CASTE NORMS DENY DALITS INDIVIDUAL TOILETS: PANDEY

The caste system is the reason why India is still a developing nation, said social activist and Ramon Magsaysay award winner Sandip Pandey.

Delivering the fifth endowment lecture in memory of late PM P.V. Narasimha Rao at the Kakatiya University on Wednesday, Mr Pandey said the caste system is also the reason for Dalit families being denied individual toilets.

Speaking on ‘The paradox of high growth and worst social indices in the world’ he said India is still lagging behind South Asian countries. He pointed out that the participation rate of women in the workforce is almost half in India at 29 per cent compared to Bangladesh which has 57 per cent of women working. He said even the number of women MPs is higher in Bangladesh than in India. He blamed the BJP-led NDA government for cutting allocations for education and health.

“Many development experts in India keen on using the private sector for school education, would be interested to learn that in Sri Lanka, with its huge lead over India in social indicators, private schools have been banned since 1960s,” Mr Pandey said.

Even though India places itself among BRICS nations its social indices don’t compare with others of the group. For example, the infant mortality rate in India is 47 per 1,000 live births while in China, Brazil and Russia it is 13%, 14% and 10% respectively. India is also lagging behind in literacy and health outlay.

PV Memorial Trust founder Surabhi Vani Devi, KU in-charge Registrar Prof. Kwaja Altaf Hussain, Prof. K. Sitarama Rao, Parcha Kodandarama Rao and others were present.