Friday, November 20, 2009

SCHEDULED CASTES IN INDIA : Distribution

SCHEDULED CASTES IN INDIA
DISTRIBUTION The Scheduled Castes are mainly to be found in the alluvial and coastal plains of India, as they are mostly associated with agricultural activities. (By contrast, tribal groups are rarely to be found in the alluvial plains.)
Aijazuddin Ahmed in his book Social Geography explains the striking differences in the distribution of the SCs in different regions/states of the country. He notes that these castes were dependent on the higher castes in their eco­nomic as well as other spheres of their life, and that this dependence has not decreased with time.
With the advent of the agrarian mode of production these caste-groups got associated with agriculture. In fact, they were the main suppliers of labour. This explains their heavy concentration in the states of the North Indian Plain as well as over the coastal plains of the peninsular states.

Away from the alluvial plains of the north and the coastal plains of the south, one observes a sudden decrease in the proportion of these castes in population. This is particularly true for the hilly and the forested tracts which happen to be the abode of tribal communities. Another striking fact is that an overwhelming proportion of the SCs (about 90 per cent) is confined to rural areas. It explains their overwhelming dependence on agriculture. Despite their basic dependence on agriculture they have very little access to land. A very small fraction of their population consists of small landholders. In fact, they mostly work as landless agricultural labourers, or as artisans. They also provide a variety of services to the land-owning castes generally considered as polluting and unclean services.

No comments:

Post a Comment