Dalits in India continue to experience one of the worse cases of class discrimination in spite of government efforts trying to improve the situation. .
The Dalit community, also referred to as the "untouchables" were segregated among all and communication with them denied to exist. Economic liberalism (which agrees to provide equality, health and safety, and protection of land resources), presented the hopes and dreams that the Dalit community sought. (Kennett, pg.24-25). Unfair treatment, landless and largely poor, 85% of Dalits continue working in agriculture; opportunity for other employment ceased to exist. "Now the Dalits form the single largest group of agricultural laborers in the country: the landless agricultural laborers. This happens to be the poorest and most vulnerable section of Indian society. This is the group of society that has taken the worst beating in the last 10-11 years of economic change." (Asiasociety.org, P. Sainath). The Dalits understood nothing of certain advantages of a capitalistic economy. Instead of exclusive ownership of land or incentives in result of being productive, Dalits labor was forced labor and did not count in the gross domestic product of the Indian economy (Issaacs, pg. 28). The voting infrastructure attempted to only include the upper caste colonies. The meetings, held during late evenings, insured that most of the members (lower class and women) could not attend. The members that appeared to cease to attend were looked upon as uneducated and careless, so the common lands were automatically privatized and exclusive to the upper class (Rajeshekar, pg.53). Intrinsically, Dalits lacked what many of Americans took advantage of. The dalit's economical status was uncontrollably exploited. Defiance for improvement socially and economically only made matters worse because the government felt no need to bother with the dalit community, almost like they never existed (Sekhon, Chandini).
