26.12.2014 Views

no-longer-a-slumdog

no-longer-a-slumdog

no-longer-a-slumdog

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

appendix ii: believe it or <strong>no</strong>t<br />

➛ At the opposite extreme of Indian society are the<br />

Dalits—250 million people—who are treated like slaves<br />

and considered less valuable than animals. 16<br />

➛ A<strong>no</strong>ther 500 million people in India suffer from need<br />

and abuse as members of “Other Backward Castes.” 17<br />

➛ Dalits and OBCs together make up more than<br />

60 percent of India’s population; this is as many<br />

people as live in all of Europe.<br />

Improved sanitation facilities are available for<br />

only about one out of three people in India. 18<br />

➛ That means that up to 800 million people use public or private<br />

latrines that must be cleaned by “manual scavengers.”<br />

➛ This is the job of more than a million Dalits in India. 19<br />

157

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!