Hyderabad: The Independent Expert Working Group (IEWG) on the caste survey stated that instead of the govt attempting to fill the ‘social justice well’ with ‘water (resources)’ for all marginalised groups, a new, data-driven framework could enable the govt to deliver ‘water’ directly to needy households through a ‘social justice tap’.During a press conference on Wednesday, the IEWG highlighted that while they are not mandated to provide recommendations based on the Caste Backwardness Index (CBI) score, they have provided an approach — targeted social policies — that can be followed by govt to deliver resources.At the press conference, IEWG convenor Pravin Chakravarty said: “The committee only examined and analysed the survey data provided by the govt. Our job is not to provide recommendations; the govt and experts can draw inferences from the detailed data we provided. However, we did mention in our report that a social justice framework could be considered.”‘Bad birth lottery’The report highlights the urgent need for a social justice framework that embraces the concept of “share of proportional backwardness”. This approach focuses on addressing the inequalities that arise from what experts refer to as a “bad birth lottery”. According to the report, effectively tackling these disparities requires the implementation of a new paradigm — Social Justice 2.0 — characterised by targeted social policies.The report emphasises the importance of accurately identifying caste groups based on their levels of backwardness, without considering their population size. Such classification is essential to establish a governance framework dedicated to uplifting those castes that genuinely face challenges and disadvantages. The Group posits that outlining caste groups in a manner that reflects their true socio-economic conditions is useful to formulate strategies to empower those who are most in need, helping create a more just society.
