Times Of India Bangalore; Date:2007 Sep 01; Section:Front Page; Page Number 1 Govt survey shows OBCs form 40.94%
*New Figures Politically Important Amid Quota Row* Mahendra Kumar Singh | TNN New Delhi: In a fresh twist to the controversy on just what the proportion of OBCs in India's population is, a government survey released on Friday indicated that backward castes form around 41% of the population. A survey by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) put the OBC population in the country at 40.94%, the SC population at 19.59%, ST population at 8.63% and the rest at 30.80%. Since the NSSO survey was essentially aimed at measuring the level of consumption expenditure by different households and not at estimating the population of OBCs, SCs or STs, the number is not really of great significance statistically. In fact, a similar survey done in 1999-2000 had put the OBC population at about 35% and it is hardly likely that the proportion has gone up by 6% in just five years -- the latest survey was done in 2004-05. However, the new figure is bound to become politically significant, given the controversy over OBC reservations in higher education and the Supreme Court's question to the Centre on how it had decided on a 27% quota. The figure of 41% is much less than the 52% quoted by the Mandal Commission report. The commission, which paved the way for reservation for OBCs in jobs and education in addition to SCs/STs, had arrived at the figure on the basis of the 1931 caste census by eliminating non-OBC communities from the total population. According to the survey, 91.4% of STs, 79.8% of SCs and 78.0% of OBCs were in rural areas. Conversely, 8.6% of STs, 20.2% of SCs and 22% of OBCs were in urban areas, while 37.7% of 'others' lived in India's towns and cities. The booming economic growth seems to be reflecting in the expenditure of urban India, which is spending nearly double the amount on average compared to the rural areas. The per capita monthly expenditure of people living in urban areas was Rs 1, 052.36 a month against Rs 558.78 of those in rural areas. With minor exceptions, the general level of spending of SCs and STs was lower than OBCs or others, while that of the OBCs in turn was lower than that of 'others'. According to the NSSO survey, the all India average spending by rural STs was the lowest at Rs 426.19, followed by rural SCs at Rs 474.72, OBCs Rs 556.72 and others Rs 685.31. In urban India, STs spent Rs 857.46, SCs 758.38, OBCs Rs 870.93 and others Rs 1,306.10 in a month on an average. The survey highlights the fact that in rural India, 64.3% of the population continues to be dependent on agriculture, either through self-employment in agriculture ( 39.4%) or as agricultural labour (24.9%). In urban India, the proportion of population located in regular wage/salary earning households was almost the same ( 42.0% to 42.9%) for all social groups except the OBCs (34.3%). * Sample survey * *A survey by National Sample Survey Organisation ** OBCs: 40.94% **SCs: 19.59% ** STs: 8.63% **Rest: 30.80% ** OBC figure of 40.94% much less than 52% quoted by Mandal Commission report **Survey essentially aimed at measuring level of consumption expenditure by different households ** Not aimed at estimating population of OBCs, SCs or STs * <[email protected]> --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
