Question

Difference between sc and obc

Answer 1

Job profiles: OBC were predominantly peasants and farmers. They currently form about 41% of India's population according to SECC 2011. Not surprising when you consider the fact that India has always been an agricultural country where primary sector forms nearly 50% of the work-force. SCs were manual laborers and safai-karmachaaris and STs are tribals living in the marginalized areas like forests.

Median Income levels: Your income levels are direct function of your job profiles. Refer to Table-1 - Poverty by Social Groups in http://indianeconomy.columbia.ed... to know more.

Percentage reduction in poverty: Poverty reduction is statistically faster in SC category. See the following table taken from Planning Commission, Government of India.



The decline in BPL population in SCs and STs combined together is 17.5 %age points from 1993 to 2004-5. The 2015 statistics are not posted yet because the government did not release the caste census of India in 2015. But we can do a fair amount of guesswork here. The percentage drop for SCs is approximately 1.096 % age points annually every year from 1983 to 2004. So assuming that the same trend follows from 2005 to 2015, in these ten years, we can assume that another 10.96% age points drop for SCs, so the figure for 2014 is most likely to be around 26- 27%( if not lesser). An error of 1 or 2% can be accepted also.

Again this is not surprising considering the huge population BPL in SC category, this kind of reduction is expected.

All in all, these 3 points form the basis for the classification.