Freedom from Discrimination
regrettablefaa remains thatsocial injustice and the exploitation ofSCs,STsand otherweaker
'' sections have hot as yet been eliminated from our society.
2.24 TheSCs and STs numbered 138milIionand69millionrespecdvelyin 1991,accounting
for 16.3%and 8.08% ofthe population in 1991.In 1951,the SCs and STs comprised 14.61%
'• and 5.3% respectively of the population.
'2.25
The1 literacy
trends
ofSCs and STs in 1961
and 1991
were as follows:'
, I .
.
'
.
'
■ I'
,I .
1961
1991
SC fToisl)
10.27
Male
Female
16.96
3.29
•37.41
49.91
23.76
8.54
13.83
, 40.65
'*
ST(Total)
Maie
'F<:male'
All Population (Total)
3.16
Male
24.02
34.44
Female
12.95
29.6
'
^
18.1
52.21
64.13
'
39.29^
2.26 While'the special programmes and attempts made to improve literacy amongst SCs
and STs resulted in dramatic increase in the literacy levels by over three times in the three
decades between i961 and 1991 in the case ofSCs,and almostfour times in the case ofSTs,
they were still quite low compared to the level ofliteracy oftHe population as a whole.The
main reason for this can be found in the very liigh drop out rates at 67.77% for SC children
- 1 and 78.57% for ST children for Classes I to VIII (1991);
2.27 TheSCs and STsin the rural areas are primarily agriculturists and agriculturallabourers,
and in the urban areas,construction workers and daily wage earners.In 1991,only 25.44% of
' SCs were cultivators o^vning land, as against 39.74% for the entire population. Among SCs,
49.06%were a^culturallaboiuers,as against 19.66%for the total population.Between 1961
and 1991, the percentage ofSCs as cultivators declined from 37.76% to 25.44%,while there
was an increase ofSCs in the category ofagricultural labourers from 34.48 to 49.06%.
2.28 Amongst the STs, the percentage of those who were cultivatorswashigher than that
ofSCs, but it has been showing a steady decline from 68.18% in 1961 to 54.40% in 1991.
During the same.period,the number ofagricultural labourers amongst STs increased from
19.71% to,32.69%.
•
2.29. Disaggregated analysis oftheland otvning patterns has,however,revealed that the SCs
are very vulnerable as a high proportion own land'less than 0:20 hectares. This population
1 SC/ST Commission, IV Report, 1996-97, 1997-98.
II