Over 6 decades, multi-crore schemes later, SC/STs continue to lag behind

State wide data pertaining to the House-listing and Housing Census, 2011 for SC & ST and Provisional Totals, 2011 (Sub-District level) released by the director of census operations, Maharashtra, points out how a nearly 40% of the SC population is forced to use open spaces to defecate, since they do not have access to either their own or public toilets. For the STs this figure is almost 60%.

 

Also nearly 20% of the SCs have no access to bathrooms while the percentage for STs is well over of 32%. While over 18% SC households are forced to depend on kerosene for lighting and over 36% STs have to do the same.

 

25.3% of SC households and 43% of ST households do not possess telephone/mobile phone, radio/TV, do not have access to banking and don't even own a bicycle.

 

There are total 2,38,30,580 households in Maharashtra, of which 3,311,405 (13.9 %) households are of SCs and 2,445,645 (10.3%) of STs. Among SC households, 53.7% are in rural and 46.3% are in urban areas. In case of STs, 76.5% of households are in rural and 23.5% are in urban areas.

 

Availability of Drinking Water Facility

In case of SC households, nearly 30% still don’t have access to tap water. Taps are major source of drinking water (68.0%) followed by well (11.8%), hand pump (12.8%) and tube well (5.2%).

 

About 52.8% SC households have the drinking water facility within their premises, whereas 31.9% households have this facility near the premises. And for the rest 15.3% of SC households, the drinking water facility is away from the premises.

 

In case of STs too, though tap water is the major source of the drinking water (48.4%) many still have to depend on wells (24.7%), tube wells (3.9%) and hand pumps (19.2%) for water.

 

Among STs, 33.9% of households have the drinking water facility within premises while 43.3% have it near the premises. As many as 22.8% of ST households still have to trudge long distances for water.

 

Latrine facility

In Maharashtra about 46.9% households do not have latrine facilities within their premises. Among SCs 55.3% of them don't and among STs 69.9% don't have latrine facilities. Among the SC households without latrines, 38.5% use open space and 16.9% use public latrines. Similarly, among STs, 59.7% use open space and 10.2% use public latrines.

 

Availability of bath room

As compared to 64.3% of households in Maharashtra, 55.3% of the SC households have bathrooms (covered roof) and 26.6% of the households use an enclosure without any roof. The rest of the households have no bathing facility. In case of STs, only 37.2% household have the bathroom (covered roof) and 29.9% use enclosure without any roof. The rest of the household have no bathing facility.

 

Drainage facility

As compared to 32.5% of all households in Maharashtra, about 31.8% of SC households do not have any drainage system in their houses. Major part of this (49.6%) is reported in rural; and in urban area, only 11.2% of households do not have drainage system.

 

In case of STs, about 58.6% households do not have any drainage system. Here also, the major part of this (71.9%) is reported in rural area and in urban area, only 15.4% households do not have drainage system.

 

Source of lighting

As compared to 83.9% of households reported electricity as the main source of lighting for all households in Maharashtra, the same is reported in 79.8% of SC and 59.8% of ST households.

 

Kerosene is the next main source of lighting which is reportedly used in 18.2% of SC and 36.2% of ST household.

 

Condition of houses

As against 30.2% for all households in Maharashtra, 22.8% of SC and 12.2% of ST households have a concrete roof.

 

Other materials used are hand and machine made tiles, burnt brick, stone/slate and GI/metal/asbestos sheets.

 

The wall material of 66.7% of SC and 43.8% of ST households is either concrete, bricks, stone or GI sheets as against 71.3% for all households in the state. Similarly in 26.3% SC and 35.2% ST households, the wall material is mud, un-burnt brick and wood as against 22.6% for all households in the state.

 

Against 36.1% for all households, in 41.5% households among SC and 68.3% among ST, the floor material is reported as mud.

 

Kitchen and fuel used for cooking

About 65.8% of SC households have kitchens as against 72.7% of all households. Like all households, firewood and LPG are the main sources of fuel for cooking among SC households too (46.8% and 35.1% respectively). In case of ST households, 57.5% have kitchens. Firewood (70.0%) is the main source of fuel among them and LPG use is 18.9% only.

 

Assets available to the households

As compared to 58.8% for all households in Maharashtra, 50.9% SC and 30.2% ST households have a television. Against 69.1% all households, 59.8% SC and 39.7% ST households have telephone/mobile phones.

 

About 59.6% of SC and 47.9% of ST households avail bank facilities as against 68.9% in case of all households. Among SCs, 16.3% households have radio/transistor, 9.4% have computer/laptop, 28.2% have bicycle, 16.7% have scooter/motorcycle/moped and only 2.9% have a car/jeep or van.

 

Among STs, 11.9% households have a radio/transistor, 6.6% have computer/laptop, 22.7% have bicycle, 10. 5% have a scooter/motorcycle/moped and only 1.6% have the car/jeep and van.

 

There are 25.3% of SC households and 43.0% of ST households do not have any assets specified above as against 19.0% in case of all households in the state.