Socio‐Economic and Educational Status of Scheduled Castes

Abstract

Caste system in India is not a new phenomenon, the root of which can be found in the traditional socieh;. The Indian Constitution has offered some social, economic and political safeguards to the depressed sections of the society. The object of this paper is to study the socio-economic and educational status of the Scheduled Castes (SCs) in the study area. Around 60 per cent of the sample respondents are illiterates and more percentage of respondents are practicing non-agricultural activities in the study area. More than 40 per cent of the sample households are having total annual income below 15, 000 rupees. More than 84 per cent of the sample households are dwelling in pucca houses which are distributed by the government through VAMBAY housing scheme. The SC population has increased at a faster rate than the overall population. After independence, the government of India and also the state of Andltra Pradesh has taken several steps to improve the status of the SCs. Though some progress was made in this direction, yet much work has to be done to rewove the disparities between SCs and All population, which exist even today on various grounds.