After India attained independence in 1947, the country introduced laws to make discrimination against lower castes illegal and to improve their socioeconomic positions. As a result, some from the underprivileged groups have made it to leading positions, such as Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, who wrote the Indian constitution, and KR Narayanan, who was elected president in 1997.
Reservations were introduced for college admissions and jobs. The scenario within the country has undergone a lot of change with the progress in technology, education, social outlook, urbanization, and modernization. With the spread of urbanization and secular education, the influence of caste has decreased. This has occurred especially in cities where inter-caste marriages and people of different castes living reside in societies. However, despite the growing changes the caste identity still holds a lot of importance in society.