The findings of the Backward Class Commission for Maratha reservations have busted the myth about the preset image of Marathas by default being affluent and feudal. The report revealed that in the sample size that they studied, 98% Marathas are marginal farmers who own less than 2.5 acres of land and their per family annual income is also less than Rs 1 lakh. This is below the average middle-class income in the state.
Maharashtra government had appointed MG Gaikwad, retired justice of High Court to ascertain the social, education and economic backwardness of Maratha community. In its submitted survey report, it says the 37% Marathas are below poverty lines (BPL) against the state average of 24%. In Maharashtra, there are only 2.5% of Maratha farmers who own more than 10 acres of land.
Chandrakant Patil, a journalist turned researcher and convenor of Maratha Kranti Morcha said they are very grateful to the Backward commission for bringing these shocking information about the Maratha community. "In cities, people wrongly assume that all Marathas are either like Sharad Pawar or Ajit Pawar. However, there is a stark difference on the ground. Only the handful of Maratha families are rich and they dominate state politically," Patil said adding that the time has come for self-introspection and move forward with the benefits of reservations.
In the survey, 76% of Maratha families were found working in agriculture and its related sectors. The survey also says that there is rampant migration among rural Marathas. "The migrations picked more in the last ten years due to falling agriculture and consecutive droughts. The 21% of Maratha had already migrated from rural to urban in search of livelihood. Most of them engaged in an unskilled labour-intensive sort of occupations like Mathadi, hamal, maidservant, port workers etc," stated in the report.
Marathas not only lagged behind in agriculture but in education as well." 13% Marathas are still illiterate. The 35% have taken primary schooling while 43% reached up to 12th class. A mere 6% of them are undergraduate and post-graduation while 0.77% have completed professional and technical courses. On an average, 4.30% of Maratha community has occupied academic and teaching posts in government universities and colleges," as stated in the report.
