Lok Sabha Speaker has said that India still has miles to go before it brings marginalized groups, like Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, into the mainstream.

Delivering the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial IFFCO lecture on Inclusive Development And Cooperative Movement in New Delhi on Monday Mrs. Meira Kumar said, unless this centuries-old exclusion is addressed, sustainable growth can not be achieved.

She said, the emphasis of government policies and plans should be on erasing the lines that stratify the society into social and economic enclaves of the 'haves' and the 'have-nots'.

Noting that India has notched an impressive record of economic growth in recent years, she expressed concern that while the workforce in the agricultural sector is 56% of the population, the share of the agricultural sector in GDP is merely 17%. She observed that the growth story has left several groups like the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and minorities out of the growth curve.

Quoting India Human Development Report 2011, she said high incidence of poverty persists among Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes across the country.

Mrs.Kumar said,apart from the historically disadvantaged groups like the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, social inclusion must also address the problems faced by persons with disabilities and the elderly.

Mrs.Kumar emphasised that the larger focus of cooperative reforms should be the sharing of the benefits of development.