BONDILI

Sri K. Balaji singh, President and B.Subbu Singh, Secretary A.P.Bondili
Sangh, Guntur district submitted representations to the then chairman, A.P.
Commission for Backward Classes on 29-04-1994 requesting to include Bondili
caste in the list of Backward Classes. It was represented that Bondili caste
people migrated to Andhra Pradesh from Bundelkund and they are spread over
in most of the districts and also the neighbouring states of Tamilnadu and
Karnataka. About 80% of the people are living below poverty line. They are
eking out their livelihood by preparing sweetmeats, pulling rickshaw, working in
private factories, watchman and agricultural coolies. They are educationally and
socially backward. Bondili caste was recognized as socially and educationally
backward and included in the list of Backward Classes right from the days of
British rule. In the states of Tamilnadu, Karnataka and Maharastra they are
recognized as backward class but in Uttar Pradesh they are included in the list of
schedule castes. In Andhra Pradesh this caste was recognized as backward class
till 1970 but without giving any reasons Anantaraman Commission failed to
include this caste. Since then they have been making representations to the
Government and to the authorities concerned but no positive action was taken.
L.Rajender Singh, President, R.Balaji Singh, Secretary, Andhra Pradesh
Bondili Sangh, Nellore have also submitted their representations. Sri Seetharam
Singh, Bondilis Rajput Committee, Hyderabad also submitted representations
requesting to include the caste in the list of Backward Classes. It was
represented that their estimated population was around 4.15 Lakhs. K.Jaipal
Singh, President and K.Satyanarayan Singh, Secretary, West Godavari Bondili
Sangh, Eluru also submitted their representations. Sri C.J. Ayodhya Ramsingh,
Joint Secretary, Chittoor district Bondili Sangh also submitted representations to
the Commission. Sri M.Balram Singh, President, Bondili Sangham Tirupati also
submitted representations to the Commission. B.Balaji Singh, president and
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M.Balaji Singh Secretary, Prakasam District Bondili Sangham, Ongole have also
submitted their representations. R.Bhimsingh, president and A.Ramsingh
Secretary, Andhra Pradesh Bondili Sangham Nellore District have also submitted
their representations. B.Chakradhar singh and B.Sudhir Singh of Andhra Pradesh
Bondili Sangham of Khammam district have also submitted their representations.
Bondili Narayana Singh president, Bondili Vykunta Ram Singh of Andhra Pradesh
Bondili Sangh Hyderabad Branch have also submitted their representations.
There were also representations from Andhra Pradesh Bondili Sangh, at
Machilipatnam, Kurnool, Nellore, Kadapa, Khammam and other districts. It was
also contented that Mandal Commission found that the Bondili caste was socially
and educationally backward and therefore the Mandal Commission recommended
for inclusion of this caste in the list of Backward Classes.
After the Commission was reconstituted the notification dated 31-03-2006
was issued which was published in A.P. Gazette dated 13-04-2006 calling for
representations, objections and suggestions and in pursuance of the said
notification the caste representatives submitted similar representations. The
Commission subsequently held public hearing on 17-05-2006. At the time of
public hearing Sri K.Shankar Singh, Chairman, A.P.Bondili Sangh, Guntur,
P.Krishna Singh, Kavali, J.Vijayalakshmi Hyderabad, Vykunta Ramsingh of
Vishakapatnam, B.Heeraman Singh of Machilipatnam, B.Satyanarayana Singh of
Machilipatnam, K.Balaji Singh of Kurnool, V.R.Prithvi Raj Singh of Srikalahasti,
K.Shyam Shankar Singh of Guntur, B. Sardar Sigh of Guntur, B.Srinivasa Singh of
Narsaraopet and others appeared before the Commission and represented about
the living conditions of the people and pleaded for inclusion.
The Commission formulated a format to conduct socio-economic survey of
the households to assess the living conditions of the people. The survey team
adopted the said format and the survey team conducted door-to-door household
sample survey during August and October 2006 and March and August 2007 in
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Anantapur, Chittoor, Vizianagram, Srikakulam, east Godavari and Krishna
districts the survey results are as follows.
Survey Results
1. Introduction:
The survey staff of the Commission conducted Local enquiries and
Investigations including door-to-door sample household survey during Aug. &
Oct of 2006 and March & Aug. of 2007 in Anantapur, Chittoor, Vizianagram,
Srikakulam, East Godavari and Krishna districts. The sample household Survey
covered 104 Households of this community. The traditional occupation of this
community is Soldiers, Puppet Show.
2. Social Status:
All the 104 Households comprising 427 persons are living in Rural 20%
and Urban 80% with average household size 4.10. The Sex ratio of the
Community is 93 Female per 100 Male where as the same is 71 for the age
group below 15 years.
Results on Traditional Occupation (T.O.)
Item Remarks No of
Households
Percentage
a) Traditional occupation in
practice
Yes
No
11
92
10.6
89.4
b) Feeling of the caste people
on Traditional Occupation
Superior
Inferior
Normal
0
38
65
0.0
36.5
62.5
c) T.O treated by others Superior
Inferior
Normal
0
38
65
0.0
36.5
62.5
d) Social discrimination Yes
No
Normal
39
1
63
37.5
1.0
60.6
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About 11% of households of this community are attending to their
traditional occupation. On account of their traditional occupation it is observed
that about 38% of households are socially discriminated in their locality and
about 37% households treated as inferior by others and 37% of households
reported as inferior.
3. Educational Status:
a) Sex-wise literacy (7 years & above)
S. No Description Male Female Total
1 Literates No
%
150
78.9
132
70.6
282
74.8
2 Illiterates No
%
40
21.1
55
29.4
95
25.2
The literacy rate of Male 78.9%, Female 70.6% and total is 74.8% as
against the state literacy rates 70.32, 50.43 and 60.47 respectively. The literacy
rate of the community is found above the state level literacy.
b) Educational level completed: (7 years & above)
S. No. C lass Passed No. of persons Percentage over
Literates Population Literates
1 Below 5th 48 12.7 17.0
2 5th class 64 17.0 22.7
3 7th class 102 27.0 36.2
4 10th class 33 8.8 11.7
5 Inter 16 4.2 5.7
6 Degree 15 4.0 5.3
7 P.Gr. 1 0.3 0.3
8 Pro.Tech. 3 0.8 1.1
All Classes 282 74.8 100.0
Though the literacy rate is higher than the state rates but only 9.3% Post-
Matriculates are found in the Community, the balance 65.5% are passed up to
Matriculation.
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c) Literates and dropouts (7 years and above):
S. No. Age
Group
Population Total
Literates
Percentage of
Literates
Drop
outs
Percent of dropouts
Among
Age
Group
Over
Total
Pop.
From
Edn.
Over
Population
Over
Literates
1 7-14 54 50 92.6 13.3 11 20.4 22.0
2 15-24 80 69 86.3 18.3 47 58.8 68.1
3 25-39 128 95 74.2 25.2 86 67.2 90.5
4 40-59 79 49 62.0 13.0 48 60.8 98.0
5 60+ 36 19 52.0 5.0 18 50.0 97.7
All 377 282 74.8 210 55.7 74.5
The literacy rate among the age-group 7-14 years is less than 100%, and
a higher dropout rates are noticed in the age groups 7-14 and 15-24 years.
d) Drop-outs from School / College studies with reasons (All-ages)
S. No. Reason for Dropouts No. of
Dropouts
Dropout
Rate
Percentage.
over pop.
1 Failed 19 9.0 4.5
2 Education not required 16 7.6 3.7
3 Marriage 23 10.9 5.4
4 To work 23 10.9 5.4
5 Poverty 125 59.2 29.3
6 Health & others 5 2.4 1.2
All 211 100.0 49.4
About 50% of dropouts among the literates of the Community are
established over the total population. The higher dropouts among the literates
with reasons i.e., Poverty (59%), to work (11%) and due to Marriage (11%) are
noticed.
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4. Employment Status:
The entire surveyed population of Bondili Community basing on their
economic activity is divided into Working group and Non Working group. The
Working group of people is consisting of Daily wage earners, Self-employed,
Regular salaried and part-time workers. So also the Non-Working group of
people consisting of children, students, aged, retired, ill health, unemployed,
housewives, and households.
a) Working and Non-Working groups of people by sex are as follows.
Workers Non-Workers
Male Female Total Male Female Total
Number 123 51 174 98 154 252
Percentage
Over total
55.6 24.9 40.8 44.4 75.1 59.2
It is noticed that the Male workers constitute 55.6% Female 24.9% and the
total 40.8% against the state workers rates 56.23%, 35.11% and 45.8%
respectively. In all respects the work participation rates of the Community is
below the state level figures.
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b) Statement showing Economic activity among working people.
S. No Economic activity Sex Number Percent to
Total pop.
Percent to
Workers-
Population
1 Daily wage in Agri. Male
Female
Total
12
5
17
5.4
1.4
4.0
9.8
9.8
9.8
2 Daily wage in Non Agri. Male
Female
Total
36
3
39
16.3
1.5
9.1
29.3
2.9
22.4
3 Self employed in Agri Male
Female
Total
4
1
5
1.8
0.5
1.2
3.2
2.0
2.9
4 Self employed in Non-Agri Male
Female
Total
45
15
60
20.4
7.3
14.0
36.6
29.4
34.4
5 Regular salaried in Govt. Male
Female
Total
6
2
8
2.7
1.0
1.9
4.9
3.9
4.6
6 Regular salaried in Pvt. Male
Female
Total
19
6
25
8.6
2.9
5.9
15.4
11.8
14.4
7 Part time workers Male
Female
Total
1
19
20
0.4
9.3
4.7
0.8
37.2
11.5
Grand Total 174 40.8 100.0
The people of this community are engaged in all the above activities with
more workers in Self-employed in non-Agriculture, followed by Daily wages in
non-Agriculture and Regular salaried in Private establishments.
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5. Economic status:
Description
No. of
Households
Percentage over hhs.
a) Possessing Agrl. Land 3 2.9
b) Type of House (residing)
i) Pucca
ii) Semi pucca
iii) Kutcha/Huts
34
34
35
33.0
33.0
33.9
c) Having Ration cards:
i) White
ii) Pink
iii) No card
80
15
8
77.7
14.6
7.7
d) Facilities/Amenities:
i) Phone – Having connected
Not having Phone
18
85
17.5
82.5
ii) Drinking water in the – Yes
premises of households No
35
68
33.9
66.0
iii) Electricity connection Yes
No
84
19
81.6
18.4
iv) Toilet within the premises Yes
No
54
44
57.3
42.7
e) Percapita income = 8397..Per Annum
f) Avg. Land holding = 0.07. Acres.
About 78% of households possessing white Ration cards, 83% of
households without Phone connected and 66% without drinking water within
their premises, 18% and 43% without electricity connected and toilet within
premises respectively.
The per capita income of this Community is Rs.8397 as against the state
average income Rs.25,695. The per capita income of the community is 33% of
the state average income.
The data collected by the survey team would reveal that they are socially
discriminated and others treat them as inferior. Though the literacy rate is higher
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than the state rate the post matriculates are less and school / college dropouts
are more due to the reasons mentioned above. The per capita income of this
community is less than the state average. About 78% of the household
possesses white ration cards and they are living in unhygienic conditions without
any basic amenities like water, electricity and toilet within their premises.
The name Bondili is said to be has been derived from Bundelkund. Edgar
Thurston and K.Rangachari in their book ‘Castes and Tribes of Southern India’
dealt with Bondili ‘In the Madras Census Report, 1891, the Bondilis are ‘said to
derive their name from Bundelkund. They claim to be Rajputs, but appear to
have degenerated. They are generally cultivators, peons or the bodyguards of
Zamindars.
Bondili people are engaged in cultivation, agriculture, casual and industrial
labour, rickshaw pulling, sweet making, sculpture etc., very few individual are
working in Government jobs due to their low literacy rate, child labour exists in
some areas.
The Commission personally visited the places of their habitation to assess
the living conditions of the people. Most of them reside in semi-pucca houses
without the basic amenities within their premises.
Government of India appointed Kaka Kalerkar Commission to identify the
Other Backward Classes and as seen from the report of the said Commission for
Hyderabad state at S.No.16, Bondili caste people is recommended as a backward
class. Subsequently the Government of Andhra Pradesh issued G.O.Ms No. 1885
Health, Housing and Municipal Administration Department dated 21-06-1963,
which recognized Bondili caste at S. No. 60 in the list of backward classes of
Telangana area in respect of admission of students to the integrated M.B.B.S
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course in the medical colleges in the Telangana area from the academic year
1963-64. Subsequently a cabinet sub committee was constituted to draft the
Backward Classes list and in pursuance of the recommendations, G.O.Ms No.
1880 Education II Department dated 29-07-1966 was issued recognizing the
Backward Classes among Bondili caste at S. No. 76 in the said G.O. Thus Bondili
caste was recognized as a backward class till 1970. Anantharaman Commission
did not give any reasons for deleting the said caste from the list of Backward
Classes. Under the circumstances in view the fact the Commission found that
Bondili caste people are socially and educationally backward even to this day,
they are fit to be included in the list of Backward Classes.
Taking into consideration of the relevant facts collected by this
Commission at the time of Public hearing, collection of data by the Survey Team,
and other relevant facts in due regard to the principles or the criteria laid down
in the Mandal Case and the criteria adopted by this Commission ‘Bondili’ Caste is
socially and educationally backward as they are inadequately represented in the
services of Andhra Pradesh for the purpose of Articles 15 (4) and 16 (4) of the
constitution of India and hence they are fit to be included in the list of Backward
Classes under Group – D at S. No.40 and this Commission recommends for
inclusion of the said caste.