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Scheduled Castes in Punjab

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Scheduled castes in Punjab, or Dalits in Punjab are the officially designated groups in Punjab state in India which are most disadvantaged due to the caste system. They were placed in the lowest ranks of the caste system, because of which they suffered and are still suffering from social, political, economic and personal discrimination.

History

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Before 1857, even though Dalits served as leather workers, sweepers and scavengers, butchers and performed menial duties in the British cantonments and under the British army, they were not recruited as soldiers. But after the 1857 war of independence, this began to change. Due to the shortage of soldiers from the so-called 'upper castes', British began to recruit Dalits as soldiers. They raised a regiment of Mazhabis and Ramdasias in Punjab. After some training, they sent them to fight against rebel soldiers in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. They had also raised Dalit regiments (Mehtar Regiment) in Hindi speaking areas, which were disbanded after the war, but the Mazhabi-Ramdasia regiment was allowed to continue.[1]

In 1900, Punjab Land Alienation Act was passed, which had the unintended consequence of depriving Dalits the right to own land, because they were officially not considered an 'agricultural caste' by the British government.[2]

In June 1926, Ad-Dharm movement was launched by Babu Mangu Ram Mugowalia for the upliftment of the Dalits of Punjab.[3] Ad-Dharam movement's aim was to create a separate religion and identity for the Dalits. The first meeting of the movement was held on 11–12 June 1926 in Hoshiarpur.

The movement also created its political organization, called Ad-Dharam Mandal, to fullfill its political ideas. It contested the 1937 elections and won one seat. It was successful in spreading awareness and assertion among Dalits. They also contested 1945-46 elections in alliance with Unionist Party, in which Mangoo Ram got elected. To bring consciousness in the Dalit community, they also started newspapers like Adi Danka and Ujjala.

On 21 September 2021, Charanjit Singh Channi became the first person from Dalit community to become the Chief Minister of Punjab. He was appointed as a chief minister by Congress Party after the resignation of Captain Amarinder Singh. He ruled for about 6 months before expiry of his term.[4]

Demographics

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As of September 2020, the caste population data foreach Forward caste citizen in Punjab collected in Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 has not been released to public by Government of India.[5][6] Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes form 63.2% of the total population of Punjab.[7]

Castes of Punjab (2011)

  Scheduled Castes (Dalits) (31.9%)
  Upper castes (UC) (33%)
  Other Backward Classes (OBC or BC) (31.3%)
  religious minorities (3.8%)
Caste Population data of Punjab
Constitutional categories Population (%) Castes
Other Backward Classes (OBC) 31.3%[8][9] includes Sainis,[10]Kamboj, Labana, Tarkhan/Ramgarhia, Kumhar/Prajapati, Arain, Gujjar, Teli, Banjara, Lohar, Bhat,[11] Others
Scheduled Castes (Dalits not including Rai Sikh statistics[12]) 31.9%[13]
General castes/Forward castes 33%
religious minorities 3.8%[16] includes Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Jains

According to the 2011 census, 73.3% SC population predominantly lives in rural areas and 26.6% in urban areas of Punjab. In the state, 60.8% SCs follow Sikhism, 38.8% Hinduism and 0.3% Buddhism.[17]

Below is the list of districts according to the percentage of their SC population, according to 2011 census.[18][19][20]

Scheduled Caste population by district (2011)[18]
Sr. No. District Percentage
1 Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar 42.51%
2 Muktsar 42.31%
3 Fazilka 42.27%
4 Firozpur 42.07%
5 Jalandhar 38.95%
6 Faridkot 38.92%
7 Moga 36.50%
8 Hoshiarpur 35.14%
9 Kapurthala 33.94%
10 Tarn Taran 33.71%
11 Mansa 33.63%
12 Bathinda 32.44%
13 Barnala 32.24%
14 Fatehgarh Sahib 32.07%
15 Amritsar 30.95%
16 Pathankot 30.60%
17 Sangrur 27.89%
18 Ludhiana 26.39%
19 Rupnagar 25.42%
20 Patiala 24.55%
21 Gurdaspur 23.03%
22 SAS Nagar 21.74%

Scheduled caste (SC) population among different religions in Punjab - Census 2011[21]

Religion Total Population Scheduled Caste Population Scheduled Caste Population %
Sikh 16,004,754 5,390,484 33.68%
Hindu 10,678,138 3,442,305 32.23%
Buddhist 33,237 27,390 82.40%

There are more than 35 designated scheduled castes in Punjab. Of these, the five largest form 87% of the total SC population. Mazhabis constitute 31.5% of the SC population, Ravidasias/Ramdasias 26.2%, Ad-Dharmis 15% and Valmikis 11%.[22]

Health

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As per National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4, 2015–16), the infant mortality rate was 40 per 1000 live births before the age of one year for scheduled castes, compared to 29 per 1000 births for the state as a whole. The infant mortality rate for other backward castes (OBC) was 21 per 1000 live births and 22 per 1000 for those who are not from SC and OBC classes.[23]

Although the prevalence of anaemia (low levels of haemoglobin in the blood) has been found quite high among all population groups in Punjab, it was still higher among the SC population than other groups. For the women between the ages of 15 and 49 years, the prevalence of anaemia among SC women was 56.9%, compared to 53.5% for the state as a whole. Among the children between the ages of 6 and 59 months, the rate of anaemia for SC children was 60%, compared to 56.9% for the state as a whole.[23]

The table below compares the health status of Scheduled Caste population of Punjab, according to NFHS-3.

Health status of Scheduled Caste (SC) population of Punjab (NFHS-3)[24]
Indicators SC Total
Infant Mortality Rate 46 44
Child Mortality Rate 16 7
Anaemic (child) 73.80% 66.40%
Anaemic (women) 42.60% 38.00%

The table below shows the early childhood mortality rates in Punjab by caste, according to NFHS-4 (2015–16).

Early childhood mortality rate in Punjab by caste, according to NFHS-4 (2015–16)[25]
Background Characteristics SC OBC Others Total
Neonatal Mortality 27.0 16.9 17.1 21.2
Post-neonatal Mortality 12.7 3.6 5.2 8.0
Infant Mortality 39.6 20.5 22.4 29.2
Child Mortality 6.5 3.3 1.9 4.1
Under five Mortality 45.9 23.7 24.2 33.2

Education

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According to the 2011 census, the literacy rate among Scheduled Castes in Punjab was 64.81%, compared to 75.84% for the whole state. The SC literacy rate of females was 58.39% and 70.66% for male SCs.[26]

The table below shows the Scheduled castes literacy rate in Punjab through the years.

Scheduled castes literacy rate in Punjab through the years[27]
Year Percent
2011 64.81%
1991 41.10%
1981 23.86%
1971 16.12%
1961 9.64%

The table below gives the literacy rate of Scheduled castes by district, according to the 2011 census.[18][28][29][30]

Scheduled caste (SC) literacy rate by districts - Census 2011[31]
Sr. No. District SC Percentage District total Gap
1 Hoshiarpur 82.49% 84.59% 2.10%
2 Rupnagar 78.4% 82.19% 3.79%
3 Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar 77.72 % 79.78% 2.06%
4 SAS Nagar 76.1% 83.80% 7.70%
5 Jalandhar 76.68% 82.48% 5.80%
6 Gurdaspur 72.89% 79.95% 7.06%
7 Ludhiana 72.65% 82.20% 9.55%
8 Fatehgarh Sahib 72.19% 79.35% 7.16%
9 Kapurthala 71.29% 79.07% 7.78%
10 Patiala 62.28% 75.28% 13%
11 Amritsar 59.16% 76.27% 17.11%
12 Sangrur 57.60% 67.99% 10.39%
13 Moga 55.23% 70.68% 15.45%
14 Firozpur 55.38% 68.92% 13.54%
15 Faridkot 54.91% 69.55% 14.64%
16 Barnala 54.91% 67.82% 12.91%
17 Bathinda 53.09% 68.28% 15.19%
18 Tarn Taran 51.37% 67.81% 16.14%
19 Muktsar 50.46% 65.81% 15.35%
20 Mansa 48.72% 61.83% 13.11%
Punjab 64.81% 75.84% 11.03%

The table below shows the Scheduled Castes literacy rate of districts of Punjab by gender, as of 2011 census.

Scheduled castes literacy rate in districts of Punjab by gender, as of 2011 census[32][33]
District Female Male Gap
Hoshiarpur 76.84% 87.96% 11.12%
Rupnagar 71.37% 84.86% 13.49%
Jalandhar 70.97% 82.03% 11.06%
SBS Nagar 70.96% 84.25% 13.29%
SAS Nagar 69.52% 81.96% 12.44%
Gurdaspur (including Pathankot) 66.34% 78.86% 12.52%
Ludhiana 65.99% 78.61% 12.62%
Fatehgarh Sahib 65.66% 71.99% 6.33%
Kapurthala 65.3% 76.84% 11.54%
Patiala 54.8% 68.99% 14.19%
Amritsar 52.83% 64.88% 12.05%
Sangrur 50.81% 63.65% 12.84%
Moga 50.14% 59.75% 9.01%
Barnala 50.14% 59.17% 9.03%
Faridkot 48.54% 60.62% 12.08%
Firozpur (including Fazilka) 47.05% 63.1% 16.05%
Bathinda 47.01% 58.57% 11.56%
Tarn Taran 44.57% 57.51% 12.94%
Sri Muktsar Sahib 43.58% 56.69% 13.11%
Mansa 43.42% 53.49% 10.97%
Punjab (whole) 58.39% 70.66% 12.27%

Politics

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As of 2023, out of the 117 legislative assembly constituencies in Punjab, 34 are reserved for Scheduled Castes.[34]

Economy

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The poverty rate of SCs in Punjab was 15.6% in 2011–12, compared to the 8.2% for the whole state. The SC rate of 2011-12 declined from 38.2% in 1993–94, at the rate of 3.1%. Dalits comprise 62.3% of the total number of people living Below Poverty Line (BPL) in Punjab.[35]

Despite comprising 31.94% of the Punjab's population, Dalits own only 3.5% of its total land. About 73.33% of the Dalit population lives in villages and is largely landless and faces housing shortages.[36] According to the Punjab Village Common Lands (Regulation) Act, 1964, 33% of the village commons land (shamlaat) is reserved for the Dalits. But in many cases, they have been denied these rights by big landlords with fraudlent means.[37]

Atrocities and discrimination

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In 2019, 166 crimes against Dalits were reported in Punjab. This amounted to the rate of 1.9 crimes per 1 Lakh of the Dalit population in the state. This rate was lower than the 22.8 per 1 Lakh Dalit population for the country as a whole.[38]

In March 2023, a 26 year old Dalit female doctor doing her internship at an SGPC-run Medical college in Amritsar died by suicide after allegedly being subjected to caste discrimination and abuse. About 10 people, including 2 and 4 students of Sri Guru Ram Dass Institute of Medical Science and Research at Vallah, were later booked by police under charges of abetment to suicide and under provisions of SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. According to the victim's mother, the accused allegedly used to make casteist slurs on her and would also used to threaten her that they will not let her complete her MBBS degree. The mother also alleged that they had complained about it to the principal but nothing was done.[39][40]

The table below shows the number of recorded crimes against scheduled caste and scheduled tribe people from 2010 to 2018.[41]

Crimes against scheduled caste and scheduled tribe people in Punjab[41]
Year Murder Rape POA Act Hurt Kidnapping Miscellaneous
2018 13 30 32 6 4 82
2017 7 17 31 3 2 58
2016 7 16 41 1 3 64
2015 8 14 23 5 3 94
2014 4 19 16 2 3 79
2013 7 22 13 37 8 39
2012 4 12 8 21 2 24
2011 5 9 24 27 2 22
2010 4 18 50 13 0 30

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "A Short History Of Untouchables In Indian Army And Role Of Dr. Ambedkar| Countercurrents". countercurrents.org. 26 August 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  2. ^ 'Ravidass, Dera Sachkhand Ballan and the Question of Dalit Identity in Punjab', by Ronki Ram, Panjab University, Chandigarh, Page 2, Paragraph 4, Line 7, https://punjab.global.ucsb.edu/sites/secure.lsit.ucsb.edu.gisp.d7_sp/files/sitefiles/journals/volume16/no1/1-Ronki%20Ram16.1.pdf
  3. ^ राम, Ronki Ram रौनकी (12 June 2021). "Punjab's Ad Dharm movement – which turned Untouchables into proud Mulnivasis". Forward Press. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  4. ^ Bhardwaj, Bipin (19 September 2021). "Charanjit Singh Channi to be next Punjab Chief Minister". National Herald. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  5. ^ "Raw caste data collected in 2011 given to social justice ministry, govt tells Rajya Sabha". ThePrint. 16 September 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  6. ^ "'Caste Census-2011 not yet released'". The Hindu. 27 June 2018. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  7. ^ Ganesan, Rajeshwari (20 September 2021). "Eye on AAP? Congress bets big on Dalit Sikhs, bid to please Jats too". Times Now. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  8. ^ Jagga, Raakhi (20 September 2021). "31.3 per cent are other backward classes (OBCs)". The Indian Express. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Quota will have little impact in Punjab". The Tribune. 11 January 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  10. ^ "Castes Under BC". welfarepunjab.gov.in. Archived from the original on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  11. ^ "CENTRAL LIST OF OBCs FOR THE STATE OF PUNJAB" (PDF). ncbc.nic.in.
  12. ^ "Punjab's many Dalit Sikhs – Ramdasia, Ravidasia, Mazhabis, Ranghretas, Rai, Sansi". ThePrint. 21 September 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  13. ^ "SCs, STs form 25% of population, says Census 2011 data". The Indian Express. 1 May 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2018. The highest SC population, 31.9 per cent of the state's total number, is in Punjab
  14. ^ "Punjab Data Highlights: The Scheduled Castes" (PDF). Office of the Registrar General, India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  15. ^ "The Jats in Punjab comprise 21 per cent population - India Today". Indiatoday.intoday.in. 16 January 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  16. ^ "Census Reference Tables, C-Series Population by religious communities". censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  17. ^ 'Reduce Inequalities: Dalits in Punjab Seek Development with Dignity', by Sanjeev Kumar, Sage Publications, 2018, Contemporary Voice of Dalit, 10(1) 114–125, Page 114, Paragraph 1, https://drupal.alliance.edu.in/drupal/sites/default/files/2021-06/Reduce%20Inequalities-%20Dalits%20in%20Punjab%20Seek%20Development%20with%20Dignity.pdf
  18. ^ a b c "Open Government Data (OGD) Platform India". data.gov.in. 21 January 2022.
  19. ^ Scheduled castes population 1971–2011 punjab.data.gov.in [dead link‍]
  20. ^ Scheduled castes female population 1971–2011 punjab.data.gov.in [dead link‍]
  21. ^ "SC-14: Scheduled caste population by religious community, Punjab - 2011". Office of the Registrar General India. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  22. ^ "Understanding the Dalit demography of Punjab, caste by caste"- India Today, by Harmeet Shah Singh, New Delhi, Updated: Feb 18, 2022
  23. ^ a b "Scheduled Casts Subplan 2022-23" (PDF). punjab.gov.in. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  24. ^ Page Number 55, Table 2 Health expenditure pattern among scheduled castes in rural Punjab
  25. ^ 'Scheduled Castes Sub Plan 2022-23', Government of Punjab, Department of Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities, Directorate of scheduled castes sub plan, Part 1, Page 8, Fig 10, http://welfare.punjab.gov.in/Static/PDF/SCSP/Archieves/SCSP2022-23ENGLISH.pdf
  26. ^ 'Scheduled Caste Population in Punjab'-Department of Social Justice & Empowerment and Minorities, Government of Punjab, http://103.118.160.46/Static/SCPopulation.html#:~:text=The%20female%20literacy%20rate%20of,of%2080.44%25%20in%20the%20State.
  27. ^ "Electoral Politics in Punjab: The Third Options of Scheduled Castes", by Dr. Neeru Mehra, Page 372, Table 3, http://giss.org/jsps_vol_30/12-mehra.pdf
  28. ^ "District-wise percentage Literacy of Scheduled Castes (Male) from 1971 to 2011 | Open Government Data (OGD) Platform India". punjab.data.gov.in. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  29. ^ "District-wise percentage Literacy of Scheduled Castes (Female) from 1971 to 2011 | Open Government Data (OGD) Platform India". punjab.data.gov.in. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  30. ^ "District-wise no. of Literate Scheduled Castes (Total) Population from 1971 to 2011 | Open Government Data (OGD) Platform India". punjab.data.gov.in. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  31. ^ "District-wise percentage Literacy of Scheduled Castes (Total) from 1971 to 2011 | Open Government Data (OGD) Platform India". punjab.data.gov.in. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  32. ^ "District-wise percentage Literacy of Scheduled Castes (Female) from 1971 to 2011 | Open Government Data (OGD) Platform India". punjab.data.gov.in. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  33. ^ "District-wise percentage Literacy of Scheduled Castes (Male) from 1971 to 2011 | Open Government Data (OGD) Platform India". punjab.data.gov.in. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  34. ^ Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, Elections, Lok Sabha Bye Election 2023, Vidhan Sabha, https://www.ceopunjab.gov.in/election#:~:text=In%20the%20State%20of%20Punjab%2C%20there%20are%20117%20Assembly%20Constituencies,Constituencies%20are%20reserved%20for%20SC.
  35. ^ 'Reduce Inequalities: Dalits in Punjab Seek Development with Dignity'- SAGE Publications, by Sanjeev Kumar, 2018, Page 115, 116, https://drupal.alliance.edu.in/drupal/sites/default/files/2021-06/Reduce%20Inequalities-%20Dalits%20in%20Punjab%20Seek%20Development%20with%20Dignity.pdf
  36. ^ 'DTE Exclusive: ‘Shamlat’ lands hold key to Dalit empowerment; alleviation of rural poverty in Punjab'- Down To Earth, By Dilraj Singh and Bhagirath, Published: Wednesday 11 January 2023, https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/governance/dte-exclusive-shamlat-lands-hold-key-to-dalit-empowerment-alleviation-of-rural-poverty-in-punjab-87081
  37. ^ 'Punjab Assembly Elections 2022: Dalit votes matter, but what about their issues'- Down To Earth, By Pampa Mukherjee, Published: Monday 31 January 2022, Dalit issues, https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/governance/punjab-assembly-elections-2022-dalit-votes-matter-but-what-about-their-issues-81326
  38. ^ 'Nine states have 54% of Dalits, see 84% of crime against SCs' - The Times Of India, Updated: Oct 2, 2020, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/nine-states-have-54-of-dalits-see-84-of-crime-against-scs/articleshow/78439021.cms
  39. ^ "Woman doctor at SGPC-run SGRDMR Medical College in Amritsar dies by suicide" - The Tribune, by PK Jaiswar, Amritsar, Updated At: Mar 10, 2023, https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/amritsar/woman-doctor-at-sgpc-run-sgrdmr-medical-college-in-amritsar-dies-by-suicide-486774
  40. ^ "Dalit Woman Doctor Dies By Suicide in Punjab, Kin Allege Caste Discrimination" - The Quint, Published: 11 Mar 2023, https://www.thequint.com/news/education/dalit-woman-doctor-dies-by-suicide-in-punjab-kin-allege-caste-discrimination
  41. ^ a b 'Role of Ad-Dharm Movement in Dalits’ Lives and Its Relevance in Present Times', by Prof. Navjot and Dr. Deepti, Quest Journals, Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Science, Volume 10 ~ Issue 7 (2022) pp: 266-270, https://www.questjournals.org/jrhss/papers/vol10-issue7/Ser-2/1007266270.pdf
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