Which caste/community has the lowest percentage of population living in affluence in rural and urban India respectively? How does this compare with the national average?
In Rural India, Scheduled Tribes have the lowest percentage of population living in affluence at 1.4%. In Urban India, Scheduled Castes have the lowest percentage at 0.8%.
Comparing with the national average, the rural national average for affluence is 4.3%, which means Scheduled Tribes (1.4%) are significantly below—approximately 3 times lower than the national average. Similarly, the urban national average is 4.5%, and Scheduled Castes (0.8%) are about 5-6 times lower than this average. This shows that these marginalized communities continue to face significant economic disadvantages.
Explanation
The question requires reading Table 2 carefully. Students must identify the lowest values in both rural and urban columns separately. In rural India, Scheduled Tribes has the lowest value (1.4%), while in urban India, Scheduled Castes has the lowest value (0.8%). The comparison with national average (ALL GROUPS) shows these communities are far below the average, highlighting continued caste-based economic disparities.
Solution Steps
Step 1: Look at Rural India column - find minimum value = 1.4% (Scheduled Tribes)
Step 2: Look at Urban India column - find minimum value = 0.8% (Scheduled Castes)
Step 3: Compare with ALL GROUPS (national average): Rural = 4.3%, Urban = 4.5%
Step 4: Calculate difference: STs are about 3 times below rural average; SCs are about 5-6 times below urban average