KEY TAKEAWAYS

First, SC-ST workers have a lower relative share in better paying occupations and higher share in low paying occupations

Second, even among SCS and STS, some sub-castes and tribes are better off than the rest

Third, the occupational break-up of workers varies drastically among states while SC/ST workers in northeastern states have a much higher share in better paying occupations than in the rest of the country

THE ANALYSIS SHOWS THAT INDIA IS IN DIRE NEED OF A DATABASE WHICH CAN TELL US ABOUT THE EXACT SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS OF VARIOUS SOCIAL GROUPS

the state where SC/ST workers had the second lowest, only after Odisha, relative share among professionals — the highest income occupational category – in 2011. This should not be inferred as SC/ST workers being worse off in Delhi than a state like Bihar, as a greater share of SC/ST workers in Delhi (14.8%) were employed in the top four occupations by MPCE than in Bihar (10.6%).

In other words, an SC/ST worker in Delhi is better off than an SC-ST worker in many other parts of the country. The relative share of SC/ST workers in better paying occupations is much higher in northeastern states than other regions, a reflection of fact that the ST population there is much better off than the rest of the SC/ST population in the country.

See Chart: State-wise

The occupational break-up of workers also varies drastically among states. For example, the share of top four occupational categories by MPCE among total workers in richer states