Underlining the insufficient illustration of the Marathas in all public service sectors and the way the neighborhood has been “utterly out of the mainstream”, the Maharashtra State Backward Class Fee (MSBCC), led by retired Justice Sunil B Shukre, has discovered an “alarming” rise within the woman youngster marriage price inside the neighborhood, up from 0.32 per cent to 13.7 per cent within the final six years.
It has additionally discovered that 43.76 per cent of Maratha girls are concerned in handbook labour for a livelihood, and that illustration of Marathas in authorities companies has declined from 14.63 per cent in 2018 to 9 per cent in 2024.
The contents of the MSBCC report type a part of an affidavit filed by the State Common Administration Division (GAD), by way of its Secretary Sumant N Bhange, in response to a clutch of petitions difficult the ten per cent reservation granted to Marathas beneath the Socially and Educationally Backward Class (SEBC) class in jobs and training.
The problem to the SEBC Act, 2024, which was primarily based on the suggestions of the Shukre Fee, is prone to be heard April 10 by the Bombay Excessive Courtroom.
In 2018, the earlier MSBCC, headed by retired Justice M G Gaikwad, had discovered that the woman youngster marriage price was 0.32 per cent. Within the 2024 survey report, this price was 13.7 per cent.
The 2024 report has additionally identified that the woman youngster marriage price among the many Marathas was larger than that within the open class (7.07 per cent). The male youngster marriage report amongst Marathas stands at 11. 69 per cent whereas it’s 14.79 per cent within the open class.
The Gaikwad Fee’s 2018 2018 was primarily based on a survey of 43,629 households, from two villages of every of 355 talukas with greater than 50 per cent Maratha inhabitants. The Shukre Fee surveyed 1,58,20,264 households throughout the state on a “large scale” and located that Marathas constituted 28 per cent of the state’s inhabitants.
The 2024 report additionally revealed that 43.76 per cent of Maratha girls are concerned in handbook labour for a livelihood. Whereas 53 per cent males from the neighborhood undertook handbook labour in 2018, the 2024 report discovered it to decrease at 44.98 per cent.
The Shukre Fee report famous that ladies and men concerned in handbook or bodily labour within the open class have been at 14.06 per cent and 21.33 per cent, respectively, considerably decrease than the Marathas. It acknowledged that 58.76 % of Maratha girls mentioned they have been subjected to indignity and confronted discrimination and violence.
The Shukre Fee discovered insufficient illustration of the neighborhood in all sectors of public companies, and mentioned the Marathas have remained “utterly out of the mainstream” attributable to their backwardness.
It mentioned complete illustration of Marathas in authorities companies had decreased by over 5 share factors from 14.63 % in 2018 to 9 % in 2024. In 2014, the Narayan Rane Committee (which was not a statutory fee) had recorded 14.68 per cent illustration of Marathas in authorities companies.
The Shukre Fee referred to excessive poverty, decline in agricultural earnings, and partition of land holdings as causes for the present standing of the Marathas.
Whereas the Rane Committee in 2014 discovered that 36.26 per cent farmers who died by suicide within the state belonged to the Maratha neighborhood, the Gaikwad Fee in 2018 famous that Marathas constituted 80.28 per cent of demise by suicide by farmers.
The Shukre Fee mentioned there was “drastic enhance highlighting a extreme neighborhood crises” because the share of Marathas within the suicides had gone as much as 94.11 per cent – within the open class, it was 5.18 per cent.
The Shukre Fee, nonetheless, famous that the variety of Maratha households under the poverty line had decreased sharply within the final six years. Whereas the Gaikwad Fee in 2018 discovered that 37.28 per cent Maratha households have been dwelling under poverty line, the Shukre Fee mentioned it had lowered to 21.22 %.
The 2024 report additionally famous that the variety of households under the poverty line within the open class was 18.89 %, barely lower than the Marathas.
There’s additionally an “rising development indicating persistence of superstitious beliefs” amongst Marathas with 29.28% of households following superstitious practices in 2014, which elevated to 39.82% in 2018 and rose additional to 43.40% in 2024. The Shukre Fee famous a stark distinction as solely 15.49% households within the open class adopted superstitious practices.
It additionally pointed to rising landlessness amongst Marathas – the neighborhood fashioned 31.17 per cent of the landless in 2024 as towards 8 per cent in 2018.
The report additionally famous there was “regular enhance indicating worsening dwelling situations” among the many Marathas – 81.81 per cent of the neighborhood have been dwelling in kutcha homes in 2024, up from 69.8 per cent in 2014 and 70.56 per cent in 2018.
It additionally recorded that 93.68 per cent of the neighborhood had occupational stigma in 2024, up from 53.05 per cent in 2018.
It mentioned there was “dramatic enhance indicating worsening caste perceptions” as 94.32 % Marathas confronted caste-related inferiority in 2024, in comparison with 73 per cent in 2018 and 36.76 per cent in 2014.
The Shukre Fee mentioned the proportion of Marathas in training was “decrease” than different communities within the open class.
The state authorities mentioned “the illustration of the Maratha neighborhood within the political discipline by a handful variety of politicians belies the truth revealed by the state of affairs on the bottom”.
