Some 30% rural households belong to SC/ST category: Census

About 30% of rural households belong to Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) group, revealed Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011.

As per the census, 29.43% of the households belong to the SC and ST category across the country.

Punjab leads the the states with the highest number of SC population with 36.74%, followed by West Bengal (28.45%), Tamil Nadu (25.55%) and Himachal Pradesh (23.97%).

As far as ST population is concerned, Mizoram has the highest percentage with 98.79%, followed by Lakshadweep (96.59%), Nagaland (93.91%) and Meghalaya (90.36%).

The average percentages of SC and ST category are 18.46% and 10.97%, respectively.

On other households that do not belong to this category, the census said, Kerala with 86.16% leads the pack, followed by Daman and Diu (81.27%). Bihar comes next at the third spot with 81.19%.

Chandigarh with 80.45% is at the fourth spot followed by Delhi at 78.16%.

The all-India average in this category is 68.52%.

As for no caste and tribe households, the census puts the all-India average at 2.04%.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands has highest number of such households with 36.99% followed by Assam with 35.52%.

Goa with 30.67% comes third followed by Daman and Diu at 10.395.