Landlessness among Scheduled Castes remains extreme and regionally concentrated.

Evidence

According to economist Sukhadeo Thorat (2009, 56), “Nearly 70 per cent of SC households either do not own land or have very small landholdings of less than 0.4 ha [hectare]. A very small proportion (less than 6 per cent) consists of medium and large farmers. The scenario of landownership among SCs is even grimmer in Bihar, Haryana, Kerala and Punjab, where more than 90 per cent of SC households possess negligible or no land.” Citing Planning Commission data, another research paper states that the majority of the Scheduled Castes (77 per cent) are landless, without any productive assets and sustainable employment opportunities. According to the Agricultural Census of 1990-1, the essay says, “Around 87 per cent of the landholders of scheduled castes and 65 per cent of scheduled tribes in the country belong to the category of small and marginal farmers” (Mohanty 2001, 3857). — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 476