Director, CDS, Thiruvananthapuram

cordially invites you to the

By Prof. Sukhadeo Thorat

Professor Emeritus, JNU
Friday, 1 December 2017, 4 pm
Baker Auditorium,
Centre for Development Studies,
Prasanth Nagar, Ulloor,
Thiruvananthapuram - 695011
Please join us for tea after the Lecture
In India, Inter-group inequality has increasingly become a matter of major concern.
We have recognized the group inequality associated with caste, gender, ethnicity
and religion. We have also developed the group-based policies for certain social
groups, such as Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes
in the form of reservation policies in the public sector. The group-specific policies in
informal form have also been developed for groups such as women, religious
minorities and nomadic and denotified tribes.
However, in recent times, there has been a growing demand for the affirmative action
policy by other groups such as women, religious minorities like muslims, dalits
christians. In this context the issue of group inequality and the policies to deal with
them has become a subject of discussion and debate. In this context, it has become
necessary to understand the nature of the group inequality, their causes and possible
solutions.
In this lecture, therefore, we will discuss the insight from the economic theories of
discrimination to understand the causes of group inequality, their sources through
discrimination and exclusion and the possible solutions. The theoretical discussion
will take stock of theories of economic discrimination with focus on Neo-Classical,
Marxists and other theoretical approaches developed in United States of America; in
Indian context we will mainly discuss the thinking of Dr B.R. Ambedkar on caste
inequality.
The late Dr.P.K.Gopalakrishnan was one of the outstanding
civil servants who played an important role in setting up
advanced institutions of research in Kerala during 1970-80. The
Centre is one among them. As Secretary to the Government
during the Chief Ministership of the late C. Achutha Menon, Dr.
Gopalakrishnan provided significant support in formulating a
science and technology policy for Kerala. He served as Member-
Secretary to the State Planning Board and was Secretary,
Planning until his retirement. After retirement he served as Member, State Planning
Board and Chairman of the Committee for Economic Affairs of the Kerala Pradesh
Congress Committee.
To perpetuate the memory of Dr. Gopalakrishnan, his family has instituted an
Endowment at the Centre. This lecture is organised as part of the activities of the
endowment.
Prof Sukhadeo Thorat is currently Professor
Emeritus at the Jawaharlal Nehru University and
Distinguished Professor, Savitribai Phule Pune University,
Pune. He also holds the K.R. Narayanan Chair for Human
Rights and Social Justice, Mahatma Gandhi University and
is managing Trustee of Indian Institute of Dalit Studies, New
Delhi. Previously he was Chairman, Indian Council of Social
Science Research from 2011-2017. He was also Chairman
of University Grant Commission from 2006-2011, Professor in Jawaharlal Nehru
University, Director, Indian Institute of Dalit Studies, a Visiting Faculty of Iowa State
University, Amas, USA. He was President, Indian Economic Association since 2010,
President, Indian Society of Agricultural Economics, 2009 and President, Indian
Society of Labour Economics, 2010.
He has more than forty years of teaching and research. His areas of research
include, Agricultural Development, Rural Poverty, Institution and Economic Growth,
Problems of Marginalized Groups, Economics of Caste System, Caste
Discrimination and Poverty, Human Development, Human Rights Issue, Thoughts
of Ambedkar, Slums, Education, etc.
Prof. Thorat was awarded Padmashree by Government of India on January
26, 2008. He was recipient of Dr Ambedkar National Award for Social Understanding
and Upliftment of Weaker Sections, 2011 by Dr Ambedkar Foundation, Other
notable awards include, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Ratna Award for 2012-13, by
Government of National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi; Mother Teresa International
Award, for Outstanding achievement and contribution towards the people of our
nation, by All India Minority and Weaker Section Council, Kolkata, Dr. Ambedakar
Chetna Award, by Manwatawadi Rachana Manch Jallunder, Punjab, 2001, in
reorganization of promoting the cause of Dalits. He was conferred with Purushottam
Award, by P.K. Anna Patil Foundation, Pune towards his contribution for promotion
of educational, social and human rights of marginalized grounds and also in
promoting the cause of farmers for 2007. The Milind College of Arts, Aurangabad
awarded him Milind Samata Puraskar, for 2009-10. He also received an award by
Maharashtra Sahitya Academy, Pune.
He has more than 19 books published and under publication, and more than
100 papers published in reputed journals. His latest book 'Social Science Research
in India: Status, Issues and Policy,' by Oxford was brought out in 2017 and another
publication 'Bridging the Social Gap- Perspective on Dalit Empowerment,' by Sage
is forthcoming.