(This story originally appeared in on Apr 14, 2015)

Despite more access to education, better household amenities and increased incomes, the economic gap between upper castes and dalit and tribal communities continues unchanged over the years, according to latest economic data from the NSSO A comparison of average monthly expenditure of households belonging to dalit communities with upper caste households showed that in rural areas there was a gap of about 38% in 1999-2000 which changed only marginally to 37% in 2011-12. In urban areas, upper caste households reported incomes that were 65% more than dalit households in 1999-2000. This gap reduced to a still shocking 60% in 2011-12.For tribal households, the gap in monthly expenditures increased from 49% in 1999-2000 to 53% in 2011-12 in rural areas and from 45% to 48% in urban areas.Since there is no direct survey of incomes in India, monthly household expenditure is seen as a proxy measure of monthly income for most households except the very rich.The economic stagnation of dalit and tribal communities has not prevented them from seizing the opportunities for better education, perhaps in the hope that education will pave the way for a better life. In urban areas, the proportion of graduates in the 15+ years dalit population increased from 4.6% in 1999 to 9.4% in 2011, while among tribals it increased from 8.9% to 13.4% in the same period.Current attendance rates in educational institutions of various communities are now almost at par at the elementary stage, that is, 5-14 years age group. At the secondary stage, dalit students' attendance has shot up from 37% in 2004-05 to 57% in 2011-12 while tribal students' attendance has increased from 36% to 54% in the same period. At the higher education stage, attendance for dalits has increased from 8% to 15% while for tribals it has increased from 9% to 13%. In all these stages, attendance of upper castes is still higher than dalits and tribals but the gaps are fast reducing.So, why does the economic chasm persist? Affirmative action to help dalits or tribals, like reservation in jobs, reaches only a small section of these communities, leaving the vast mass untouched and frozen in backward economic conditions, says Surinder S Jodhka, professor of sociology at the Jawaharlal Nehru University and a long time researcher of dalit communities."In rural areas, most dalits do not have any assets and are the worst sufferers in the ongoing agrarian crisis. If they migrate to cities, again they enter at the lowest level of the economy, working in informal sector jobs. So it is not surprising that their economic status remains what it is," Jodhka said.In rural areas, for five-member households, the average monthly expenditure in 1999-2000 was Rs 2,095 for dalit households, Rs1,940 for tribal households and Rs 2,370 for OBC households compared to Rs 2,885 for upper caste households. In 2011-12, the dalit households were having an average monthly expenditure of Rs 6,260, tribal households Rs 5,610, and OBC households Rs 7,195 but upper caste households were spending Rs 7,150.In urban areas, in 1999-2000, the dalits household spend was Rs 3,455, tribal household Rs 3,455 and OBC household Rs 3,675 while the upper caste household's average spend was Rs 5,025. By 2011-12, the corresponding monthly expenditures were Rs 10,140 for dalits, Rs 10,965 for tribals, Rs 11,375 for OBC's and Rs 16,210 for upper caste households."Indian modernization, unlike in the west, has not produced an organized economy. We continue to have remnants of pre-modern economic relations and a huge informal or unorganized economy. Dalits and tribals largely continue to occupy this lowest rung," Jodhka explained.