Socio Economic Condition of the Namasudras of the Karimganj and Cachar Districts of Assam

Abstract

The Namasudras are the largest group among the Scheduled Castes people of Assam, although very little is known in regard to this community, which is bereft of any literature and study report on it. They are primarily confined to the Cachar and Karimganj districts of Assam. Although the Namasudras are generally supposed to belong to the fishing community, they are an agricultural caste in the Karimganj and Cachar districts of Assam. The present study report contains a brief history of the Namasudras, their origin, population, demographic characteristics, infrastructural facilities available in the surveyed villages, participation in education by the male and female members of this community, school drop-outs, occupational pattern, land holding pattern, livestock, fisheries, annual income and expenditure, savings and investments, rural indebtedness and changing trends in traditional institutions, family planning measures, inter caste marriages, untouchability and atrocities, prohibition measures etc. The last part of the report comprises of concluding observations and a number of suggestions for the socio economic development of this down trodden community.