Question

Which state amongst the following has the highest percentage of the Scheduled Caste population?
A) Jharkhand
B) Madhya Pradesh
C) Punjab
D) Uttar Pradesh

Answer 1

Hint:
- India's caste system, which divides people into groups, dates back about 2,000 years. It has been influenced by dynasties and governing elites such as the Mughal Empire and the British Raj.
- The Scheduled Castes are sometimes referred to as Dalit, which means "broken/scattered" in Sanskrit.
- The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes have had Reservation status since India's independence, for ensuring political representation.

Complete answer:
According to the 2011 Census, there are 201,378,086 scheduled castes in India. It accounts for 16.6% of India's total population. According to the 2001 Census, it accounted for 16.2 percent of India's total population. In rural areas, there are 15, 38, 50,562 scheduled castes, while in urban areas, there are 4, 75, 27,524 scheduled castes. The scheduled castes make up 18.5 percent of the rural population and 12.6 percent of the urban population. It should be noted that India's population grew at a decadal rate of 17.64 percent from 2001 to 2011. The scheduled castes' decadal growth rate was 20.8 percent during this period. Because of their migration from villages to towns and cities, the scheduled castes' decadal growth rate was lower (15.7 percent) in rural areas and higher (41.3 percent) in urban areas.

Now let us look into the given options:
A) Jharkhand – According to the 2011 census, scheduled caste population in Jharkhand is 12.08 %.
B) Madhya Pradesh – According to 2011 census, scheduled caste population in Madhya Pradesh is 15.62 %
C) Punjab – According to 2011 census, scheduled caste population in Punjab is 31.94 %
D) Uttar Pradesh – According to 2011 census, scheduled caste population in Uttar Pradesh is 20.70%

Thus the correct answer is option ‘C’.

Notes:
- A census is a method of systematically enumerating, collecting, and storing data about the members of a population.
- Uttar Pradesh, with a population of 19.96 crores, is India's most populous state, according to the 2011 State Census.
- According to the 2011 census, India's population was 1,210,854,977 people. Since2001, India's population has grown by 181.5 million people.