not so modern

Call it the meltdown effect. The fear of unemployment is forcing even educated, upper caste and dominant backward caste youth to take up these secure, but menial, jobs.

even educated, upper caste and dominant backward caste youth are taking up these menial jobs? find some educated, upper caste and dominant backward caste youth among these contract labourers.

while the media makes concerted efforts to play down the role of caste in allocating misery by playing up the role of class in distributing merit (if only the rich among the lower castes and the upper castes make the cut, why build institutions which favour only the rich?)- i wonder if the editors of these national rags ever bother to check what proportion of upper caste youth work in the insecure, unorganized sector.

2,800 rupees a month if the contractor sticks to the rules (which 90% of them don't), no paid leaves or holidays, no pensions or social security, and no.... weighed against 7,000 rupees a month and more and all the benefits (holidays, breaks, pensions, social security etc) plus the always available option of not working and still enjoying all those benefits or also working on a second job or a business (check the findings of this field study on benami sweepers) and still enjoying all those benefits- even the most broadminded of editors should understand the difference between those two career options.

a fact which neither the capitalist mouthpieces like the times of india and hindustan times nor socialist trash dispensers like the hindu will ever acknowledge: the modern indian state is not so modern in distributing security. or filth.