Relevance: GS II (Social Justice) & GS I (Indian Society) | Source: The Hindu; DoPT Annual Report 2024-25

1. The Context: A Grim Demographic Snapshot

A new report by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) reveals a stark reality about the composition of India’s government workforce.

  • The Findings: While marginalized communities struggle for representation in top-tier jobs, they are disproportionately over-represented in sanitation roles.
  • The Data: Over 66% of Group C Safai Karmacharis (sanitation workers) belong to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC).
  • SC Dominance: Specifically, 36.75% of all sanitation workers are from SC communities. This is double their general representation in other government posts (~16%), indicating that traditional caste roles are still entrenched in the modern bureaucracy.

2. The Hierarchy Gap (Pyramid of Inequality)

The data highlights a clear “Occupational Segregation”:

  • Bottom of the Pyramid (Group C/Sanitation): Heavily dominated by SCs/STs/OBCs.
  • Top of the Pyramid (Group A Officers): Representation drops significantly. SCs hold only 14.2% and STs just 6.54% of Group A posts.
  • The Trend: Since 2018-19, the overall representation of SC staff in Union ministries has actually declined slightly (from 17.49% to 16.84%), while OBC representation has risen.

3. Missing Data points

  • EWS Gap: The report provides no data on the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), making it difficult to analyze how poverty intersects with these roles outside of caste.
  • Incomplete Reporting: Many Ministries failed to submit timely data, meaning this report only covers about 20 lakh employees out of the total 32 lakh central workforce.

UPSC Value Box

Concept / TermRelevance for Prelims
Occupational SegregationA sociological term describing a situation where a specific demographic group is over-represented or under-represented in certain types of jobs (e.g., SCs in sanitation).
Reservation MandatesFor direct recruitment to Central Government posts: SC (15%), ST (7.5%), OBC (27%), EWS (10%).
Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT)The nodal agency under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. It acts as the “HR Manager” for the Government of India and formulates reservation policies.

Q. With reference to the reservation policy in direct recruitment to Central Government posts, consider the following statements:

  1. The reservation quota for Scheduled Castes (SCs) is fixed at 15%.
  2. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) is the nodal agency responsible for formulating and monitoring these reservation policies.
  3. The reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) was introduced through the 101st Constitutional Amendment Act.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

Recent Posts

Start Yours at Ajmal IAS – with Mentorship StrategyDisciplineClarityResults that Drives Success

Your dream deserves this moment — begin it here.