A two-day national seminar on ‘Liberalisation and Caste-Class Dynamics in India’ organized by the School of Economics was inaugurated by the Prof. BJ Rao, Vice-Chancellor, University of Hyderabad (UoH) on July 27, 2023 at the Zakir Hussain Lecture Hall Complex, University Campus.
Prof. Sukhadeo Thorat, Professor Emeritus, CSRD, SSS, JNU and former Chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC) virtually delivered the inaugural address on the topic ‘Why the Excluded group remain chronically poor? Insights from Theories of economic discrimination and empirical evidence’.
In the course of his presidential address, Vice-chancellor Prof. B. J. Rao said that there is a fair amount of diversity and harmony in biological systems, astronomical systems, and nature. However, when it comes to human society, harmony is disturbed, and conflicts arise. The task of academicians is to understand what are the drivers of inequalities and conflicts in society.
Prof. Thorat said “There are diverse groups in society as the honourable Vice-chancellor opinioned, but each group lays down certain norms about how they should behave with other groups. It so happened that the norms laid down by a group are discriminatory and unfair. The dominant Castes and Classes impose such norms where equals are treated unequally based on birth. The oppressed caste, communities, and poor are considered inferior. This is where the harmony is broken in our society.”
The two-day seminar witnessed special lectures, technical sessions, group/panel discussions.
Prof. K Laxminarayana, School of Economics, briefed about the seminar while Prof. Ramana Murthy, Dean, School of Economics welcomed the gathering.
Dr Nitin Tagade, School of Economics proposed the vote of thanks at the inaugural session.