Synopsis One of the major segment of Indian society is OBCs, which are diverse in nature and constitute approximately half of the Indian population. Without understanding this section of society we cannot make progress in the right direction. Indian Constitution also provides certain measures to safeguard their interest. Besides this, various programmes and policies have been implemented by the government to uplift their social, economic and educational condition. In this direction, UPA Government has recently made an attempt to provide reservation in the private sector for disadvantaged, which is in the initial state. ‘Backward Classes in India: various dimensions’ deals with different aspects of this section of society i.e.; their background in historical and sociological perspective, identification of OBCs for the purpose of preferential discrimination and also to exclude those who are under creamy layer. It discusses various welfare measures meant for their upliftment. Chapter on Backward ‘Caste and Census’ deals with the delicate issue of enumeration of backward classes, alongwith its pros and cons. In nutshell, this book is an effort towards understanding backward classes in its totality.