre has identified 30 villages each in Vijayapura and Indi taluks, 20 villages each in Sindgi and Muddebihal taluks and 25 village in Basavanabagewadi taluk for the survey.
Dr. Pawar said that the survey would find out whether the government welfare schemes have reached the Dalits or not.
“The teams have already covered 80 villages and by the end of April, the project would be completed, by visiting all the identified villages,” he said.
He regretted that a section of the population among Dalits was still deprived of the welfare schemes.
He said that a large section was still in living in abysmal conditions.
“At the same time, even those Dalits, who have taken advantage of these schemes, have not been working for the benefit of others. They largely focus only on individual improvement and not community improvement,” Dr. Pawar said.
He believes that if the policy makers of the community, who enjoy significant political power, actively participate in welfare of the community, it would change the picture considerably.
He said that the survey would not only try to study the contrasting living conditions among Dalits in rural and urban areas, but also try to find measures to address the issues.
