Message from the Chairman

The Indian Institution of Dalit Studies (IIDS) was established in January 2003 by a group of social activists and academicians. IIDS has covered a long distance since then. We recognised that there was a visible gap in the knowledge on the problems of excluded communities in India, particularly the Dalits, De-notified and nomadic tribes, other backward castes, religious minorities, Dalit women, and women from minorities.

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Journals

Journal of Social Inclusion Studies

Journal of Social Inclusion Studies

Journal of Social Inclusion Studies is a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary academic journal. It aims to promote informed debate and contributes to current knowledge and understanding on the nature, forms, and consequences of social exclusion and discrimination faced by marginalised groups and affirmative policies for the development of these groups. During the year 2019-20, IIDS published two issues of Journal. The Journal of Social Inclusion Studies is currently being published in collaboration with Sage Publication, India.

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Dalit Asmita

Dalit Asmita, a quarterly journal (in Hindi), aims to promote literary work on Dalits and their struggle for identity, emancipation, and development. It features short stories, poems and articles, and provides an academic platform for discussions on Dalit empowerment. Four issues have been published during 2019-2020.

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Dalit Asmita

Policy Impact of IIDS Research

IIDS has had major impact on government policies, plans of multilateral funding agencies, programmes of civil society organisations, and research structure of universities in India and abroad. It has been possible due to interactions, conferences, participation in targeted meetings, and research-based inputs to members of policy-making bodies and NGOs at grassroots levels. In its ten years tenure, the Institute’s research has increasingly been recognised as policy relevant that has targeted governmental planning related to discrimination, social exclusion, and inclusive policy for Dalits, tribals, and religious minorities. The Institute through its research and timely inputs has assisted the government in the development of the following:

Affirmative Action in Public Procurement Policy

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

Prevention of Caste-based Discrimination /Harassment, Victimisation and Promotion of Equality in Higher Educational Institutions Regulations, 2012, by UGC

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

Guidelines against Caste-based Discrimination Experienced by Dalit Children Inside Schools and Classrooms

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

Sarva Shiskha Abhiyan (SSA)—Framework for Implementation

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

National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and Teacher Training Module to Address Caste-based Discrimination

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

Inclusive Planning for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Eleventh and Twelfth Five Year Plans

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

Strengthening and Leveraging Panchayat Raj Institutions for Effective and Non-discriminatory Delivery of Public Goods and Services, 2013

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

Impact of IIDS’ Research on Funding Agencies, Grassroots-level Organisations, and Academia

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

Paper Published

Researchers of Indian Institute of Dalit Studies have published research articles in national and international journals. The list of papers published is given here.

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Working Paper Series

IIDS regularly publishes its research output in the form of books, working papers, reports and research articles in journals and books. Working Papers Series brings out major findings of the research studies undertaken by the Institute. Working papers can be downloaded from the web-site.

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Ongoing Projects

IIDS has carried out various research programmes during 2020–21. Those were undertaken with the support of Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, South Asia, Ford Foundation, Government of Karnataka, Indian Council of Social Science Research etc. A list of on-going research projects can be accessed here.

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Completed Projects

IIDS has carried out various research studies since its inception in 2003. The research studies have been funded by national and international funding agencies such as various ministries of Government of India, state governments, International Development Research Centre, Overseas Development Institute, UNICEF, RLS, ICSSR etc.

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