The job of the sweeper has been perceived as one of the most wretched occupations in India. Among the many untouchable castes, the author was particularly interested in the socio-economic conditions of the sweepers for the very reason that they have continued their association with their traditional occupation, i.e. sweeping, despite various socio-economic changes in the set-up of India after Independence. The study can be divided in two parts. The first is an analysis of documents related to sweepers, which include reports of various committees, commissions, and task forces at central and state government levels. The second is made up of first hand data and information collected in the course of field survey conducted in several localities in western India. The field survey was aimed at analyzing both the service and labour conditions of sweepers employed by the local bodies. Thus, this study weaves together the weft of institutional reform and the warp of the analysis of its impact on service and labour conditions of sweepers. By doing so it attempts to show the direction in which the sweepers are moving. It can be expressed in one line as Marginalization in the Midst of Modernization as the title of this book indicates.
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