Question

The scheduled caste in the Indian population constitute____________
A 16%
B 18%
C 20%
D 22%

Answer 1

Hint:
India's caste system is one of the ancient forms of social stratification to exist in the world. The system that divides Hindus into rigid hierarchical classes based on their karma (work) and dharma is generally accepted, to be more than 3,000 years old.

Complete answer:
Manusmriti, widely recognised as the most important and authoritative book on Hindu law and dated back at least 1,000 years before Christ was born, "accepts and justifies the caste system as the basis of order and regularity of society".

The caste system divides Hindus into four major categories: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. Most assume that the groups originated from Brahma, the Hindu God of Creation.

The main castes have been further classified into around 3,000 castes and 25,000 sub-castes, each on the basis of their particular occupation.

Scheduled castes are all those caste systems in the country which suffer from severe social, educational and economic backwardness as a result of the age-old tradition of untouchability and some others due to lack of infrastructure and geographical isolation, and which need special consideration for the protection of their interests and their accelerated socio-economic growth. These groups have been notified as Scheduled Castes according to the provisions of Clause 1 of Article 341.

According to the 2011 Census, the number of scheduled castes in India is 16.6 per cent of India's total population.

Therefore, the correct answer is A

Note:
According to the 2011 Census, the literacy rate in India is 72.99 per cent as compared to 66.1 per cent in scheduled castes. State-wise, the rate of literacy in scheduled castes is the highest in Mizoram (92.4%) and the least in Bihar (48.6%).