Caste as a Barrier to Indias Economic Expansion

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Caste as a Barrier to Indias Economic Expansion
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What is the Caste System?

• General term used to describe the social
  structure in Indian society
• There are 4 varnas (classes) in which castes are
  placed
• Each caste is placed within a varna depending on
  their job within the society

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Origins of Caste System

• From various parts of the primordial man came the
  4 varnas

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Brahmins (mouth)

• Teachers, priests, scholars
• Highly regarded for their understanding of
  religion

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Kshatriya (arms)

• Rulers, warriors, landowners
• Protectors of the land
• All military people come from this varna

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Vaisha (thighs)

• Merchants, traders, and businessmen

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Shudra (feet)

• Agriculturists, laborers, service people

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Untouchables

• Responsible for dirty work
• Leather workers, latrine cleaners
• Gandhi referred to them as Harijans, or
  children of god
• Dalit, or depressed, is now the preferred term

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Garbage man A condemned profession
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Caste within Society

• Caste and varna are actually two different
  concepts
• Many castes in India, all of which fit (loosely)
  into the four varnas
• A varna is usually associated with a caste based
  on profession

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Sample List of Indian Castes

• Bhandari
• Bhatia
• Billava
• Brahmin
• Smartha or Advaitic Brahmins
• South Indian Smartha (Advaitic) Brahmins
• Iyer
• Vaidiki Kasalanadu
• Vaidiki Mulukanadu
• Vaidiki Velanadu
• Vaidiki Veginadu
• Vaidiki Telanganya
• Namboothiri
• Badaganadu
• Hoysala Kannada
• Devanga Kannada

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British Influence

• Made a list of scheduled castes, or communities
  that are identified as backward.

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Classifications in Modern India

• Scheduled Castes (SC)
• Scheduled Tribes (ST)
• Other Backward Castes (OBC)
• Forward Castes

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Criteria for Classification

• Criteria to identify OBC
• The Mandal Commission adopted various methods and
  techniques to collect the necessary data and
  evidence. The commission adopted 11 criteria
  which could be grouped under three major
  headings social, educational and economic in
  order to identify OBCs.
• Social
• Castes/classes considered as socially backward by
  others. Castes/classes which mainly depend on
  manual labour for their livelihood.
  Castes/classes where at least 25 per cent females
  and 10 per cent males above the state average get
  married at an age below 17 years in rural areas
  and at least 10 per cent females and 5 per cent
  males do so in urban areas. Castes/classes where
  participation of females in work is at least 25
  per cent above the state average.
• Educational
• Castes/classes where the number of children in
  the age group of 5-15 years who never attended
  school is at least 25 per cent above the state
  average. Castes/classes where the rate of student
  drop-out in the age group of 5-15 years is at
  least 25 per cent above the state average.
  Castes/classes amongst whom the proportion of
  matriculates is at least 25 per cent below the
  state average.
• Economic
• Castes/classes where the average value of family
  assets is at least 25 per cent below the state
  average. Castes/classes where the number of
  families living in kuccha houses is at least 25
  per cent above the state average. Castes/classes
  where the source of drinking water is beyond half
  a kilometer for more than 50 per cent of the
  households. Castes/classes where the number of
  households having taken consumption loans is at
  least 25 per cent above the state average. Also
  know as Creamy layer and this criteria of
  separation is ignored by the government which
  known as the most controversial issue of
  reservation. (Aug2006)
• Weightage
• Of these three groups, separate weightage was
  given to indicators of each group. A weightage of
  three points each was given to all the social
  indicators. Educational indicators were given two
  points each. And economic indicators were given
  one point each. All castes which had a score of
  50 per cent or above by applying the score were
  listed as socially and educationally backward and
  the rest were treated as advanced.

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Caste Distribution
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Distribution of Forward Castes
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Some myths

• Myth The caste system is declining

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Some myths

• Myth The caste system is declining
• Truth While it may be true to say that
  discrimination based on the caste system is
  declining, the caste system is here to stay for
  the foreseeable future

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Some Myths

• Myth The lower-castes want to be recognized as
  equals

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Some Myths

• Myth The lower-castes want to be recognized as
  equals
• Truth For political and materialistic reasons,
  many communities wish to be classified as
  lower-castes. In the 1980s there were agitations
  and violence in India, as some communities were
  classified as no-longer backward, and the
  Government was forced to reclassify them as
  disadvantaged.

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• MAHARASHTRA BURNING

The village head, or sarpanch, was officiating.
Some men called out, asking permission to rape
the two women. Surekha and Priyanka were
gang-raped for over an hour while Sudhir and
Roshan were hacked to death with axes. Then the
women were killed and men shoved sticks into
their genitals. The bodies were dumped into a
canal. This level of savagery, as unbelievable as
it sounds, is not rare at all among the tens of
thousands of cases of atrocities against
untouchables reported across India every year.
http//www.anti-caste.org/news/maharasthra_burning
.html
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ST/SC Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989

• Untouchability
• What is required  to be done  in case any 
  practice of Untouchability is noticed?
• What are the provisions of the relevent act ?
• Atrocity
• What is required to be done in case any
  atrocities is  committed  on any person belonging
  to  Scheduled Caste and the Scheduled Tribe by
  any person other than SC/ST?
• What is  covered under atrocities against SC ST
  ?
• What is the maximum  punishment provided for
  commission of such offences under the act ?
• What relief is provided to a SC/ST person
  affected by  atrocities ?

http//socialjustice.nic.in/schedule/faq.htm
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Question   What is covered under atrocities
against SC ST ?

• Answer      In case a person, not being a member
  of a Scheduled Caste  or a Scheduled Tribe,
  forces a member of SC/ST
• (i) to drink or eat any inedible or obnoxious
  substance
• (ii) to cause injury, insult or annoyance  by
  dumping excreta, waste matter, carcasses or any
  other obnoxious substance in his premises or
  neighbourhood
• (iii) forcibly removes clothes or parades him
  naked or with painted face or body or commits any
  similar act which is derogatory to human dignity
  
• (iv)  wrongfully occupies or cultivates any land
  owned by,  or allotted to,  or notified by any
  competent authority to be allotted to him
  transferred
• (v)  wrongfully dispossesses  from his land or
  premises or interferes with the enjoyment of his
  rights over any land, premises or water
• (vi)  compels or entices  to do begar or other
  similar forms of forced or bonded labour other
  than any compulsory service for public purposes
  imposed by Government
• (vii)  forces or intimidates  not to vote or to
  vote a particular candidate or to vote in a
  manner other than that provided by law
• (viii)  institutes false, malicious or vexatious
  suit or criminal or other legal proceedings
• (ix)  gives any false or frivolous information to
  any public servant and thereby causes such as
  public servant to use his lawful power to the
  injury or annoyance
• (x)   intentionally insults or intimidates with
  intent to humiliate any place with in public
  view
• (xi) assaults or uses force to any woman with
  intent to dishonour or outrage her modesty
• (xii) being in a position to dominate the will of
  a woman and uses that position to exploit her
  sexually to which she would not have otherwise
  agreed
• (xiii)  corrupts or fouls the water of any
  spring, reservoir or any other source ordinarily
  used  so as to render it less fit for the purpose
  for which it is ordinarily used
• (xiv) denies  any customary right of passage to
  place of public resort or obstructs such member
  so as to prevent him from using or having access
  to a place of public resort to which other
  members of public or any section thereof have a
  right to use or access to
• (xv) forces or causes  to leave his house,
  village or other place of residence.

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Question     What relief is provided to a SC/ST
person affected by  atrocities ?

• Answer       Relief is provided as under
• (a) Murder of earning member- Rs. 2 lakhs
• (b) Murder of non  earning member Rs. 1 lakhs
  
• (c) 100 incapacitation Rs.1 lakh
• (d) Sexual exploitation of a woman Rs.50,000/- 

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Reservation System

• A quota is reserved for OBCs and STs/SCs in
  educational institutions and government jobs

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India to implement caste quotas
Under the plan, half of state-funded professional
college places would go to lower caste students.
The plan will come into effect in 2007. Those
opposed to it say it will lead to a drop in
college standards. At present, 22.5 of college
places are "reserved" for Dalits, or
untouchables, who are at the bottom of India's
caste hierarchy, and tribal students. Under the
new plan, 27 of places will also be set aside
for lower caste Hindus known as other backward
castes (OBCs) and other socially disadvantaged
groups.
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Protest to Caste Quotas

• An increase in caste quotas is planned to reserve
  about 50 of university openings to lower castes
• Many members of the forward castes are
  disadvantaged economically, but no reservation is
  made for them
• Will lead to an overall drop in education
  standards

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A Survey
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Economic Expansion has Benefited Self and Family?
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Conclusion

• The caste system is a barrier to the sustained
  growth of the Indian economy