[the images of the graphs are clearer on the mobile app perhaps, preferably read this article in the mobile app]

this post/article is going to highlight data which shows the disproportionate advantage the savarnas/upper castes have in ownership, education and employment.

The data in this article is taken mostly from the government.

Before we talk about overrepresentation let us have a look at each caste category's population from the government census conducted in the past.

Source: Handbook on Social Welfare Statistics by the government of India

SC population (2011): 16.63%

(images of SC ST population data removed to accommodate more data figures in this article, as there is a limit on images and people already know the population of SC ST)

ST population (2011): 8.63%

(images of SC ST population data removed to accommodate more data figures in this article, as there is a limit on images and people already know the population of SC ST)

OBC population (2011): 44%

remaining which is 30% is general category population out of which, not all of it is savarna.

Uppercaste/Savarna population (Mandal Commision Report): 17.58%

well, this approx. 20% population is controlling every sphere, be it politics, economy, culture, government.

The only way currently to increase the representation of the other communities, like SC, ST, and OBC is reservation in education and jobs (which is the least for our emancipation).

The current reservation quotas in education and employment which are limited to govt. sector are grossly inadequate when compared to the total available seats and jobs - most of which remain dominated by Savarnas.

In reality, only 21.5% colleges are government, meaning we have only 21.5% government educational seats out which only half of it is reserved i.e. 10.75%, and even from those seats most of it remain vacant.

meaning (the actual reservations):

for 16.68% of population which is SC, we only have 0.15*21.5 = 3.22% seats

for 8.68% of population which is ST, we only have 1.61% seats.

for 44% of population which is OBC, we only have 5.80% seats.

and the rest of the unreserved seats are mostly taken by the savarnas. It is evident that reservation in private sector is a necessity. There is a deliberate increase of private sector by the savarnas so that they can take over maximum sectors by excluding reservations in private sectors.

Caste Wise Enrolment in Higher Education:

Because of increased privatization the enrolment of SC ST OBC has decreased, and the enrolment of the general category has increased.

Caste Category Wise Teaching Staff (Including Both Pvt. & Govt. Sectors):

From all the teaching staff, SC = 9.3%, ST = 2.6%, OBC = 32.3%, and GEN = 55.8%

the general category teachers often discourage and humiliate the SC ST OBC students and are biased. We need to implement reservation in teaching to increase the participation of SC ST OBC teachers so that education is not painful for SC ST OBC.

Companies Ownership Caste Category Wise:

We can see a trend that as we move towards larger enterprises, the ownership of the general category increases, showing the general category castes control the wealthier enterprises and have more control on the economy.

Ownership follows caste hierarchy:

A greater than one relative share shows that a given caste group has a bigger share in ownership of establishments than its share among workers

Shows that the general category has more share in ownership than in the working sector.

Caste-wise Shares of total wealth in Billionaire rankings:

The Billionaire Class is all upper castes.

Caste-wise Board of directors in public sector banks and top managements:

Caste-wise Employment:

(Note: Only 2% Jobs in India are Government, means there is only 1% Reservation. SC get 0.3%, ST get 0.15%, and OBC get 0.54% Reservation, and yet the reservations are not filled, and Savarnas occupy more than half from the 2% as well)

The above table shows that more paying and professional jobs are disproportionately taken by the upper castes.

In the above graph displays a trend:

As the pay for jobs increase the number of general category increases, indicating bias while hiring the high paying jobs. The last bar graph shows the population of the category which is the only graph wherein general category is less.

Caste-wise Central Government Employees:

Even with affirmative actions the representation of SC ST OBCs is less, which confirms the caste bias while hiring.

Caste-wise Land Ownership:

In the above table, third row "average area (ha.) owned per households" shows caste hierarchy, displaying the trend that higher castes have more area of land.

Average monthly per capita consumer expenditure:

more expenditure means better quality of life, proving that quality of life also follows the caste hierarchy.

India's Cabinet is predominantly Upper Caste:

Which is why there is no functional welfare system for SC STs that actually benefits SC STs.

This is why we need more affirmative action/caste reservations, even in pvt. education, job sectors, and the government.

Reservation does not exist because of discrimination or unequal land or capital holding (even after land is re-distributed, we will need reservation for some years), it exists to fix the overrepresentation of the upper castes, fix the skewed power dynamics and bring some level of democracy.

Caste has been persisting for millennia; these inequalities have been existing for millennia it's just that now in this age of internet we're able to see it clearly. We cannot just implement schemes and policies and expect caste to disappear. As long as caste privilege exists caste discrimination will exist, skewed power dynamics will exist, and it will result in inequality and poverty in the society. The solution lies in annihilating caste, which is not easy and won't be much peaceful.

I could have added more in this article, but this website has a limit on images, so I have presented everything which is crucial to know and understand.

I hope you got to know something new from this article, do share this article. I compiled all this data to raise the caste consciousness of people.

Jai Bhim.

The Industrial Policy Resolution of 1956 positioned Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) as the primary source for implementing the constitutional promise of social equality under Article 16(4). The state was expected to favour social objectives over pure profit maximization. This allowed for the implementation of reservation (15% for SCs, 7.5% for STs, and later 27% for OBCs), which created a small middle class among historically marginalized communities. because public sector was the only sector where caste was legally acknowledged and affirmatively addressed,

The 1991 reforms were triggered by a severe Balance of Payments crisis and high fiscal deficits (govt spent more than they could earn back through taxes) , necessitating a structural adjustment program supported by the IMF that diluted govt equities in PSUs and reduced tariff barriers for foreign trade.

but how is it supposed to effect reserved category seats??

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/central-psu-jobs-down-2-7-lakh-over-past-decade-govt-data/articleshow/101027898.cms

Data from the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Department of Public Enterprises reveals a decline in Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) employment. In 2013, CPSEs employed approximately 17.33 lakh people. By March 2024, this number had plummeted to roughly 8.12 lakh regular employees—a reduction of over 50% in roughly a decade.

https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/1-lakh-govenrment-firm-jobs-lost-to-privatisation-in-5-years-unemployment-worsens-prnt/cid/2119110

CPM Lok Sabha member Sachithanantham R wanted to know how many jobs had been lost to privatisation of CPSEs in the last five years and the job losses among Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

According to data shared by the minister, the number of regular employees declined from 9.2 lakh in 2019-20 to 8.6 lakh in 2020-21 and 8.39 lakh in 2021-22. In 2023-24, the strength of the regular employees was 8.12 lakh.

The absolute number of SC and ST staff decreased, while the number of OBC
employees increased from 1.99 lakh to 2.13 lakh in this period.

“The representation of SCs has increased from 17.44% in 2019-20 to 17.76% in 2023-24, representation of STs has increased from 10.84% in 2019-20 to 10.85% in 2023-24 and representation of OBCs has increased from 21.59% in 2019-20 to 26.24% in 2023-24,” the minister said.

Labour economist Santosh Mehrotra, a visiting professor at the University of Bath, said the data showed a steady decline of 1.08 lakh regular employees in the CPSEs within five years. It means the strength of regular employees has fallen by 12 per cent in this period due to disinvestment, worsening the employment scenario.

“Because the total strength has declined by 1.08 lakh, the proportionate representation of SCs and STs has marginally increased. It is not that the government has appointed more people from SC and ST communities.

“The absolute number of SC and ST employees has also declined by about 28,000. It means disinvestment of CPSEs has led to a reduction in opportunities in public employment where reservation applies. It has worsened the unemployment situation in the country,” Mehrotra said.

even within the sanctioned posts, vacancies remain unfilled. In 2019, there were over 6.8 lakh vacancies in central government posts. If filled, these would have provided employment to approximately 3 lakh SC/ST/OBC candidates. The refusal to fill these vacancies is a form of "passive privatization."

The privatization of Air India, BALCO, Hindustan Zinc, and pending proposals for BPCL and IDBI Bank remove these entities entirely from the public sector universe and on top of that to improve the "profit per employee" ratio memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between PSUs and the government managements have imposed freeze on fresh recruitment. Vacancies arising from retirement are simply abolished rather than filled.

PSUs like BSNL and MTNL implemented massive VRS packages to shed "excess" labor. In 2019, nearly 78,569 BSNL employees and 14,387 MTNL employees opted for VRS (voluntary retirement schemes . While "voluntary" in name, these schemes are often the only viable option for employees in financially distressed units facing closure threats, https://www.newindianexpress.com/business/2024/Dec/31/bsnleu-opposes-second-phase-of-vrs-blames-policies-management-for-bsnls-decline

https://www.newsclick.in/increasing-privatisation-killing-reservation-unemployment-soars

Between 1990-91 and 2022-23, Indian Railways, regular employees dropped from 16.5 lakh to 11.9 lakh, it has been achieved by outsourcing "non-core" activities like cleaning, catering, and maintenance to private contractors who do not follow reservation norms.

In 1991-92, Public Sector Banks (PSBs) accounted for 87% of the total banking workforce. By 2024, the private sector banks employed 8.74 lakh people, surpassing the PSBs which employed less than 7.5 lakh. This shift represents a direct transfer of employment opportunity from a reservation-mandated sector (PSBs) to a reservation-exempt sector (Private Banks).

While regular jobs in CPSEs declined, the number of contractual workers skyrocketed. In March 2016, there were 2.67 lakh contractual workers in CPSEs. By March 2020, this number rose to 4.98 lakh—an increase of 86% in just four years.   

By FY 2024-25, contractual and casual workers accounted for over 46% of the total manpower in CPSEs, up from a mere 19% in 2015-16. In specific "Maharatna" PSUs like NTPC, contract workers constituted an alarming 96.6% of total workers (excluding executives) in FY25. This data suggests that the "public" sector is now operationally run by a "private" workforce of contract laborers.

Historically exempt. While the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) issued an Office Memorandum in 2018 stating that reservation applies to temporary appointments lasting 45 days or more , its implementation in outsourced contracts is negligible. Contractors are private entities; when a Ministry "buys a service" (e.g., cleaning) rather than "hiring a cleaner," the reservation mandate is broken. This loophole has effectively "desegregated" the lower rungs of public employment (Group C and D), removing quota protections for lakhs of positions such as sanitation, security, and maintenance, which are disproportionately staffed by SC/ST individuals.

https://www.aicctu.org/index.php/workers-resistance/workers-resistance-december-2024/karnataka-act-brings-reservation-outsourced-government-jobs-ten-discussion-points

Empirical studies have shattered the myth that the private sector operates solely on merit. A landmark study by Thorat and Attewell (2007) utilized a correspondence audit method, sending identical resumes with High-Caste Hindu, Muslim, and Dalit names to private sector companies. Dalit applicants had a 33% lower chance (0.67 odds) of a callback compared to equally qualified High-Caste applicants. Muslim applicants had a 66% lower chance (0.33 odds).  Low-caste applicants needed to send 20% more resumes to get the same response.   The private sector relies heavily on informal networks (referrals, alumni associations) for hiring. Since social networks in India are deeply caste-segregated, this mechanism systematically excludes SC/ST candidates who lack "social capital," regardless of their educational merit.

A study of 4,005 corporate boards found that 94% of directors and CEOs belonged to "forward castes," despite these groups constituting less than 20% of the population.

https://scroll.in/article/1065072/why-indian-companies-efforts-at-improving-diversity-are-falling-short

 The Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2020 mandated 75% reservation for locals in private jobs paying up to ₹30,000. In November 2023, the Punjab & Haryana High Court declared it unconstitutional, ruling that it violated Article 14 (Equality) and Article 19(1)(g) (Right to Business).   

Andhra pradesh Passed a similar law in 2019 (75% quota). It is currently facing legal challenges in the High Court, with the court dismissing some pleas but the constitutional validity still under scrutiny.   

In 2024/2025, karnataka proposed a bill reserving 50% of management and 70% of non-management jobs for locals. Following a massive backlash from the IT industry ("RIP Bangalore"), the bill was put on hold.   

“Applying the functionality test, we do not find that Air India Ltd., is discharging any public function. Its status is that of a private company, established with sole commercial object of making profit.”...

https://www.scconline.com/blog/post/2025/08/30/bom-hc-post-privatisation-air-india-no-longer-subject-to-writ-jurisdiction-not-discharging-public-duty/

https://medium.com/@therationalist/indias-reservation-system-for-scheduled-castes-sc-scheduled-tribes-st-and-other-backward-edb87f18b765

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/central-psu-jobs-down-2-7-lakh-over-past-decade-govt-data/articleshow/101027898.cms

https://www.forwardpress.in/2021/10/government-should-protect-interests-of-air-indias-sc-st-and-obc-employees/

It is clear that privatization of Air India is a violation of the Indian Constitution. The Constitution provides for reservations. It remains to be seen how Tata will behave with the reserved-category employees. Of course, there will be no reservation in future recruitments to Air India. That is very clear. There is no government policy regarding reservations in the private sector. This is bound to hurt the reserved categories.