A/HRC/8/52 page 152 observations and suggestions made by participants during the course of the discussion today and would give them due consideration with an open mind. However, this would have to be done within the parameters set out by the Indian Constitution which was among the most progressive in the world. 419. The Head of Delegation explained that many of the human rights challenges that India faced were rooted in poverty and underdevelopment. India was committed to the realization of the right to development of its people and was conscious of the obligations for the State arising from it. India sought to pursue this right by providing an environment for inclusive and accelerated growth and social progress within the framework of a secular and liberal democracy. Through a combination of offering entitlements, ensuring empowerment and stepping up public investment, the Government has sought to make the growth process more inclusive. To give a new impetus to its efforts for the realization of the right to development for its people, India had launched several new and ambitious initiatives in the areas of employment, education, and health. Further, in order to ensure that benefits of these schemes reached the people, a major step for empowerment of people has been taken through the enactment of the Right to Information Act, which was a very strong tool available to the people to ensure accountability of the Government. It had led to transparency, accountability and openness in the governmental process. 420. With reference to some specific issues, he stated that many delegations referred to the issue of discrimination against members of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes communities. India had been deeply conscious of the need to empower the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and was fully committed to tackling any discrimination against them at every level. He stated that an impressive array of constitutional, legal and administrative measures have been taken to empower the traditionally disadvantaged sections of Indian society. 421. The Head of Delegation spoke of the need to clarify one misconception often noticed among the participants in multilateral forums. It was often suggested that India denied the existence of the phenomenon of caste-based discrimination. This was clearly not the case. India was deeply conscious of this phenomenon and its Constitution had explicit and elaborate provisions to address this issue. He emphasized that there was no discrimination at the level of the State. On the contrary, an extensive affirmative action programme had been launched for the empowerment of the scheduled castes which was without parallel in its scale and dimension. However, when it came to the society as a whole, it was known that changing age old mindsets required sustained effort and patient application. India was committed to persevering in its efforts for attaining equality for all. It also recognized that action at the level of the Government only was not enough and had been engaging constructively with all relevant stakeholders. He further clarified that the caste system, which was unique to India, was not racial in origin, and therefore, caste based discrimination cannot be considered a form of racial discrimination. This was India’s settled position and not subject to review. 422. As regards the situation of minorities, he stated that “secularism” was one of the basic features of the Indian Constitution which can not be amended. The Constitution also ensured freedom for those who profess to have no religion and scrupulously restrained the State from discrimination on the grounds of religion. India was a diverse society which was home to almost all major religions of the world with, perhaps, unmatched pluralism and tolerance and it took immense pride in that fact. A range of legislative and executive measures had been taken for the