As per 2011 Census Scheduled Caste population of Odisha is 72 lakh covering about 16 lakh households mostly inhabited in rural parts of the State. There are 94 sub caste groups identified as Scheduled Caste who are practicing Hinduism as their religion and a very insignificant number belongs to Sikhism and Buddhism. About 2.77 per cent of the total population of the State embraced Christianity, as the second major religion of the State and a major chunk of Christian population belongs to Dalit communities.
Caste continues as a social reality in India irrespective religious identity and Dalits remain socially discriminated everywhere. The worst sufferers in the caste system are the lowest in the ladder, SCs, STs and Dalits.
Historically they are forced to provide service to the rest of the castes in the upper ladder of the structure. Untouchability and discrimination based on caste is the main problem of SCs along with a host of other related economic and political issues. Untouchability practice still continues unabated in rural villages, in spite of constitutional provision under Article-17, Protection of Civil Rights Act 1955, SCs and STs (PoA) Amendment Act 2015, etc.
There are various forms of untouchable practices persistent in villages even in most inhuman and vulgar form such as manual scavenging that disrespects human dignity. The most condemned cases are atrocities against Dalit communities that range from rape, murder, house burning, social boycott, destruction of house, property and crops, physical and mental assault to organized mass violence against innocent women, children and elders in community. The Home Department of the Government of Odisha annual reports speak of district wise and crime wise figure of about 1,500 cases registered in different police stations. The real figure is about ten times more as it is fact that many of the cases do not get a place in police record and there are a good number of cases which end up with amicable settlements in police stations with pressure against poor and illiterate victims of caste-based atrocities.
The State Government never bothers to follow the constitutional mandate, Acts and Rules and programmes that are targeted to protect the SCs and STs and ensure justice as per law of the land. It is not the caste society rather elected democratic Government, its wings like legislative, executive and judiciary, media, civil society remain largely insensitive to the centuries old inhuman social suffering of communities that reflect in non-registration of FIR, non-payment of compensation, delay in trial, and long delay in justice delivery. The police, local Government officials, advocate, media, NGOs mostly from upper caste remain unaccountable to the victims and to the whole criminal justice administration.
Our educational institutions discriminate against Dalit children. The Aanganwadi centres, class rooms, hostels, play grounds are not a pleasant place for Dalits. The most progressive teachers’ associations have not built any impact over the social discrimination in our educational institutions; rather many of the teachers are shamelessly arguing in favour of social customs. The most glorified villages are not a place of equality for all, especially Dalits, who are denied a dignified access to place of worship, cremation ground, water bodies and place of commons at par with other fellow villagers. Dalits are not being part of our great socio-religious celebrations; rather these celebrations are as being celebrated as symbols of their age-old oppression. There has been lack of constitutional morality which should rule over our social life. Oppressive traditions and religion based customs deprive people of human rights and dignity.
The social issues contribute to economic deprivation and exploitation as it is the socio-religious sanctions that prevent Dalits to hold land, get quality education and engage in business in their own locality. The land distribution programme of the Government has remained an unfinished task and about three lakh Dalits have no homestead land and a vast majority of Dalit households are working as agricultural labourers and sharecroppers with small and marginal holdings. They are the worst sufferers of continuous agrarian crisis of the State that has been prone to natural calamities, drought, flood, water logging, and cyclone. The huge subsidized schemes for agriculture are largely for land owning farmers and not for the real farmers struggling to feed others with empty stomach.
This historical injustice remains unaddressed in spite of protest by many. The minimum wage rate and living condition of agricultural workers in Odisha is one of the lowest in the country. The Dalit communities mostly in the unorganised sector get very lesser amount of attention of trade unions and denial of social security measures in spite of Social Security Act for the unorganized sector workers. The political parties, trade unions and farmer movements of the State do not identify the issues of agricultural workers and sharecroppers as equally important for production and rural employment and complimentary to agriculture growth. There has been lack of employment throughout the year as agriculture is seasonal in nature and MGNREGA is a failure in providing employment that leads to huge distress migration to outside State and urban locations in search of livelihood. The land distribution to the agriculture workers and sharecroppers with bank loan and other facilities can boost the agricultural production, employment and income of the State and play a major role in reducing dependency over neighbouring States for food as well as in ensuring food security for rural poor. The rural credit delivery mechanism is almost inaccessible for Dalits and there has been violation of RBI guidelines while dealing with SCs and STs in rural areas.
Education is one of the important means to bring larger change in life of Dalits but quality education and specially higher and technical education remain a distance dream for Dalits with increasing privatisation and failure of Government schools in providing quality education at primary level. This has been affecting majority of Dalits who are not only poor but are first generation of learners who are hoping for a future.
As per Socio- Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 on rural household with salaried jobs, only 0.80 per cent of SC and 0.70 per cent of ST households out of total 37 lakh household are in salaried jobs that includes Government, PSU and private sector. The growing private sector in the State has been denied employment to the Dalits due to lack of reservation in private sector and Dalits are not visible in court rooms, news rooms, CSOs offices, party offices, literary and cultural festivals, academic discussions, business and industry and policy making bodies in spite of their sizable presence in the State population. They are mostly casual workers under contractors for all unskilled and odd jobs that have no social recognition and mostly under paid without following any social security and labour legislations.
Abolition of untouchability and annihilation of caste should be a national agenda to promote equality among all. Dalits as citizens of the country deserve realisation of their fundamental rights guaranteed in constitution for all its citizens. Dalits should have a fair share in the resources, land, education and Budget of the country for its best productive utilisation and participation in every sphere of socio-political and socio-economic life as fellow citizens without fear and discrimination with equal responsibility in nation building.
(Email-manasbbsr15@gmail.com, Mob-09437060797)