He has more than 18 years of experience in teaching, research and development sector. Currently he is working as Associate Professor, School of Social Work, IGNOU. Before that he was with Central University of Kerala for 7 years and Indian Institute of Dalit Studies (IIDS) for five years as Assistant Professor. He also worked with various National and International development organizations like ActionAid, Aide-et-Action, Centre for Equity Studies. He has Co-authored a book titled “Caste, Discrimination and Exclusion in Modern India”, SAGE 2015. He has published more than 36 research articles in both national, international peer-reviewed journals and chapters in books. He had completed 12 research projects for government and various funding organizations. He has presented papers and also been as a resource person for more than 50 national and international seminar and workshops. At School of Social Work he is coordinating the PhD Programme and BFSW (Joint Coordinator).
EDUCATION
PhD and M.Phil from the Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. MA in Social Work and BSC in Plant Biology from Loyola College Chennai.
RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS
Health (social science), Development, Social Sciences, Education
10
Scopus Publications
465
Scholar Citations
9
Scholar h-index
9
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
Advancing Health Equity for the Disadvantaged: The Transformative Role of Social Work in Bridging the Gap Social Work and Society, 2024
Prevalence of psychological distress among the caregivers of an endosulfan disaster victims in India: a cross-sectional community-based study Renjith R. Pillai, Sekar Kasi, Dilip Diwakar Egyptian Journal of Neurology Psychiatry and Neurosurgery, 2023 Background Physical health needs of disaster victims take priority over mental health needs in post-disaster scenario, assessments and interventions for latter needs are done only for a shorter duration. The caregivers of the victims also bore the brunt of the disaster and their mental health needs are seldom examined and addressed. Unable to find any literature examining the mental health needs of caregivers of the endosulfan disaster victims in India, the study was planned with the objectives of assessing the prevalence and predictors of psychological distress, its relation to the level of impact, disability as well as quality of life among the caregivers of the victims of endosulfan disaster in the State of Kerala, India after 20 years. Method It was a cross-sectional community-based study among 400 the caregivers of the victims of endosulfan disaster. Demographic details, distress, impact, disability and quality of life were measured using instruments such as Family Schedule, Self-Reporting Questionnaire, Impact of Events Scale, World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 and World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale, respectively. Results The estimated psychological distress among the caregivers of the endosulfan disaster victims was 48.7%. Distressed caregivers were found to have significant higher impact (t = − 12.12, p < 0.001), higher disability (t = − 13.33, p < 0.001), and poorer quality of life (t = 11.64, p < 0.001) than non-distressed caregivers. On logistic regression analysis, the positive predictors of psychological distress among the caregivers of endosulfan victims were female sex, impact and psychological disability while quality of life was a negative predictor. Conclusions Almost half of the caregivers of the victims of endosulfan disaster victims reported psychological distress, high level of impact and disability and a poorer quality of life. It calls for periodical mental health needs assessment and a long-term sustainable community based psychosocial care and disaster mental health programme.
Policy Directions and Public Choices in Direct Cash Transfer Programme of PDS Dilip Diwakar G. Indian Journal of Social Work, 2021 This study was carried out in Puducherry to check the effectiveness of the direct cash transfer programme initiatives and its limitations in addressing household food security. The public distribution system (PDS) was introduced in India in the 1940s to ensure food security in urban areas. This programme was continued even after independence, as it ensures food security during droughts, famines, wars, and so on. However, the programme had implementation problems like leakage, pilferage, delay in supply, low quality of grains, corruption, among others. Recently, the government linked the PDS card with the Aadhar numbers of the household members. The government introduced cash transfers instead of food grain provisioning through fair price shops in three union territories in 2015 on an experimental basis. It was believed that direct cash transfers along with biometrics would address the implementation issues.
Evaluating the social orientation of the integrated child development services programme Economic and Political Weekly, 2014
Addressing utilization of the ICDS programme in Tamil Nadu, India: How class and caste matters Dilip Diwakar G. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 2014 Purpose – The reduction in under nutrition is very slow in the past two decades in India even with high-economic growth rate and expansion in the ICDS programme. The ICDS evaluation studies majorly stressed on the general factors but they fail to acknowledge the structural factors - class and caste - while providing solutions. In Tamil Nadu nutritional status and utilization of ICDS services are better as compared to all-India average. The purpose of this paper is to explore the nutritional status of the poor and scheduled caste (SC) in Tamil Nadu and their utilization of ICDS services and to examine the role of group-specific factors in low reduction of nutritional status and utilization of ICDS programme. Design/methodology/approach – Multivariate analysis and logistic regression method were used using SPSS. Findings – The reduction of underweight is slow among the poorest and SC, moreover, the disparity between the richest and poorest as well as upper caste and SC is increasing. Logistic regression analysis shows that the poorest are marginalized, children belonging to poorer income group have higher chances of using the ICDS than the poorest and it is significant. After making the wealth quintile constant, the utilization of ICDS services across social groups showed that, though the poorest quintile has less access, within them the SC had utilized less compared to the other backward class (OBC). This indicates the poorest SCs are more vulnerable and marginalized across all quintiles and social groups. Research limitations/implications – In Tamil Nadu there is no sufficient sample of other caste/tribe and scheduled tribe. It would have given more insight on the utilization pattern. Lack of qualitative data has limited in explaining few phenomena to get more insight. Social implications – It will help the government to formulate more inclusive policy and address the issue of exclusion of marginalized people. Originality/value – The main core argument was based on the Tamil Nadu National Family Health Survey (NFHS) III unit-level data.
Caste, inequality, and poverty in India: A re-assessment Vani K. Borooah, Dilip Diwakar, Vinod Kumar Mishra, Ajaya Kumar Naik, Nidhi S. Sabharwal Development Studies Research, 2014 The aim of this paper is to examine the inequality and poverty issues of rural households in India from the perspective of a household’s monthly per capita consumption expenditure using data on nearly 20,000 households. In examining these issues, the paper first sets out a model of a poverty–inequality trade-off whereby governments could choose the poverty–inequality combination they most preferred. Then the paper proceeds to examine whether there is a ‘caste basis’ to inequality and poverty in India or whether distributional and deprivation outcomes are ‘caste blind’ and entirely determined by the attributes of the individual households. Our overarching conclusion is that households’ outcomes with respect to their position on the distributional ladder, or with respect to their chances of being poor, are dependent in large measure on their caste. So households from the Scheduled Castes were more likely to be in the lowest quintile of consumption, and were more likely to be poor, than high-caste Hindu households.
Elimination of Identity-based Discrimination in Food and Nutrition Programmes in India Rajendra P. Mamgain, G. Dilip Diwakar IDS Bulletin, 2012 India's growth story in recent years is being criticised for its inability to reduce the ever‐increasing income inequality and higher incidence of malnutrition among its children, particularly those belonging to marginalised groups such as Scheduled Castes (SCs). This article examines the prevalence of identity‐based discrimination in health and nutritional programmes and finds it to be one of the important reasons for the higher incidence of malnutrition among SC children. While examining the guidelines of two major nutritional support programmes – the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and the Mid Day Meal (MDM) Scheme – the article argues for making these more caste‐ and gender‐sensitive in order to eliminate discrimination. It offers policy recommendations to address and monitor the discrimination in nutrition programmes. These include greater participation by marginalised groups like SCs in service planning and delivery, ensuring quality and promoting accountability; training and sensitisation of service providers; and the revision of administrative guidelines.
RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
A Narrative Review on Teleoncology Enhancing Cancer Care and Equity in Indigenous Communities and Geographically Isolated Areas MK Prasanth, V Viswambaran INDIAN JOURNAL OF PREVENTIVE AND SOCIAL MEDICINE 56 (3), 326-334 , 2025 2025
Challenging Caste-based Inequalities Through Pedagogy: A Case Study from India V Viswambaran, G Dilip Diwakar Contemporary Voice of Dalit, 2455328X251355812 , 2025 2025
Advancing Health Equity for the Disadvantaged: The Transformative Role of Social Work in Bridging the Gap AC Choolayil, DG Diwakar Social Work & Society 22 (1) , 2024 2024 Citations: 1
Digitalisation of Welfare Programmes and its Effective Delivery to Older Adults: A Case of DBT in PDS at Puducherry G Dilip Diwakar Indian Journal of Gerontology 38 (1), 129-138 , 2024 2024
Prevalence of psychological distress among the caregivers of an endosulfan disaster victims in India: a cross-sectional community-based study RR Pillai, S Kasi, D Diwakar The Egyptian Journal of Neurology, Psychiatry and Neurosurgery 59 (1), 78 , 2023 2023
A Sustainable Approach to Waste Management in Tourist Destinations AS Das, DG Diwakar Indian Anthropologist 53 (1/2), 21-42 , 2023 2023
Learning Outcomes of Intersectionality among Undergraduate Students V Viswambaran, DG Diwakar Available at SSRN 5403854 , 2022 2022
Impact of Covid-19 on Livelihood and Health Experiences of Migrant Labourers in Kerala, India D Diwakar G, V Viswambaran, P MK CASTE: A Global Journal on Social Exclusion 3 (2), 299-318 , 2022 2022 Citations: 1
Life of the Theyyam Artists of Kerala—Their Livelihood, Health Condition and Social Status TV Keerthi, GD Diwakar Mapping Identity-Induced Marginalisation in India: Inclusion and Access in … , 2022 2022 Citations: 2
Knowledge accumulation during COVID-19: Increasing digital divide and vulnerability among indian students GD Diwakar, V Viswambaran Caste, COVID-19, and Inequalities of Care: Lessons from South Asia, 103-126 , 2022 2022 Citations: 7
Learning Outcomes of Employing Media Deconstruction in Indian Magazines D Viswambaran, Visakh, Diwakar G Journal of Media and Communication 6 (1), 118-141 , 2022 2022
Caste, discrimination, and exclusion in modern India VK Borooah, NS Sabharwal, DG Diwakar, VK Mishra, AK Naik SAGE , 2021 2021 Citations: 1
A PROGRESSIVE CURRICULUM TO INCULCATE HYGIENE VALUES AMONG STUDENTS DGD Das, Austin Sinesh Work Education, 22 , 2021 2021
Intersectional pedagogy for gender transformation among graduate students in India: A case study from Kerala D Viswambaran, Visakh, Diwakar G Social Sciences & Humanities Open 4 (1), 100170 , 2021 2021 Citations: 6
‘Together’: The Story of How Kerala Flattened the Corona Curve V Viswambaran, DG Diwakar Available at SSRN 3589882 , 2020 2020
Social Inclusiveness of National Food Security Bill: Issues and Concerns. DG Diwalar, N Tagade, S Sharma Productivity 60 (3) , 2019 2019
Rights Based Sustainable Livelihood Assessment: A Strategy for Humanitarian Agencies during Disaster CK Vivek, C Vinodan International Journal of Research in Social Sciences 9 (2), 681-699 , 2019 2019
Framework to Study Exclusion in ICDS Centre: A Case of Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu G Dilip Diwakar International Journal of Research in Social Sciences 9 (2) , 2019 2019
Solid Waste Management for Sustainable Tourism AS DAS, GD DIWAKAR International Journal of Applied Social Science 6 (2), 399-406 , 2019 2019 Citations: 5
Implementation of DBT to ensure Food Security: A Case Study of PDS in Puducherry, India GD Diwakar, RR Pillai Journal of Social Work and Social Development 10 (1), 16-33 , 2019 2019 Citations: 1
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Caste, inequality, and poverty in India: a re-assessment VK Borooah, D Diwakar, VK Mishra, AK Naik, NS Sabharwal Development Studies Research. An Open Access Journal 1 (1), 279-294 , 2014 2014 Citations: 113
Caste, discrimination, and exclusion in modern India VK Borooah, NS Sabharwal, DG Diwakar, VK Mishra, AK Naik (No Title) , 2015 2015 Citations: 103
Resettlement of urban poor in Chennai, Tamil Nadu: Concerns in R&R policy and urban housing programme D Diwakar G, V Peter Journal of Land and Rural Studies 4 (1), 97-110 , 2016 2016 Citations: 44
Elimination of identity‐based discrimination in food and nutrition programmes in India RP Mamgain, GD Diwakar IDS Bulletin 43, 25-31 , 2012 2012 Citations: 33
Evaluating the social orientation of the integrated child development services programme VK Borooah, D Diwakar, NS Sabharwal Economic and Political Weekly 49 (12), 52-62 , 2014 2014 Citations: 27
SWALLOWING THE HUMILIATION: THE MID-DAY MEAL AND EXCLUDED GROUPS DDGSS Nidhi S Sabharwal, Ajaya K Naik Journal of Social Inclusion 1 (1), 169-182 , 2014 2014 Citations: 26
Addressing utilization of the ICDS programme in Tamil Nadu, India: how class and caste matters GD Diwakar International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy , 2014 2014 Citations: 24
diversity, academic performance, and discrimination: A case study of a higher educational institution NS Sabharwal, SK Thorat, T Balasubramanyam, D Diwakar Working Paper Series 8 (4) , 2014 2014 Citations: 20
Caste discrimination as a factor in poor access to public health service system: a case study of janani suraksha yojana scheme NS Sabharwal, S Sharma, D Diwakar G, A K Naik Journal of Social Inclusion Studies 1 (1), 148-168 , 2014 2014 Citations: 17
Criminal Stigma and Livelihood: Socio-Economic Study of De-notified Tribes in Karnataka S JAPHET, NSS Balagurumurthy, Dilip Diwakar G IIDS , 2013 2013 Citations: 8
Knowledge accumulation during COVID-19: Increasing digital divide and vulnerability among indian students GD Diwakar, V Viswambaran Caste, COVID-19, and Inequalities of Care: Lessons from South Asia, 103-126 , 2022 2022 Citations: 7
Intersectional pedagogy for gender transformation among graduate students in India: A case study from Kerala D Viswambaran, Visakh, Diwakar G Social Sciences & Humanities Open 4 (1), 100170 , 2021 2021 Citations: 6
Critical Appraisal of ICDS Programme: Budget and Resource Analysis GD Diwakar Journal of the Madras School of Social Work, A half yearly review of social … , 2010 2010 Citations: 6
Solid Waste Management for Sustainable Tourism AS DAS, GD DIWAKAR International Journal of Applied Social Science 6 (2), 399-406 , 2019 2019 Citations: 5
Social exclusion and rural poverty: role of discrimination and general factors in access to government schemes for employment, food, health services, agricultural land and … SK Thorat, NS Sabharwal, GD Diwakar, S Sandeep, AN Karimullah, ... Indian Institute of Dalit Studies, New Delhi , 2013 2013 Citations: 5
Food Security for Socially Excluded Groups in India: Examining the Role of Social Protection Programme NS Sabharwal, M Mukherjee, VK Mishra, D Diwakar G Journal of Social Inclusion Studies 2 (1), 25-42 , 2015 2015 Citations: 4
Caste, health and discrimination: Understanding policies and programme implementation in India D Diwakar G Journal of Social Inclusion Studies 2 (1), 43-58 , 2015 2015 Citations: 3
Relevance of ICDS Programme in Postliberalisation Period in Addressing the Malnutrition among 0-6 Years Children: A Case Study of Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu GD Diwakar Reinventing Public Management and Development in Emerging Economies … , 2011 2011 Citations: 3
Integrated child development service in Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu: issues of access to marginalised communities GD Diwakar unpublished thesis, submitted to Center of Social Medicine and Community … , 2011 2011 Citations: 3
Life of the Theyyam Artists of Kerala—Their Livelihood, Health Condition and Social Status TV Keerthi, GD Diwakar Mapping Identity-Induced Marginalisation in India: Inclusion and Access in … , 2022 2022 Citations: 2
