Human Development in India - NCAER

228 human development in indiaFigure AII.1 Socio-religious Group Categorization (in percentage)Note: 276 households were selected as rural but became urban by 2001, bringing the total of urban householdsto 14,820.Source: IHDS 2004–5 data.Religion and caste classifications are based on the mainrespondent’s self-identification. Self-identification yieldssomewhat different information from official data whichuse detailed but statewise government schedules. Theofficial schedules often miss migrants from other states.Self-identification also encourages marginal groups to claimscheduled caste or tribe membership in order to qualifyfor government reservations. As a result the IHDS ends upwith somewhat higher proportions of the population asDalits and Adivasis than the Census figures, and slightlyhigher than the NSS.The groups differ greatly on almost every measure of economicand social standing. Forward castes and non-Muslimminority religions are more urban, educated, and wealthy.Dalits and Adivasis are more often rural, illiterate, and poor.The OBCs are somewhere in between, but usually closer toDalits than to forward castes. Muslims are also somewherein between, but much closer to Dalits in education, closer toforward castes in urbanization, and in between on incomes,but slightly better off than the OBCs. These groups differalso on most of the human development outcomes we reviewin the previous chapters. Sometimes these differences are aresult of the economic, educational, and regional differences,but sometimes some group differences remain even whencomparing otherwise equivalent households.