Education and Employment Situation in India: A Case Study of Rural Punjab

Indian society experiences various inequalities in the field of education and employment wherein the scheduled castes subsist on the minimal levels. They are lagging behind in the developmental process. The main objective of the paper is to analyse these two parameters among scheduled castes of rural Punjab. The paper is divided into three sections. To begin with, the educational and employment situation of scheduled castes is compared with general population in India and in Punjab. Thereafter, the relationship between these two components is considered. In the next part, their educational status and inequality in the occupational structure is examined. The paper revealed that the diminutive educational as well as occupational status of the scheduled castes in rural areas of Punjab represents their disappointing situation. The paper is based on the secondary as well as primary data. Secondary data is taken from Census of India and various issues of NSSO. Primary data is collected from three districts of Punjab namely SAS Nagar, Hoshiarpur and Sri Muktsar Sahib districts.