Socio-economic Disparities among Marginalized Society in Haryana

Description

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20052389

Subhash Chander¹, Bas Kaur², and Sujata Rani³ (Department of Sociology, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana^1,2 and Department of English, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi³)

Scheduled Castes in India have faced systemic social exclusion, occupational segregation and economic deprivation rooted in the caste system. Despite constitutional safeguards and welfare interventions, disparities in education, land ownership and employment continue to persist, particularly in rural Haryana. The present study addresses the problem of understanding the existing socio-economic conditions of Scheduled Castes and the effectiveness of welfare schemes in improving their livelihoods. It specifically examines demographic profile, occupational patterns, landholding status and factors influencing socio-economic conditions. The study was conducted in Sirsa, Fatehabad, and Bhiwani districts with a sample of 240 respondents. The findings reveal that a majority of respondents belong to the 2540 years age group with low educational attainment and high dependence on labour work. A significant proportion (68.75%) were landless and nearly half earned annual income between ₹1,00,0002,00,000, reflecting economic vulnerability. Social participation (81.67%) and mass media exposure (78.33%) were found to be low, indicating limited awareness and mobility. Welfare schemes moderately improved living standards (WMS 2.38), though the overall impact remained limited (overall mean score 1.86). Most respondents (72.92%) belonged to low socio-economic status and faced issues such as poor education quality, low wages and inadequate housing. The study suggests strengthening educational access, skill development and employment opportunities along with effective implementation and monitoring of welfare schemes. There is also a need to enhance awareness, social participation and resource accessibility to uplift the socio-economic conditions of Scheduled Castes.