The document discusses social exclusion in India. Social exclusion refers to individuals or groups being denied access to opportunities that others enjoy due to discrimination based on caste, religion, gender or other attributes. The major causes of social exclusion in India are the racial and caste discrimination that have existed since pre-independence. The main consequence of social exclusion is poverty. Scheduled castes and scheduled tribes experience high levels of social exclusion and are disproportionately represented among the poor in India.