Einar H. Dyvik
Research expert covering Nordics and global data for society, economy, and politics
Dalits and Adivasis in India - Statistics and Facts
Scheduled castes and Scheduled Tribes (SCs and STs) are constitutionally disadvantaged people in India. They have been known by various terms throughout the country’s history, starting from a time when the Hindu caste system was introduced. Essentially, people belonging to the Scheduled Castes are lowest in the caste hierarchy. The reason this minority were referred to as “untouchables” and “depressed classes” (before 1935) was because they were characterized by their occupation of cleaning public spaces which was considered polluting and dirty. Dalit, in Sanskrit translates to “divided, split, broken, scattered”. These groups are also found in other parts of the Indian sub-continent and some have emigrated to the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore and the Caribbean.
