Tag: Dalit community

Any member of the many different social groupings who were traditionally marginalised in Hindu caste society is referred to as a “dalit.” Although members of the Scheduled Castes frequently prefer the word Dalit, the most prevalent term currently used in India for individuals in these groups is the official label Scheduled Caste.

There are currently some 166.6 million Dalits in India. The Constitution requires the government to define a list or schedule of the lowest castes in need of compensatory programmes.

These scheduled castes include converts to Sikhism but exclude converts to Christianity and Islam; the groups that are excluded and continue to be treated as ‘untouchables’ probably constitute another 2 per cent of the population.