Pandemic reverses caste discrimination advances
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New Delhi — Millions of migrant workers made arduous journeys to their villages after India imposed the world’s largest lockdown in March. Back in the rural hinterland, many say caste discrimination is reversing even the small economic and social gains they eked out in the cities.
In the village of Aston, in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, Raju Banskar, 33, says the double stigma of coming from a lower caste and having travelled from New Delhi where the coronavirus is spreading has made it impossible to find a job. In the city, construction work fuelled by India’s decades long economic boom brought him 250 rupees to 300 rupees ($3-$4) a day, and few paid attention to his caste.
But building sites shut down when Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed the nationwide lockdown to contain the virus. Back home, Banskar says work created through government jobs programmes are mostly allocated by the village headman to upper caste workers.
Nine migrants interviewed by Bloomberg News in several Indian states had stories that were similar to Banskar’s, showing how the pandemic is widening one of the nation’s sharpest inequities, the social hierarchy determined by India’s ancient caste system, which can often determine everything from social interactions to economic opportunities. The South Asian country marks the 30th anniversary of its economic liberalisation in 2021, but the pandemic is now unravelling the tenuous benefits that globalisation brought to workers such as Banskar.
“I have no land, so had left my village some 12 years ago in search of work and to escape this system where I am considered untouchable,” Banskar said by phone. “I have come back to the same situation that I left, in fact it has only become worse.” People from lower castes were historically not allowed to touch those from higher castes, and Banskar says many of these practices remain in his village.
No complaints
The headman of Banskar’s village could not be reached for comment. Chandrasen Singh, additional CEO of the Zila Panchayat, or the local government body, of Tikamgarh district which administers Banskar’s village said the region’s job programme is very active and he has not received complaints about caste discrimination. “All these allegations have no substance,” he said. Some people have refused work because wages under the government’s job programme are lower than what they were earning outside, and the work in village may not require a lot ...
In the village of Aston, in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, Raju Banskar, 33, says the double stigma of coming from a lower caste and having travelled from New Delhi where the coronavirus is spreading has made it impossible to find a job. In the city, construction work fuelled by India’s decades long economic boom brought him 250 rupees to 300 rupees ($3-$4) a day, and few paid attention to his caste.
But building sites shut down when Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed the nationwide lockdown to contain the virus. Back home, Banskar says work created through government jobs programmes are mostly allocated by the village headman to upper caste workers.
Nine migrants interviewed by Bloomberg News in several Indian states had stories that were similar to Banskar’s, showing how the pandemic is widening one of the nation’s sharpest inequities, the social hierarchy determined by India’s ancient caste system, which can often determine everything from social interactions to economic opportunities. The South Asian country marks the 30th anniversary of its economic liberalisation in 2021, but the pandemic is now unravelling the tenuous benefits that globalisation brought to workers such as Banskar.
“I have no land, so had left my village some 12 years ago in search of work and to escape this system where I am considered untouchable,” Banskar said by phone. “I have come back to the same situation that I left, in fact it has only become worse.” People from lower castes were historically not allowed to touch those from higher castes, and Banskar says many of these practices remain in his village.
No complaints
The headman of Banskar’s village could not be reached for comment. Chandrasen Singh, additional CEO of the Zila Panchayat, or the local government body, of Tikamgarh district which administers Banskar’s village said the region’s job programme is very active and he has not received complaints about caste discrimination. “All these allegations have no substance,” he said. Some people have refused work because wages under the government’s job programme are lower than what they were earning outside, and the work in village may not require a lot ...
