Public welfare in India

The Central government of India welfare expenditures are a substantial portion ofthe official budget, and state and local governments play important roles in developing andimplementing welfare policies.

Overview

The Directive Principles of State Policy, enshrined in Part IV of the Indian Constitution reflects that India is a welfare state. Seats are reserved for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in government jobs, educational institutions, Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha. The government has passed a number of laws for the abolition of untouchability, Begar and Zamindari. The government has opened fair - priced shops, where certain essential commodities are sold at very reasonable prices to the poorer sections of the society.

In 2000 union government expenditures on social services(includes education, health, family welfare, women and child development, and social justice andempowerment), rural development, and basic minimum services were approximately US$7.7 billion (Rs361.7 billion), which was 11.1 percent of total government expenditures and 1.7 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

Furthermore, the union and state governments maintain a plethora of reserved seats in various political and education institutions for lower castes, indigenous persons, and others based on their percentage of the population. Finally, various innovative development programs have been developed—often at state or local levels— for social development and the empowerment of women and lower castes, and the state of Kerala is internationally known for its noteworthy success in public welfare.

References

*cite web|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/India.pdf|work=Library of Congress Country Studies (All works are issued in Public domain|)accessdate=2007-11-06|title=Library of Congress – Federal Research Division Country Profile: India, December 2004)

ee also

*Welfare State