The Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee has said that affirmative action is needed to include people in the mainstream of society who are marginalised. He said this while delivering a special memorial lecture to celebrate the 103rd Birth Anniversary of the former Deputy Prime Minister, and champion of social justice, Babu Jagjivan Ram in New Delhi today. Mr Mukherjee said that providing reservation to the weaker sections of society is necessary for inclusive growth.<br/><br/>Remembering her father, Lok Sabha Speaker, Mrs Meira Kumar said that Babu Jagjivan Ram wanted a classless and casteless society and worked towards it.<br/>AIR correspondent reports that Babu Jagjivan Ram known popularly as Babuji, was a renowned freedom fighter and a social reformer from Bihar. He worked with father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi and dalit messaih, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar for the uplift of oppressed classes. In 1946 he became the youngest minister in Jawahr Lal Nehru's provisional government and remained in the Union cabinet till 1979. Till his last breath, he was a sitting member of the Lok Sabha – his 8th term consecutively since the first general election. He served various Ministries – Labour, Railways, Food & Agriculture, Defence and Agriculture & Irrigation. In 1979, he became the Deputy Prime Ministrer. As Food & Agriculture Ministrer in 1967, he pulled the country out of a severe drought and heralded the Green Revolutjion. During the Indo-Pak war of 1971, he oversaw the victory of India's armed forces – a victory which ended with the creation of new country, Bangladesh. Several functions were organised across the country in his memory today.