Other Backward Classes Research Articles

Reservation Policy

“Reservation Policy: An Analysis of Scheduled Tribes Reservation on Higher Education in Manipur.” This paper examines how marginalized social groups are admitted to Manipur’s universities, notably Manipur University. In Manipur, the reservation proportion is as follows: unreserved 40%, economically weaker 10%, Scheduled Tribes (ST) 31%, Scheduled Castes (SC) 2%, and Other Backward Classes (OBC) (17%). This research focused on Manipur’s shortage of quota provisions in higher education admissions. Tribal peoples, who already have 31% of the reservation opportunity, were outraged by this. All ministries of the Indian Union Government have a 7.5% allocation for ST. However, the problem with these figures is that they are radically different from Manipur’s current demographic reality. The Indian Central Educational Institutions (CEI) Reservation in Admission Act, 2006, as revised in 2012, is also the basis for the paper.

ACADEMIC CAPABILITIES AND DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS: A STUDY OF ACADEMIC PROGRESSION AMONG OTHER BACKWARD CLASS STUDENTS IN INDIA

Purpose - The purpose of the paper is to examine output in terms of the repetition rate, dropout rate and transition rate among Other Backward Classes (OBCs) students at various levels of school education in North-Kashmir, UT of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on a descriptive survey method intended to understand the broad trends of academic progression in terms of GER, NER, dropout rate, transition rate etc among OBC students in India. In order to study the academic capabilities among OBCs the data was collected from secondary sources. In India there are various official departments who maintain the records pertinent to the school education like NIEPA, NCERT & MHRD etc. We have used the data available at U-DISE by exercising the internet survey technique from academic years between 2014 to 2017. Findings – The authors find that output in terms of Dropout rate is significantly very high among the OBCs from grade I to the grade XI, shows drastic increase immediately after VIII grade in the three studied areas of north-Kashmir during the three studied years 2014 to 210. The results in overall revealed that there is an increasing trend in the dropout rate after grade VIII among the OBC students. Implications – The evidence provided in this paper underscores the importance of social interactions and necessary interventions in analysing individual outcomes and is improving the educational pursuits of OBC students. Originality/value - The findings may have significantly shown the overall picture of output at different levels of school education and bearings in reducing dropout rates in India.

Status of erythrocyte genetic disorders in people of desert and humid environments in Rajasthan, India: focus on natural selection in tribals against malaria

In India, Rajasthan is the largest state having two distinct environments separated by presence of Aravali Mountains. One is desert, located in the west region and other is humid in the east region where malaria is endemic. In Rajasthan, various inherited erythrocyte genetic disorders, abnormal haemoglobins (Hbs), thalassaemia (thal) and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase enzyme deficiency (Gd) have been extensively studied in people of scheduled tribe (ST), scheduled caste (SC), general caste (GC) and other backward class (OBC) populations residing in both environments. In these populations, abnormal haemoglobin variants, Hb-S, Hb-D, Hb-E, Hb-J, Hb-C and Hb-H in heterozygous (trait) and/or homozygous state with varying incidence have been detected. Among these Hb variants, sickle cell Hb in trait form (Hb-AS) is common and widely distributed in diverse populations. Genes of β-thalassaemia trait (0.0–9.0%) are more prevalent compared to α-thalassaemic (1.88–3.07%) genes and are also widely distributed. Gd disorder is also common in occurrence and widely distributed with varying incidence (0.64–22.0%) in people of both environments. Relatively a high incidence of Hb-S (31.14%), β-thalassaemia (9.00%) and Gd (22.00%) genes reported in tribals of southern Rajasthan. In present communication, status of various erythrocyte genetic disorders in people of both environments, natural selection in tribals against malaria, mitigation and control of these genetic disorders and effect of fluoride exposure in tribals having sickle cell and β-thalassaemic genes are considered and critically reviewed. These findings may be useful in framing and implementation of health policies for the mitigation and control of erythrocyte genetic disorders in tribal communities.

A Study on Socio-economic Condition of Sheep Rearers of District Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand

Background: Uttarakhand is a hilly state and a very little land is under cultivation but animal husbandry appears to be a good source of livelihood for farmers and sheep rearing is one of the major components of animal husbandry in Uttarakhand which help farmers to run their life. Sheep rearing is very much prevailing in hilly regions of the State.
 Aim: To find the socio-economic condition of the rearers.
 Methodology: A study was conducted in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. A total of 80 rearers were selected randomly from the Bhatwari block of Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand and a pre structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the rearers. Respondents were classified into three categories on the basis of number of sheep viz. small (having less than 50 sheep), medium (between 50-100 sheep), and large (more than 100 sheep).
 Results: Study showed that small rearers have 46.86 average numbers of sheep whereas medium size rearers have 73.88 and large rearers have 258.52 average numbers of sheep. Out of which number of Ram were lowest. Most of the rearers were from 35-50 years of age group. 48.74 % of rearers had completed their primary education and 14.11% of rearers were illiterate. Majority of rearers (i.e., 68.75) were engaged with two occupations. On an average 57.48 % of rearers were OBCs (Other backward class) and 29.99 % were from tribal community(i.e.,Bhotiya). The average income of small, medium and large farm group is ₹53,440, ₹89,627 ₹1,96,802 respectively.
 Conclusion: It was concluded that there is need to eradicate the lack of awareness about the new technologies and educate the rearers about more efficient way of sheep rearing. With this women participation and youth should also be encouraged to involve in sheep rearing.

Mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic in India: an in-depth exploration of challenges and opportunities for three vulnerable population groups

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic is certain to have an unprecedented impact on the global population, but marginalized and vulnerable groups in low-income countries (LICs) are predicted to carry the largest burden. This study focuses on the implications of COVID-19-related measures on three population groups in India, including (1) migrant laborers (of which a majority come from Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), as well as Other Backward Classes (OBCs)), (2) children from low-income families and, (3) refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a sequential mixed-method research design. A desk-based study of a selection of government reports was undertaken on the COVID-19-related mitigation measures. The desk study was followed by in-depth interviews with purposively recruited high-ranking experts in specific sectors of policy implementation and service delivery across the country.FindingsThe outcomes of this study shed light on (1) the most urgent needs that need to be addressed per population group, (2) the variety of state-level responses as well as best practices observed to deal with mitigation issues and (3) opportunities for quick relief as well as more long-term solutions.Practical implicationsThe COVID-19 pandemic has not only reduced people's means of maintaining a livelihood but has simultaneously revealed some of India's long-standing problems with infrastructure and resource distribution in a range of sectors, including nutrition and health, education, etc. There is an urgent need to construct effective pathways to trace and respond to those people who are desolate, and to learn from – and support – good practices at the grassroot level.Originality/valueThe current study contributes to the discussion on how inclusive public health might be reached.

Infectious diseases in India: assessing the role of household amenities and socio-demographic determinants

Infectious diseases continue to be a significant impediment in the attainment of sustainable development goals related to health. A lack of essential household amenities and social determinants are the primary cause behind the outbreak of infectious diseases in LMICs. The current study aimed to examine the socio-demographic determinants of infectious diseases vis-a-vis basic household amenities in India. This study was based on nationally representative data of ‘Key indicators of Social Consumption in India: Health’ conducted by the National Sample Survey Organisation between July 2017 and June 2018. The study measured the inicidence of various infectious diseases across basic household amenities and socio-demographic variables. Multivariate logistic regression is employed to analyse the association between the likelihood of a particular infectious disease and various intersectional variables. The study findings reveal that the lack of household amenities such as access to a toilet, clean drinking water, garbage disposal and socio-economic determinants such as area of residence, gender, poverty and age have a significant impact on the incidence of infectious diseases in India. Among various infectious diseases jaundice, malaria and others, including tuberculosis and typhoid, dengue fever and chikungunya, have a relatively higher incidence. Approximately 22.32% of the population do not have proper toilet facility, 45.56% have proper tap water facility, while 50% either use water from spring/well or other unprotected sources and about half of the population do not have any arrangement for garbage disposal. Among socio-demographic determinants, incidence of infections is relatively higher in rural areas, other backward classes (OBCs), males, children, and adults. The study findings outlined that there is a need for better government interventions towards reducing the burden of infectious diseases in India, particularly in rural areas.

Datta Bhagat’s Routes and Escape Routes and Vijay Tendulkar’s Kanyadaan: Critiquing the Dalit

This article seeks to understand Indian theatre’s take on Dalit politics of our time through a critical reading of two post-independence plays—Datta Bhagat’s Routes and Escape Routes and Vijay Tendulkar’s Kanyadaan. Politically, ‘Dalit’ becomes important only after 1947 in post-independence and post-colonial India or more specifically from the 1970s. In the post-Ambedkar phase of Dalit re/configuration, they begin to self-assert through politics, art, and literature, most effectively and convincingly, only with the rise of Dalit Panthers and in the aftermath of the implementation of Mandal Commission’s recommendation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation. The article tries to examine the fresh critique of the Dalit vis-à-vis the upper caste-centric society, undertaken in this crucial context of reconfiguration and from beyond any traditional parameter of understanding, and map, through the plays, the plurality hidden within the perceived monolith of Dalit consciousness. Consequently, Dalit experiences against the backdrop of their struggle are laid bare, and unfamiliar realities come out to upset our comfortable knowledge about this large segment of Indian society.

IsabelWilkersonCaste: The Origins of Our DiscontentsRandom House, 2020. 496 p. $32.00

IsabelWilkersonCaste: The Origins of Our DiscontentsRandom House, 2020. 496 p. $32.00

Does Affirmative Action Work? Evaluating India’s Quota System

This paper examines two common critiques of ethnic quota policies in government hiring and education: that they do not benefit the target group, and that any benefits are unevenly distributed within the target group. It focuses on the effects of educational and hiring quotas for Other Backward Class (OBC) castes in India, using difference-in-difference and triple difference designs that take advantage of the gradual introduction of these quotas. The results provide little support for these critiques: affirmative action is associated with small increases in educational attainment and government employment among eligible age cohorts, though the increases in government employment may be a result of other social and political trends. These benefits extend even to poorer OBCs (though not the very poorest), and increase the chances of social contact between uneducated OBCs and government officials.

Social Identity and STEM Choice: Evidence from Higher Secondary Schooling in India

This paper investigates the role of social identity, namely gender and caste of individuals, in stream choice at the higher secondary level of schooling in India. We analyze the choice of science stream that is a crucial determinant of subsequent science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) related education and labour market outcomes. Using three rounds of nationally representative surveys between 2007 and 2018, we estimate regression models including household characteristics and fixed effects to control for region-specific unobserved heterogeneity. We find that females and individuals belonging to historically disadvantaged social groups (castes) are significantly less likely to study science. On average, female students enrolled in higher secondary education have 9 percentage points lower probability than male students to study science during the period considered for the analysis. For students belonging to the socially disadvantaged groups – Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Caste (SC), and Other Backward Classes (OBC), the likelihood of studying science is significantly lower by 6.9, 4.4, and 2.7 percentage points, respectively, than students from the less-disadvantaged groups. Using decomposition analysis, we show that the differences in the observable characteristics such as economic affluence and household head’s education significantly explain some portion of the caste-based gaps, but they do not explain the gender gap that persists even in an intra-household comparison. We also test for the intersectionality of the overlapping identities of gender and caste in this context. We find evidence of cumulative disadvantages for females of SC and OBC groups, but lower gender disparity among ST students indicating the presence of intersectionality for this group. Thus, our paper highlights social identity as an important determinant of STEM-related education that may have long-term implications for the economic welfare of disadvantaged groups.

The governmental ranking of class and the academic performance of Indian adolescents.

Social and economic factors are commonly examined as contextual variables that predict academic achievement, apart from the educational environment. In India, a major segment of the socioeconomic status of students comprises the governmental stratification of population into three broad classes, viz., scheduled castes/tribes (SC-ST), other backward classes (OBC) and general class (GC). In this study, we examined the association of these governmental classes with the academic performance of Indian adolescents who enjoy the same school environment. Psychological measures of self-esteem and life satisfaction as well as demographic variables such as gender, age and family income were also examined as covariates. The study was conducted on a convenient sample of 858 students of X and XI grades. Based on multilevel regression models, the relationship between governmental classes and academic performance was significantly positive, wherein higher level of class predicted better academic performance. The study highlighted that students from the same school environment performed differently based on their social status and that this difference was not a function of their family income, thus pointing to potential role of non-economic aspects of the governmental stratification including caste affiliation. The findings indicate the need for further examining as well as planning to improve the aspects of students' social status that impact academic performance.

Caste, religion and regional differentials in life expectancy at birth in India: cross-sectional estimates from recent National Family Health Survey

ObjectiveThough estimates of longevity are available by states, age, sex and place of residence in India, disaggregated estimates by social and economic groups are limited. This study estimates the life...

Caste, Social Networks and Variety Adoption

Social networks influence technology diffusion but targeting formal leaders (institutional central nodes) may lead to distributional consequences. This paper analyzes the role of informal social networks in technology diffusion in a socially hierarchical caste-based society. Often, information flow and technology diffusion are constrained by social and economic boundaries where informal nodes such as caste play a very decisive role in everyday life. Proper targeting and dissemination of technology to the marginalized sections of society are very important for their development. We observed that only one-fourth of farmers cultivate newer varieties which include hybrids and recently released high yielding varieties. The results showed that individuals belonging to marginal groups are influential and act as informal leaders when they are the dominant caste in the village. Progressive farmers are found to fail in disseminating new varieties, and targeting influential informal leaders who belong to the dominant caste of the village appears to be a better strategy. Among non-dominant caste members, influential leaders belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) or Scheduled Tribes (STs) are more desirable targets than other caste groups. The more concentrated a network is in terms of its caste composition, the faster will be the spread of any technology.

Designing Direct Matching Mechanisms for India with Comprehensive Affirmative Action

Since 1950, India has been implementing the most comprehensive affirmative action program in the world. Vertical reservations are provided to members of historically discriminated Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC). Horizontal reservations are provided for other disadvantaged groups, such as women and disabled people, within each vertical category. There is no well-defined procedure to implement horizontal reservations jointly with vertical reservation and OBC de-reservations. Sequential processes currently in use for OBC de-reservations and meritorious reserve candidates lead to severe shortcomings. Most importantly, indirect mechanisms currently used in practice do not allow reserve category applicants to fully express their preferences. To overcome these and other related issues, we design several different choice rules for institutions that take meritocracy, vertical and horizontal reservations, and OBC de-reservations into account. We propose a centralized mechanism to satisfactorily clear matching markets in India.

Reservation for Other Backward Classes in Indian Central Government Institutions like IITS, IIMS and AIIMS A Study of the Role of Media Using Fuzzy Super FRM Models

The new notions of super column FRM model, super row FRM model and mixed super FRM model are introduced in this book. These three models are introduced specially to analyze the biased role of the print media on 27 percent reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in educational institutions run by the Indian Central Government.

International Remittances and Private Healthcare in Kerala, India

The inflow of international remittances to Kerala has been increasing over the last three decades. It has increased the income of recipient households and enabled them to spend more on human capital investment. Using data from the Kerala Migration Survey-2010, this study analyses the impact of remittance receipts on the households’ healthcare expenditure and access to private healthcare in Kerala. This study employs an instrumental variable approach to account for the endogeneity of remittances receipts. The empirical results show that remittance income has a positive and significant impact on households’ healthcare expenditure and access to private healthcare services. After disaggregating the sample into different heterogeneous groups, this study found that remittances have a greater effect on lower-income households and Other Backward Class (OBC) households but not Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) households, which remain excluded from reaping the benefit of international migration and remittances.

Social, Demographic and Economic Change in Northeast India

The present study attempts to provide an empirical assessment of the socio- demographic and economic changes in Northeast India. The study design is based on data from the two rounds of the India Human Development Survey conducted in 2004–05 and 2011–12. The study found that the average household annual income has enhanced over time for most of the states in Northeast India with a simultaneous decline in household size. The proportion of households headed by non-literate persons declined marginally from 84.5 to 81.3 percent in rural households. Upward social mobility among Other Backward Classes (OBCs) has declined from 27.9 to 15.2 percent, while it has increased from 33.3 to 41.2 percent among the general catergory. For the region as a whole, only 8.9 percent of households have shifted from lower to upper castes, that is, OBC to general category or ST/SC to general category or to OBC.

Social Identity, Behavior, and Personality: Evidence from India

Hierarchies in social identities have been found to be integrally related to divergences in economic status. In India, caste is one such significant social identity where continued discriminatory practices towards the lower castes have resulted in poor outcomes for them. While there is considerable work on such divergence on many economic outcomes along caste lines, there is no work on behavioral preferences and personality traits that can also be adversely affected by such identity hierarchies, and that are important determinants of educational attainments and labor market performances. We combine rich data from incentivized tasks and surveys conducted among a large sample of university students in a Seemingly Unrelated Regression framework and find that the historically marginalized Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SCSTs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) fare worse than the upper castes along several dimensions of economic behavior such as competitiveness and confidence and personality traits such as grit, locus of control, and conscientiousness. Further, we find that parental investments only have limited compensatory effects on these gaps. This suggests a need for redesigning the structure of affirmative action policies in India as well as targeting interventions with an aim to improving soft skills among the disadvantaged.

Association Between Solid Cooking Fuels and Respiratory Disease Across Socio-Demographic Groups in India.

Background.The use of solid fuels in household cooking contributes to indoor air pollution and is the cause of more than 4 million deaths around the world annually. Solid fuel use varies with the level of development and ranges from 0% in high-income countries to more than 80% in low- and middle-income countries. Three billion people (more than 40% of the global population) are still dependent on solid fuels like firewood, dung cakes, coal, wood and agricultural residues in these countries.Objectives.The present study aims to analyze the association of certain respiratory diseases (tuberculosis (TB), acute upper respiratory infections (AURI), chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), and bronchial asthma) with the use of solid fuels for cooking across sociodemographic groups in India.Methods.The 71st round of the National Sample Survey, conducted in 2014, was used. In total, 54,985 inpatients who received medical treatment from any medical institution during the last 365 days preceding the survey and who reported various diseases, such as infections, cancers, blood diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and respiratory diseases were included in the analysis. Of these inpatients, 2513 participants who reported TB, AURI, COPD and bronchial asthma were considered the dependent variables in the study. The main variable was exposure to different types of fuels used as a primary source of energy for cooking. Multinomial logistic regression was used to explain associations.Results.The results reveal a significant association between solid fuel use and respiratory diseases in India. Overall, more than 60% of the population uses firewood and cow dung as their primary source of energy for cooking and are at a higher risk of TB, COPD and bronchial asthma. In rural areas there is a high dependence on solid fuels (80.5%) and a higher risk of respiratory diseases compared to those residing in urban areas where people are less dependent on solid fuels (22%). Among different socio-demographic groups, the dependence on solid fuels is highest among Scheduled Tribes (87.42%), followed by Scheduled Castes (74.78%) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) (a term used by the Indian government to categorize castes that face social or educational challenges) (64.47%). Scheduled Tribes have the highest risk of TB, followed by Scheduled Castes and OBCs, respectively.Conclusions.Exposure to solid fuels for cooking increases the potential risk of TB, COPD and bronchial asthma. Access to clean and efficient fuels for cooking is essential to reduce the burden of respiratory disease. Measures are needed to increase the availability of clean fuels for households, especially among socially disadvantaged and marginalized groups, to reduce the burden of respiratory diseases in India.Competing Interests.The authors declare no competing financial interests

Local Social Inequality, Economic Inequality, and Disparities in Child Height in India.

This study investigates disparities in child height-an important marker of population-level health-among population groups in rural India. India is an informative context in which to study processes of health disparities because of wide heterogeneity in the degree of local segregation or integration among caste groups. Building on a literature that identifies discrimination by quantifying whether differences in socioeconomic status (SES) can account for differences in health, we decompose height differences between rural children from higher castes and rural children from three disadvantaged groups. We find that socioeconomic differences can explain the height gap for children from Scheduled Tribes (STs), who tend to live in geographically isolated places. However, SES does not fully explain height gaps for children from the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Among SC and OBC children, local processes of discrimination also matter: the fraction of households in a child's locality that outrank her household in the caste hierarchy predicts her height. SC and OBC children who are surrounded by other lower-caste households are no shorter than higher-caste children of the same SES. Our results contrast with studies from other populations where segregation or apartheid are negatively associated with health.