KEY POINTS OF CHAPTER
- According to the latest official estimates of poverty based on the Tendulkar Committee poverty line, as many as 8% of the population, that is 350 million people were below the poverty line in 2009-10. Amidst questions being raised over Tendulkar’s Committee report, an expert committee under Dr. C. Rangarajan has been set up to review all issues related to the poverty line keeping in view international practices.
- In the Twelfth Plan, special attention would be given to the scope for accelerating growth in the states that are lagging behind.
- The key areas would be addressed in this plan are inclusiveness and inequality, inclusiveness as empowerment, inclusiveness through employment programmes like MGNREGA and environment sustainability.
- Life expectancy which was only 32 years at the time of independence is now 67
- The vision for Electronics Sector for the Twelfth Five Year Plan is e-Development of India through a multi-pronged strategy.
- The Twelfth Plan seeks to strengthen initiatives taken in the Eleventh Plan to expand the reach of health care and work towards the long term objective of establishing a system of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the country.
- Health sector expenditure by the Centre and States will have to be substantially increased by the end of the Twelfth Plan. It has already increased from 94% of GDP in the Tenth Plan to 1.04% in the Eleventh Plan.
- The Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-17) envisaged 4% per annum growth in the GDP from Agriculture and Allied Sectors.
- A fillip has been provided to the sector by launching Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) during 2013-14.
- A National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture, besides focusing on water positive technologies & integrated farming will also focus on programmatic interventions and conducive to climatic parameters in select blocks as pilots.
SCHEDULED CASTES
- Article 366(24) of Constitution defines the “Scheduled Castes” means such castes, races or tribes or parts of or groups within such castes, races or tribes as are deemed under article 341 to be Scheduled Castes for the purpose of the Constitution.
- Scheduled Castes are constitutionally declared as group of castes and sub castes, which suffered from the practice of untouchability. They comprise within them more than 1208 Castes and Sub Castes, generally consisting of former “untouchables”.
- There are 1241 main Scheduled Castes which have been included in the list of Scheduled Castes in India.
- According to Census 2011, 13 crores population belonging to SCs, which constitute 16.66% of the total population, the decadal literacy rate of SCs has gradually increased from 1961 (10.3%) to 2011 (66%).
