Despite being included in the Hindu faith, the fact that most of the dalits in India continue to work in caste assigned degrading jobs has not changed.
All the so called 'polluting' jobs such as cleaning public toilets, drains, sewers, carrying of carcasses etc are entirely done by the Dalits.
In fact, when such jobs arise, caste Hindus go looking for the Dalits who perform the specific job as assigned to them by the caste system.
This trend of being bound to caste assigned occupations is particularly rampant among Hindu Dalits than among Dalits in minority faith in India.
There, of course, is another reason that Dalits continue in their caste occupations. Most of them simply do not have the means
to gain the education and occupational skills which will make them mobile.
Those who have acquired education and occupational, are better off, but still have their own share of problems, such as co-workers staying away from any meaningful social interaction with them.
The government, has therefore, resorted to affirmative action by providing reservation for them in employment and education. But even here they have problems.
For instance, many Dalit government employess face mistreatment and discrimination from caste Hindus at the work place.
Even class I officers of the Union and state government do not escape such discrimination.
Similarly Dalits studying in schools and institutions of higher learning to acquire skills that will make them occupationally mobile face the same problem as Dalit government employees.
NOTE: You can get very detailed and extensive information about the occupational exclusion and discrimination against the Dalits, including the statistics, trends and patterns, with examples and shocking photographs, in the eBook 'The Truth About Dalits'.
