Working Paper: 418

Caste Discrimination Practices in Rural Karnataka

 

I Maruthi
Pesala Peter

Abstract

India is one of the fastest developing countries in the world. But Dalits face social discrimination in Indian society. The degree of caste discrimination varies from place to place and person to person, but exists across India. This study examines the caste discrimination in Karnataka. To study this situation, the authors chose the sample respondents by using a multistage random sampling technique. In the first stage, the entire state was divided into three main regions. In the second, regions with the highest SC population in two districts, based on the 2011 census, were chosen. In the third, two villages with the highest SC population were selected in each district. And finally, in each village 150 sample households were selected. The total sample size is 1,800. The main objective of the paper is to investigate caste discrimination against Dalit households in Karnataka. Our empirical results reveal that caste bias prevails in the villages, and some households even stated that there are separate plates and cups for SCs in working places. The study observed that caste practices are strong in all the study villages. It suggests that moral and ethical values are required at the individual, group and community levels to avert social discrimination in rural Karnataka.

 

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