“Socio-economic Status and Occupational Change of Sarkies: A Case Study of Shree Krishna Gandaki VDC, Syangja, Nepal

Abstract

This is a socio-economic study of the Sarki caste group of Shree Krishna Gandaki VDC, Syangja. It is a occupational caste group which is also taken as a so-called dalit and untouchable in the Nepalese context. The study is primarily concentrated in two wards (2 and 7) of the VDC and Sarkis are living only in those 2 wards within the VDC. The total Sarki households in the study area were 67 and the population was 401 (194 males and 207 females respectively). The percentage of population occupied by the Sarkis in the study area was 3.21 over. There were mainly ten caste/ethnic groups living together in the VDC. Families of Sarki community were larger in size due to unawareness of family planning methods.

The socio-economic condition of the Sarki was lower and downtrodden. Among the total population of the Sarkis in the study area, 64.00% people were found literate and only 36.00% were found illiterate. Although agriculture is the main source of livelihood in the study area, shoe and madal making, wage labour, ploughing, job, carpentry, and business were the other alternative occupations carried out the Sarkis in the study area. Primary crops grown in the study area were paddy, wheat, maize, millet, oilseeds, cereals and vegetables. The main crops grown by them are paddy, maize and millet

Sarkis were found to be the most deprived caste group in the study site. Sarki people have the cultivated land of 221 Ropanis in total and average per family land holding is 3.50 ropani. This area is one of the food deficit areas of the VDC. Agricultural production in the study area is quite low. They grow different crops and grains but the product is not sufficient.

Sarki people don't want to have family planning or to use means of family planning. Because of their poor economic condition, they can't have nutritive food and they may become physically weak and on the other hand, they are compelled to work hard. Especially, the health condition of Sarki women is very miserable. Sarki people of the study area take loans from moneylenders rather than from the bank.

The major socio-economic problems of the Sarkis of the study area were analyzed. The study has reflected that the Dalits in general and Sarkis in particular were deprived of the access to different social and economic opportunities. Caste-based discrimination and domination was the major social problems of the Sarkis of the study area. Another problem were their limited access to the social networks and public organizations or CBOs. There were different causes of the problem of discrimination and domination of the Sarkis in the study area.

In general, the economic condition of Dalits especially the Sarkis’ was miserable. They were found as the poorest people of the village. So, poverty was a major problem of the Sarkis of the study area. There were different reasons of their poverty. The major reason of the poverty among the Sarkis of the study area was underemployment. Another reason of their poverty was the declining condition of the traditional occupation especially shoe-making.