IIDS’ research emphasised the need to support enterprise for SCs and STs. This led to certain policy formulation that mandates union ministries/public sector units to make 20 per cent of their purchases from micro and small enterprises (MSEs) owned by SCs and STs. View More

IIDS’ research emphasised that there is a need to ensure that SC and ST students are protected from harassment in higher education institutions. Academic support provided by the Institute enabled the formulation of Prevention of Caste-based Discrimination/ Harassment, Victimisation, and Promotion of Equality in Higher Educational Institutions Regulations, 2012, by UGC. This led to a formal gazette notification from the Ministry of Human Resource Development, directing all central universities to develop ‘Equal Opportunity Cell’. View More

Taking note of discrimination experienced by Dalit children as detailed in IIDS’ research on food security programmes, such as mid-day meal, the Ministry of Human Resource Development issued guidelines against caste-based discrimination in schools. These guidelines ask States to take corrective measures and set up redressal mechanisms to address caste-based discrimination experienced by Dalit children inside schools and classrooms. View More

The Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development, has developed an SSA Framework based on the rights of children to education under ‘Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009’. This policy document has referred to IIDS’ study on caste discrimination in education faced by Dalit children and has developed specific mechanisms to tackle discrimination against SC and ST students in education sector. View More

On the basis of IIDS’ research on discrimination faced by Dalit children in classrooms, IIDS and NCERT have developed a module on ‘Master Trainers to Address Caste-based Discrimination and its Implications’ in primary schools jointly with the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. View More

In the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007–12) titled ‘Towards Faster and More Inclusive Growth’ IIDS’ research inputs were included to highlight the gap between SCs and STs, minorities and others in educational sector including participation in higher education in India. The Institute’s research informed the strategies to address this gap in the Eleventh Five Year Plan Period for universities and colleges. The Institute has been actively engaged in discussions on the Twelfth Five Year Plan. This has been through research work on ‘Has Growth been Socially Inclusive during 1993-94–2009-10’ published in the Economic and Political Weekly. View More

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj took cognisance of IIDS research on problems of the excluded groups in accessing public services and rural governance to make policy suggestions for non-discriminatory delivery of services in Panchayat Raj Institutions. View More

IIDS’ research has played a significant role in decision-making of funding organisations and policy and planning of bilateral and multilateral organisations, such as UNICEF, UNDP, IDRC, DFID, World Bank, and FAO. The engagements with these development agencies have made an impact on their approach and policies to focus on marginalised groups. View More