Development

Status of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
is lower, but the proportion of small
and marginal cultivators among SC
and ST cultivators is also very huge
(Figure 9.7).
In this regard, NCEUS (2009)
remarks that access to land is an
important determinant of access to
economic resources such as credit,
as well as other resources that
determine outcomes in terms of
income. Further, the social identity
of farmers is also seen to mediate
access to economic resources and
delivery of public services. Together,
these factors account for lower
levels of living of farmers in these
groups, pointing to the need for
concerted and multifaceted state
policies and actions to ameliorate
their disadvantages.
Because of the smaller sized
holdings, and preponderance of
marginal sized holdings, SC and ST
cultivators are unable to use
modern methods of cultivation and
get better access to market their
produce. It is in this context that
the government programs to
improve productivity, profitability
and sustainability among small
land holders assume significance.
Making small holders more
competitive by enhancing their
technical capacity and linking them
effectively with market (which is
currently absent) can be an effective
way of improving livelihood of SC/
ST households in rural areas. The
strategy of exploring the
possibilities of enhancing
productivity can also be beneficial
in addressing the problem of food
insecurity.
Figure 9.7: Agricultural Land Holdings across Social Groups in Raichur
District (%)
Source: DSO, Raichur, 2011-12
9.5.3: Employment under
MGNREGS
MGNREGS aims to provide
employment to unskilled workers
in the vicinity of their residence at
minimum wages, when demanded.
Table 9.9 reveals a disturbing
picture.
Table 9.9: Participation in MGNREGS in Raichur District,
2011-12
Description SC ST
% job cards issued to SC households 18.82 20.45
% SC households worked 18.87 20.97
% person-days worked by SCs 18.68 21.05
Note: Percentages are to respective totals
Source: www.nrega.in accessed on 2-4-2014
Although the proportion of SC and
ST households obtaining job cards
almost corresponds to their
population share, what matters is
the percentage of them working
under the scheme. Hardly 18.9 per
cent of job card holders among SCs,
and 21 per cent among STs worked
under it. Their share in person days
worked is also at same proportion.
This only shows that, the
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