KARNATAKA - of Planning Commission

and allied activities and less from agriculturalwages and non-agricultural wages.The percentage of income (8.10 per cent) that SCsderive from salaried income is more or less equalto that of Hindus (8.60 per cent) though slightlyless than that of Muslims (13.30 per cent). At theall-India level, 15.20 per cent of income is derivedby SCs from salaried employment, which is slightlyless than Hindus (16.40 per cent) and more thanMuslims (14.70 per cent). Income from professionaloccupations is non-existent for SCs in Karnatakabut the income of SC households (0.50 per cent) atthe national level from this source is equal to thatof Hindus (0.50 per cent) and Muslims (0.50 percent). At the national level SC households derive15.70 per cent of their income from the category‘artisan and industrial work’ but the correspondingfi gure for Karnataka is a low 3.10 per cent. Acomparison with other southern states showsthat the percentage of households dependent onsalaried employment is a high 20.30 per cent inTamil Nadu and 10.70 per cent in Andhra Pradesh,as compared to 8.10 per cent in Karnataka.However, a higher percentage of households in theother southern states depends on agricultural (andnon-agricultural) wage for income: Tamil Nadu:39.70 (16.30) per cent, Andhra Pradesh: 39.70(10.70) per cent, Kerala: 37.30 (32.90) per cent.From the perspective of income from all wages, theSCs in Karnataka derive less income than the SCsin other southern states: Karnataka SCs derive 29.6per cent of their income from all wages comparedwith 45.8 per cent in Andhra Pradesh, 34.9 percent in Tamil Nadu and 63.8 per cent in Kerala.Overall, SCs depend on the primary sector for theirlivelihood, whereas non-SCs derive their incomefrom more diverse sources.If we look at the distribution pattern of SChouseholds across different income groups andcompare it with the pattern of other households,the inequities become very visible. At the all-Indialevel, about 72 per cent of SC households and70.50 per cent of ST households have an annualincome of less than Rs.20,000. In Karnataka SCand ST households, which fall into the incomegroup of Rs.20,000 to Rs.40,000 per annum,constitute 21.30 per cent and 19.50 per cent of allhouseholds respectively. Only 0.70 per cent of theSC households and 1.10 per cent of ST householdshave an income that is above Rs.86,000 per annum.Among Muslims, Christians and other minorities,this class of households constitutes two per cent,4.60 per cent and 5.60 per cent respectively.According to the NSS 55th round in 1999-2000,the monthly per capita expenditure (MPCE) amongSCs in rural Karnataka was Rs.419, which was muchlower than the OBCs (Rs.507), others (Rs.560)and a little higher than STs (Rs.404). The averageMPCE was Rs.500 for all rural groups in Karnataka.The average MPCE of SCs at all-India (rural) wasalso Rs.419. In urban Karnataka the average MPCEof SCs was Rs.593 and for STs it was Rs.634. Theaverage MPCE of OBCs in urban Karnataka wasRs.829 and for others Rs.1,044. For all groups inurban Karnataka the average MPCE was Rs.911.At all-India (urban) level the average MPCE amongSCs was Rs.609 and for all groups it was Rs.855.This means that among all social groups, the MPCEof the SCs was the lowest in urban areas and thesecond lowest in the rural parts of the state.Income and expenditure patternsAnalysis of the income levels of SCs reveals a widegap among those living in urban areas comparedto their counterparts in rural areas. The annualper capita income of rural SCs was Rs.5,000 asagainst Rs.12,778 of urban SCs. The percentageof BPL families in the rural SC population was 37and 25 in the urban SC population.There is also a disparity in the pattern of spendingin the SC population in view of the fact thatthe rural and urban SCs’ monthly per capitaexpenditure was in the ratio 1:2. Data indicatesthat the monthly per capita expenditure of ruralSCs was Rs.398 and Rs.790 for urban SCs.The percentage of families below the poverty linein rural areas was 50 per cent more than in urbanarea.Literacy and educationLiteracyEducation plays a crucial role in empowering thepoor and the marginalised everywhere. LiteracyKarnataka Human Development Report 2005In 1999-2000, themonthly per capitaexpenditure among SCsin rural Karnataka wasRs.419 which was muchlower than the OBCs(Rs.507), others (Rs.560)and a little higher thanSTs (Rs.404).217