OTHER BACKWARD CLASSES
Who are OBCs?
In many ways, the OBCs are the most controversial and puzzling group (category) within the caste hierarchy. This short article may seem over-simplified to some, but it is an effort to clear up some of the confusion surrounding the OBCs.
“OBC” means “Other Backward Classes (castes).” This is a legal term; it was used early in the Mandal Commission report, issued in 1980, which included recommendations for reservation of seats for OBCs. These were the castes between the three “higher” varnas and the Dalits (Scheduled Castes) and Adivasis (Scheduled Tribes), and amount to about 50% of the Indian population. They were previously considered “shudras” under the traditional varna (caste) system, that is, those who were the lowest of the “clean” castes. During the colonial period, they were known as “Non-Brahmans” and in several parts of India, especially in the Marathi and Tamil speaking areas, they mounted militant movements challenging Brahmanism. In most of northern India, in contrast, movements were more Sanskritized, with the Yadavas encouraged to identify with Krishna and think of themselves as of the lineage of Krishna, while the Kurmis (peasants) were taught to identify with Rama.
There is a great hierarchy among the OBCs. The group considering themselves “highest” are the mainly peasant castes (Jats and Kurmis in north India, Kunbis in Maharashtra, Vellalas in south India, etc.); close to these are the herding (Yadavas, Dhangars, Korbis) and gardening (Malis, Sainis) communities. Ranging below these are the various artisan and service groups – goldsmiths, blacksmiths, potters, barbers, washermen etc. This linkage of caste with profession is unique to the Indian caste system. Ambedkar had described caste as a “graded hierarchy” with an ascending ladder of status and a descending degree of contempt; Phule had talked of how the “ignorant Kunbi looked down on the ignorant Mahar, the ignorant Mahar scorned the ignorant Mang,” these were expressions of this hierarchy of caste, in which every group tried to claim a higher status than another.
Kancha Ilaiah has described Dalits and OBCs as the “productive castes,” in contrast to the three highest varnas (Brahmans, Ksatriyas or rulers and Vaishyas or banias/ merchants) who are exploiters living off the proceeds of their labour. The term “Bahujan” meaning “majority people”, is also often used for these groups.
WHY OTHER BACKWARD CLASSES?
To bring all those who are considered socially and economically backward on par with the rest of society, it is a must that they should be assisted in all possible ways. Education which can accelerate amongst them the process not only of conscientization but also of becoming economically independent, should be made accessible to everybody. The government of India describes OBC as “socially and educationally backward classes”, and the government is enjoined to ensure their social and educational development.
IMPORTANCE OF OBC
Besides the SCs and STs, there exist a huge proportion of people who are identified as socially and educationally backward classes. Talk of implementing similar welfare measures to this section (OBC) has ignited resentment, especially among the high castes. However, it is the constitutional obligation of the government under Articles 340(1), 340(2) and 16(4) to promote the welfare of the OBCs.
What is the Percentage of OBCs in the Population?
The Mandal Commission estimated their percentage (based on extrapolations from the 1931 Census, which was the last Census to ask questions of caste) at 52%. Later elites preferred to use the data from surveys, which give a much lower percentage. But the most efficient surveys (the National Sample Surveys) are fallacious because they rely on self-identification, and many OBC groups lack the consciousness of benefits, or don’t find enough benefits, or prefer not to use a stigmatized “backward” identity. Between the 1999 and 2004 NSS surveys, there was a rise in the percentage of OBCs, showing an increase in consciousness; they might expect a “rise” in further surveys. The current fraudulent attempt to have a “caste census” will not provide more accurate data. Until a genuine caste-inclusive census is available, they still find it best to use the Mandal Commission data, not surveys.
How does the Contemporary Economic Situation Affect OBCs?
Traditionally the jajmani system (Balutedari in Maharashtra), in which various OBC artisan castes performed their duties and received a share of the village harvest, is dying away. Many of the old occupations are gone, replaced by modern forms, e.g., clay pots are replaced by steel, and rope-making is heavily affected by the availability of plastic ropes. Relatively few of the OBC artisan castes now perform their traditional occupations.
In spite of changes, however, stratification remains. A major factor in Brahmanic domination of the caste system from the beginning has been to ban the “shudra” castes from receiving education. The OBC groups are highly lacking in education, especially in quality English education which has led to good jobs in services or the organized sector. Most, therefore, are caught as manual labourers in the low-paid, disregarded “unorganized” sector. If not agricultural labour, they do other menial work, hauling bricks, working on construction sites, and wandering here and there as migrants.
A few from the farming communities have benefited from the modernization of agriculture and have become rich capitalist farmers. These aspire to all the ideology and material benefits of brahmanisation and seek to spread this among the economically poorer of their own groups. This provides a material base for brahmanisation among the OBCs.
Education is still a major problem for OBCs, especially in rural areas. The education they get is overwhelmingly of poor quality, in the vernacular (and in a brahmanized version of the vernacular); and all the promises of providing compulsory universal primary education have remained on paper. While OBC groups such as Marathas are now producing writers of novels and poetry, almost all their parents were illiterate. Because of a lack of education, especially English education, OBCs remain far behind Dalits in modern technology, such as the use of the internet, blogs, egroups etc.
What are the Relations between OBCs and “Dalits”?
The main difference between them is that while both are toiling sections, the Scheduled Castes have been considered polluting, while the other “shudras” are “clean” castes.
Consistent with this hierarchy, OBCs consider themselves higher than Dalits (though it has to be remembered that there is also a hierarchy among the Dalits themselves) and they have very often been the “foot soldiers” in the Brahman-instigated attacks on Dalits. OBCs have too often absorbed brahmanic ideology and, at times, hardly need such instigation: they themselves are often jealous of the Dalits, who have gotten the benefit of reservations which many of the OBCs have missed out on. Brahmanic, Hindutvavadi propaganda plays on all of this.
Sometimes the Left also falls victim to this. There are times when the Left, conceptualizing “OBCs” as “capitalist farmers” or “affluent” farmers and the Dalits as “proletariat”, takes the non-antagonistic contradiction between Dalits and OBCs as an antagonistic “class” contradiction between a “capitalist” and a “working” class. This is the most dangerous position because the Left has some base among Dalits, and Dalits do tend to be attracted to the idea that OBCs are their enemy. The resulting heightening of the contradiction makes alliance between these groups more difficult, almost impossible.
Such contradictions have been heightening in recent years, both because of Hindutva Brahmanic propaganda and misguided Left instigation. This is a very difficult situation. A major task of an OBC-centered movement, therefore, is to reconcile the contradiction with Dalits. It is necessary for OBCs to take the lead in this reconciliation, though the overall struggle for caste annihilation will be primarily led by Dalits.
PROBLEMS OF “OTHER BACKWARD CLASSES” IN INDIA
The “Other Backward Classes” is the term used to identify a section of society which is socially and educationally disadvantageous. Article 340 speaks that the President may be ordered to appoint a commission to investigate the conditions of socially and educationally backward classes within the territory of India.
Lack of Interaction:
In villages, OBCs live in separate hamlet. The children of upper castes do not have interaction with the children of OBCs. There is also no interaction between women of higher castes and OBCs. The younger generation of OBCs takes it ill because they are also advanced now economically and educationally. This leads to a conflict between forward castes and backward castes.
Dependency of Higher Castes:
It is true that the Backward Castes of Annexure (For detail read annual report). The economically and educationally advanced castes are not dependent on higher castes for their livelihood. But a good number of extremely backward economically and educationally backward castes of Annexure-I are fully dependent upon higher castes for their livelihood, especially in rural areas. This work is casual labour. They also render services under jajmani system.
Problem of Share-cropping:
Undoubtedly, a good number of OBCs in Annexure-II own sufficient land. But it is also true that a majority of OBCs of Annexure-I are marginal and small farmers. They do not have sufficient land for cultivation. They take land from higher castes of share-cropping. They do cultivation by labour of their family members and do the exchange of labour with the neighouring families for it. But, as share-croppers they have to renew tenancy each year. The declaration of the government to implement Share-Cropping Act (land to tillers) has snatched away even this facility from them. The backward – forward caste conflict has also made many OBCs labourers from share-croppers.
Indebtedness:
There is no doubt that the OBCs of the second category are well to do. But the OBCs of Annexure-I are poor. They feed and cloth their family members by wage labour and little land they own. Naturally, they are not in a position to meet their various needs from their income. So, they have to take loans from landowners or money lenders. They take loans for the purpose of marriage, festivals, death rituals and feasts etc. They have to pay heavy interest on loans. When the loan plus interest is not repaid, they have to repay it by working as bonded labour.
Health and Nutrition:
The majority of castes of OBCs under Annexure-I live in unhygienic conditions. They do not have the proper to live. Their houses do not have urinals, latrines, kitchens, drains and windows. In the same room, they live with cows, buffalo and goats. They use the street for urinating and defecation. They clean utensils outside their houses. They do not have clean wells and hand pumps for drinking water. Such an unhygienic environment affects their health adversely. As they are not well off economically, they are not able to provide nutrition to their body properly. Many of them are below the poverty line.
Socio-Economic problems of OBCs:
In India, class is regarded as a type of social stratification. It refers to a group of people who are in the same socio-economic situation. Caste is another type of social stratification, but it is a closed system as opposed to class, which is relatively open. It is much easier to achieve upward mobility in class groups based on changes in certain parameters such as education, achievement, and so on. Caste group membership, on the other hand, is strictly enforced. A class is considered backwards if its members are less privileged economically and educationally than members of other classes.
The backward class in India can be understood in the context of a larger picture of Indian society, which is made up of a number of closed status groups. The backward classes are largely made up of a diverse group of people. They make up a significant portion of the country’s population, accounting for roughly one-third of the total. The Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, and Other Backward Classes are among them.
Education:
Due to their social standing, OBCs typically do not have access to education. The 86th Constitutional Amendment Act included the right to education to the list of essential rights under Article 21(A), which has resulted in a decline in the percentage of OBCs without a high school diploma or equivalent. The majority of people in this category are illiterates. The obvious financial constraints prevent those who are interested in education from pursuing higher levels of study. The OBCs are not just ignorant and illiterate in social terms; they are also backward. These people have an inferiority complex, self-confidence issues, and other weaknesses.
UPLIFTMENT OF OTHER BACKWARD CLASSES
Apart from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, there is one large class in Indian society which has been neglected from the ages. This third category of “Backward Classes” is known as “ Other Backward Classes (OBC).” The term “ backward classes” is vague in the sense that it includes a wide variety of lower classes as well as castes consisting of millions of people. Article 340 of the Constitution provides for the appointment of a Commission to investigate the conditions of backward classes.
FIRST BACKWARD CLASSES COMMISSION- 1953: KAKASAHEB KALEKAR COMMISSION
Accordingly, the President appointed, on January 29, 1953, the first Backward Classes Commission under the chairmanship of Kakasaheb Kalekar, known as the Kaka Kalekar Commission. The Commission prepared a list containing as many as 2,399 communities which were treated as socially and educationally backward.
The Commission adopted the following criteria for determining backwardness:
Low Social position in the traditional caste hierarchy of Hindu Society.
Lack of general advancement among the major section of a caste or community.
Inadequate or no representation in Government services.
Inadequate representation in the field of trade, commerce and industry.
Kalekar Commission’s report though published in 1955, was not accepted by the Central Government due to a lot of criticisms and objections against it.
SECOND BACKWARD CLASSES COMMISSION- 1979: MANDAL COMMISSION
The Second Backward Classes Commission ( Mandal Commission) was appointed in 1979.
The Commission submitted its report on 31 December 1980.
The Commission has listed 3743 castes and communities in the Central List.
Eleven criteria were used by the Commission for determining backwardness.
In the social and economic indicators, there were four criteria each, while in the educational indicators, there were three criteria.
The Commission has recommended 27% reservation for such a large segment of the Indian population.
Constitutional Provision:
Article 14: Equality before the law and equal protection of law is applicable to every section of the society.
Article 15(4): It is to make special provision for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of the citizen.
Article 16(4): This article speaks about the reservation for appointments or post in favour of any backward class.
Article 38(1): State should strive to promote the welfare of the people.
Article 340: President may appoint a commission to investigate the condition of the backward class in India.
Government of India Steps to Improve OBC:
Reservation: The 2nd Backward Classes Commission, known as the Mandal Commission, constituted under Article 340, submitted its Report and by 1990, the government accepted 27% reservation in Central Educational Institutions was given to OBCs.
Scholarship Scheme: Pre-matric and post-metric scholarship for OBC students to study in India. The pre-matric scholarship for OBC students is given when the parent’s income from all sources does not exceed Rs. 44,500 per annum. Post matric scholarship is given for higher education, which is a 100% centrally sponsored scheme. The construction of a hostel for OBC boys and girls is revised in 2010.
Assistance to Voluntary Organization for Welfare of OBCs: The main purpose of this scheme of grants in aid to voluntary organizations is to involve the civil society and non-Government sector in improving the socioeconomic conditions of OBCs, through skill upgradation in various trades to enable them to start income generating activities on their own and get gainfully employed.
Scheme under National Backward Classeses Finance and Development Corporation (NBCFDC): The NBCFDC was set up in the year 1992 as a Company, “not for profit” under Section 25 of the Companies Act 1956 under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India. The main objectives of the Corporation are to provide concessional financial assistance to the members of the Backward Classes for their socio-economic development and to upgrade the technological and entrepreneurial skills of the individuals or groups belonging to the Backward Classes through State Channelizing Agencies (SCAs) nominated by respective State Government/UT.
National Commission for socially and educationally backward classes: Recently, the Cabinet approved for setting up of a national commission for socially and educationally backward classes as a constitutional body, inserting Article-338B. It will replace the national commission for the backward class. The new body will have a chairman, vice-chairmen and three other members and it cares for provisions relating to the backward class.
CONCLUSION
It is important to note that with provisions for the betterment of the social backward classes, India’s nation-building process would be benefited. With more participation of people from weaker sections, we can really think of a country having a policy which benefits all. However, if the government of India gives importance to doing a periodic evaluation of the processes through which we visualise benefits for OBC people.
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