Locating Caste in SDG | Karamala Areesh Kumar, Prajwal T. V,

Before India gained independence, caste was a significant factor in controlling resources, power and economic development. Caste is also a source of division, conflict and human rights violations in Indian society. This was seen in the Mandal Commission, affirmative action policies based on caste, and caste-based discrimination that persisted into the twenty-first century. Even though the practice of caste was officially outlawed in 1950, it has since developed into a deeply ingrained system of stigmatisation, segregation, and discrimination against certain caste groups that are seen as descended from lower social classes. These groups include the Dalits, also known as "Untouchables," who make up 16.6% of the nation’s population, and the Adivasis, who are Indigenous tribal communities that make up 8.6% of its 1.4 billion inhabitants. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in India are directly and indirectly linked to the sustainable development goals of the United Nations (UN), such as poverty, hunger, access to water, equality, health and education. In the name of caste-based discrimination and exclusion, Dalits were denied fundamental human rights.

The UN approved the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 to bring prosperity and peace to both people and the planet. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) comprise seventeen related goals. Each country must work together and internally to accomplish these goals to address challenges like poverty, hunger, health, education, gender equality, clean water, inequality, and economic growth, which includes climate change. Everyone can benefit from the SDGs, regardless of gender, colour, religion, or nationality. However, it overlooks a significant aspect of life in South Asia, especially in India: the caste system, which has frequently been disregarded as a hindrance to achieving the SDGs.

SDG 1 is concerned with eradicating poverty in all its manifestations, whereas SDG 10 is concerned with lowering inequality within and between nations. Nonetheless, the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) reports that the Dalit and Adivasi populations in India rank among the most economically vulnerable. Most Dalits and Adivasis are employed in low-paying, hazardous, unregulated businesses, including construction, agriculture, manual scavenging, and sanitation, which are often dangerous. Because caste-based discrimination restricts access to jobs and education, it forces many marginalised caste students to drop out and worsens economic inequality; for example, Dalit business owners earn approximately 15–18% less than others for the same work, due to their caste identity, they have long been excluded from land ownership and capital accumulation, leaving them economically disadvantaged and socially vulnerable. The resources and social networks necessary to escape the cycle of poverty are unavailable to marginalised caste groups.

Along with this, SDG 5 emphasises gender equality and the empowerment of all girls and women. At the same time, SDGs 10 and 16 encourage inclusive and peaceful societies for sustainable development, guarantee justice for all, and create inclusive, effective, and responsible institutions at all levels of government. Women from marginalised caste groups, and Adivasis in particular, are more likely to experience violence, sexual exploitation, and discrimination in the workplace, in healthcare, in education, and even in the institutional and structural process of seeking justice; these become the main obstacles to achieving these goals. This is evident in the rape cases of Hathras and Mathura.

Dalit women are disproportionately affected by gender-based violence, including domestic abuse and sexual assault, as per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, which showed a 45% increase in reported cases of rape against Dalit women between 2015 and 2020. Discrimination against Dalits and other marginalised caste groups is also widespread, more so when they attempt to use public services or seek justice, and it is pervasive in both national and local institutions. For example, there have been numerous instances where the police have ignored or not looked into violent crimes against Dalits enough, a pattern of impunity witnessed in lower conviction rates in cases of atrocities against Dalit women.

The lack of a social safety net and frequent exclusion of Dalit groups from government measures that aim to reduce poverty was made particularly evident during the COVID-19 Pandemic. While SDG-3 is all about promoting and guaranteeing healthy lives for people of all ages, among the labour-intensive tasks that Dalits and Adivasis have been compelled to perform for a long time include cleaning, manual scavenging, and rubbish picking. As a result, they are more likely to get infections and other ailments, particularly during the COVID-19 Pandemic when their work became vital, despite the health risks they carried.

However, many assert that they are not provided with adequate supplies to protect themselves against the virus, nor have they been provided with a safety net to prevent them from falling even farther into poverty due to illnesses or job deaths. Migrant labourers in the northern city of Bareilly were sprayed with bleach disinfectant, a practice justified by the pandemic’s emphasis on social distancing and sanitation. This pattern is still present today; according to a report by Dalberg Advisors, 90% of sanitation workers in India are members of the Dalit group, who seldom, if ever, receive minimum wage for working full-day shifts without the use of safety gear to protect their health and welfare.

SDGs 12 and 13 centre on ensuring responsible consumption and production patterns, SDG 15 on environmental protection and sustainable resource use, and SDG 13 on addressing climate change and its effects immediately. However, access to natural resources like land, water, and forests is sometimes restricted due to prejudice based on caste. Because of their caste, Dalits and Adivasis are frequently excluded from common land and water supplies in rural India. These populations become more susceptible to natural shocks like droughts, floods, and soil erosion because they depend on ecologically damaged lands for their livelihoods.

Furthermore, caste-based exclusion frequently extends to government initiatives that support sustainable forestry, agriculture, and water and resource management. For example, Adivasis and Dalits are excluded from initiatives that mitigate climate change and adapt to it, like those that protect regional glaciers in the Himalayas, home to over a dozen tribal groups, making it harder for them to adapt to the effects of climate change. Meanwhile, threats of eviction have been placed on various Tribal Indigenous groups because of the impending Great Nicobar Project.

Other fundamental areas, like SDG 2—which aims to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture—SDG 3—which promotes good health and well-being for all people at all ages—SDG 4—which ensures inclusive and equitable quality education and learning opportunities for all—and SDG 6, which provides sustainable management of water and sanitation for all—are some cornerstones to ensure essential survivability factor for Dalits and Adivasis, who are frequently denied access to these necessities because of their caste identity.

India will not be able to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) if opportunities and necessities are structurally denied to people who account for over 25% of the population. This calls for the development of a well-designed structure to assess data on caste and its adverse effects to better plan policies to address the pervasive discrimination that exists today and help ensure a sustainable future for all.

(Authors: Dr. Karamala Areesh Kumar, Head, Department of International Relations, Peace and Public Policy (IRP and PP), St Joseph’s University, Bengaluru-560027, India, Email: areeshkaramalajnu[at]gmail.com, karamala.areesh[at]sju.edu.in, ORCiD: https://orcid.org/my-orcid?orcid=0000-0002-3908-071X. ; Prajwal T. V, Research Assistant, Dept of International Relations, Peace and Public Policy, St. Joseph’s University, Bangalore-560027, India, Email: prajwaltv.edu[at]gmail.com, ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0304-7154)