Bapuji Educational Association®

BAPUJI HIGHER PRIMARY ENGLISH

MEDIUM (CBSE) SCHOOL

SUBJECT ENRICHMENT ACTIVITY

2022-2023

SUBJECT: SOCIAL SCIENCE

TOPIC: SOCIAL ISSUES

NAME: JEEVITA.J.ITAGI

CLASS: 10 ‘A’

SUBJECT: SOCIAL SCIENCE

ROLL NO: 10117

 :INTRODUCTION:
A social issue is any condition or behavior that has negative
consequences for large numbers of people and that is generally
recognized as a condition or behavior that needs to be addressed. .

It is a group of common problems in present-day society and ones that

many people strive to solve. It is often the consequence of factors
extending beyond an individual's control. Social issues are the source of
conflicting opinions on the grounds of what are perceived as morally
correct or incorrect personal life or interpersonal social life decisions.
Social issues are distinguished from economic issues; however, some
issues have both social and economic aspects. There are also issues that
do not fall into either category, such as warfare.

There can be disagreements about what social issues are worth solving,
or which should take precedence. Different individuals and different
societies have different perceptions. There are a variety of methods
people use to combat social issues. Some people vote for leaders in a
democracy to advance their ideals.
 :SOCIAL ISSUES IN INDIA:
India suffers from a host of social issues ranging from poverty to
gendered violence.

1. POVERTY: Poverty can be defined as

the inability to secure the minimum
standard of living appropriate to society.
According to the Planning Commission, 22% of
India’s population lived below the poverty line in
2012.

The main reasons of poverty are stated below:

 Increase rate of rising population

 Less productivity in agriculture
 Less utilization of resources
 A short rate of economic development
 Unemployment
 Political factors
 Unequal distribution of income
 Provision for minimum requirements of the poor
 How we can remove poverty from our country?

These include:
1. Quality education: Education provides children with the
knowledge and life skills to realize their full potential.

2. Access to Health care: Access to health care is essential. Plan

International helps communities build health clinics, train health care
workers and invest in equipment and medicine, so children can grow up
healthy and strong.

3. Water and sanitation: Water and sanitation are also essential

for every child's survival. Plan International helps communities build
school latrines and community water points.

4. Economic security: Economic security means people have the

skills and resilience to withstand hard economic times and grow their
incomes.

5. Child participation: Child participation means that children are

at the center of everything we do. Plan International helps children
learn their rights and take active roles within their community.
2. UNEMPLOYMENT: Unemployment has often been
described as the most significant
social issue in society. This is because an
individual is dependent on their work for
both their livelihood and their status.
Sociologically, unemployment is defined as
the inability to find remunerative work in the face of both potential and
desire to earn. The three elements of unemployment are that the
individual must be capable, willing and making an effort to be gainfully
employed.

CMIE data shows the unemployment rate rose from 7.1%

in May to 7.8% in June with rural unemployment rising by
1.4 percentage points to 8% in rural India while the
unemployment rate in urban India declined by 0.9
percentage points to 7.3%, which is the lowest
unemployment rate in India in 16 months.
 Causes of Unemployment: Sociologists have suggested
that unemployment is a result of both economic and
social factors.
 Degrading social status
 Geographical immobility
 Population explosion
 The defective education system

 Remedial measures: The Indian government has recognized the

issue of unemployment within the country.
 They have taken many steps in the form of employment
generation schemes.
 The MGNREGA scheme mentioned previously is one major
measure.
 Unemployment cannot be solved by making India more labor-
intensive which has been suggested in the past.
 Instead, the focus should be on educating the youth and making
them employable within the upcoming service sector.
3. ILLETRACY: Illiteracy is a major barrier to
development since it results in unskilled labor.

According to the Census Commission of India,

literacy refers to any person who can read and
write with understanding in a recognized Indian
language. The 2011 census revealed that the
literacy rate of India was around 74% with many
regional variations and gender disparities. All over India, Kerala has the
highest literacy rate and

 What Causes Illiteracy?

 Parents with little schooling;
 Lack of books at home and lack of stimulation as to the
importance of reading;
 Doing badly at or dropping out of school—many have not
completed high school;
 Difficult living conditions, including poverty;
 Learning disabilities, such as dyslexia.
Many programs have been introduced by the government in
accordance with the education policies of India. A few of these have
been mentioned below.

 The National Adult Education (NAE) program was introduced in

1978 to promoted education within the age group of 15-35
years.
 The Rural Functional Literacy (RFL) program is a sub-program of
the NAE and was launched in 1986.
 It aimed at creating awareness among adults about the
numerous government schemes they could benefit from.
 Moreover, it involved student volunteers from universities in
teaching adults.
 Finally, the National Literacy Mission was launched in 1988 by
Rajiv Gandhi and aimed at involving volunteer agencies in the
mission to educate illiterate persons all over the country (Abuja
2014).
4. CASTE SYSTEM: The Indian caste system is based on
the cultural features of hierarchy, pollution and purity. It
subscribes to the doctrines of Karma and Dharma. The Indian
government introduced the category of Scheduled Castes (SCs) to the
constitution in 1935. Currently, SCs constitute around 16% of the Indian
population. The main issues faced by Dalits are those of untouchability,
exploitation, exclusion from religious and educational institutions and
social discrimination.

 MORE TO KNOW:
Dalit Empowerment Measures: The government’s approach towards
the upliftment of SCs was based on two ideas. The first was to overcome
deprivations in terms of education, housing and employment that the
SCs have inherited due to their historical exclusion from society. The
second was to encourage their participation in the economic, social and
political processes of the country
 The major causes of casteism are:
 Sense of Caste Prestige.
 Caste Endogamy.
 Impact of Urbanization.
 Increase in the Means of Transport and Communication.
 Illiteracy.
 Belief in Religious Dogmas.
 Social Distance.

 Protective measures included:

 Acts such as the protection of the Civil Rights Act passed in
1976 and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
Prevention of Atrocities Act passed in 1989.
 Together, these acts protected Dalit’s from untouchability,
discrimination and violence in public places.
 Reservation policies within educational institutions,
government services and political bodies are also a part of
protective measures.
 These ensure adequate participation of SCs in public spheres
though they are restricted to only the government sectors.
5. COMMUNALISM: Communalism refers to attempts to
overemphasize the importance of religious identity and
stimulate communal violence between different religious
groups.

Communalism is a significant social issue in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan

and Sri Lanka. Communal conflicts between religious communities in
India, especially Hindus and Muslims have occurred since the period of
British colonial rule, occasionally leading to serious inter-communal
violence.

 What was communalism in India?

Communalism is a term
used to denote attempts to construct
religious or ethnic identity, incite strife
between people identified as different
communities, and to stimulate communal
violence between those groups. It derives
from history, differences in beliefs, and
tensions between the communities.

 MORE TO KNOW:
What are the features of communalism?
The following can be stated as the main features of communalism:

 It is an ideological concept,
 Based on orthodox principles,
 Based on intolerance,
  Propagation of intense dislike towards other religions,
 Considering owns own religion to be superior,
 Some of the major causes of communalism in India are as follows:
 A Legacy of Past
 Presence of Communal Parties
 Isolation of Muslims
 Poverty
 Hindu Chauvinism
 The Social Cause
 Communalization of Politics
 Cross-Border Factors
 Failure of Government.

 The following suggestions may be given for the eradication of

communalism.

 Abolition of Communal Parties in our Country

 Transmission of the Past Heritage
 Healthy Public Opinion
 Inter-religious marriage
 Declaration of National Festivals
6. CORRUPTION: Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a
criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an
organization which is entrusted in a position of authority,
in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's
personal gain.

The most widely spread endemic in India is corruption, which must be

handled quickly and wisely. There is hardly any office, in both the
private and public sector that is untouched from this disease. There is
no telling how much loss the economy has suffered because of this.
Though most of us are concerned, when the time comes to act, we, the
people of India, should not be found lacking.

In 2021 their Corruption Perceptions Index

ranked the country in 85th place out of 180, on a scale where the
lowest-ranked countries are perceived to have the most honest public
sector. Various factors contribute to corruption, including officials
siphoning money from government social welfare schemes.
 What are the causes of corruption?
 Country size
 Country age
 Resource curse
 Political instability
 Wage
 Lack of rule of law
 Failure of governance
 Size of government.

 How can corruption be stopped in India?

 Systemic improvements and reforms to provide transparent
citizen-friendly services and reduce corruption.
 These include: Disbursement of welfare benefits directly to
the citizens under various schemes of the Government in a
transparent manner through the Direct Benefit Transfer
initiative.

SAY “NO” TO CORRUPTION

 7. CIVIL RIGHTS AND RACIAL DISCRIMINATION:

Civil rights, or the rights of citizens in a country to have

equal treatment socially and politically, are another one of
the most significant social issues in India and around the
world. More than 40 years after the Civil Rights Act passed, almost
60% of African Americans still live in segregated neighborhoods and
90% of African Americans report that racial discrimination is still a
major problem.

Racial discrimination is any discrimination against

any individual on the basis of their skin color, or
racial or ethnic origin. Individuals can discriminate
by refusing to do business with, socialize with, or
share resources with people of a certain group.

How do you deal with discrimination?

 Focus on your strengths.

 Get involved.
 Help yourself think clearly.
 Don't dwell.
 Seek professional help.
8. THE RISE IN GLOBAL PROTECTIONISM:

Protectionism is a policy of protecting domestic industries

against foreign competition by means of tariffs, subsidies,
import quotas, or other restrictions or handicaps placed on
the imports of foreign competitors.

 India is still in its developing phase, on the way to becoming a

developed nation. Our country is enthusiastically overcoming
each and every challenge coming across its way.

 Some of the grievances listed by India against developed

countries such as the US are the problems encountered by the
exporters of IT services, and tariffs imposed on the exports of
products like steel and aluminum by the US

 . The US has also imposed sanctions on the purchase of crude oil

from Iran, which is likely to hamper the Indian economy and
increase its import bill.

 Moreover, India faces a constant threat of tariffs from many

countries, and pressure to open up its domestic market.
Therefore, the newly formed government must take necessary
steps to protect the interests of India from foreign powers, that
are
 MORE TO KNOW: The rise in protectionism implies that a
progressively larger share of global trade has been affected by trade
distortions. Data from the Global Trade Alert database show that by
2017 more than 50% of exports from G20 countries were subject to
harmful trade measures, up from 20% in 2009.

 What are 5 reasons for protectionism?

 Protect strategic industries

 Protect non-renewable resources
 Deter unfair competition
 Save jobs
 Help the environment
 Limit over-specialization
 :CONCLUSION:
 Society can solve social issues themselves.
These social issues act as a barrier to the
progress of society. Thus, we must all come
together to fight against them and put them
to an end for the greater good.

 Government should take more steps towards

charity, trusts and have some transparency
while spending money in those social
institutions. There is a need for initiatives of
paid leave to the workers. The education
system should be reformed and initiatives
should be taken to bring more children to
schools.