Mainstream WeeklyBefore India gained independence, caste was a significant factor in controlling resources, power and economic development. Caste is also a source of division, conflict and human rights violations in Indian society. This was seen in the Mandal Commission, affirmative action policies based on caste, and caste-based discrimination that persisted into the twenty-first century. Even though the practice of caste was officially outlawed in 1950, it has since developed into a deeply ingrained system of stigmatisation, segregation, and discrimination against certain caste groups that are seen as descended from lower social classes. These groups include the Dalits, also known as "Untouchables," who make up 16.6% of the nation’s population, and the Adivasis, who are Indigenous tribal communities that make up 8.6% of its 1.4 billion inhabitants. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in India are directly and indirectly linked to the sustainable development goals of the United Nations (UN), such as poverty, hunger, access to water, equality, health and education. In the name of caste-based discrimination and exclusion, Dalits were denied fundamental human rights.
The UN approved the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 to bring prosperity and peace to both people and the planet. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) comprise seventeen related goals. Each country must work together and internally to accomplish these goals to address challenges like poverty, hunger, health, education, gender equality, clean water, inequality, and economic growth, which includes climate change. Everyone can benefit from the SDGs, regardless of gender, colour, religion, or nationality. However, it overlooks a significant aspect of life in South Asia, especially in India: the caste system, which has frequently been disregarded as a hindrance to achieving the SDGs.
SDG 1 is concerned with eradicating poverty in all its manifestations, whereas SDG 10 is concerned with lowering inequality within and between nations. Nonetheless, the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) reports that the Dalit and Adivasi populations in India rank among the most economically vulnerable. Most Dalits and Adivasis are employed in low-paying, hazardous, unregulated businesses, including construction, agriculture, manual scavenging, and sanitation, which are often dangerous. Because caste-based discrimination restricts access to jobs and education, it forces many marginalised caste students to drop out and worsens economic inequality; for example, Dalit business owners earn approximately 15