Dec 2008: Minority Livelihoods

Cover Story: Minorities in India do not practice livelihoods any different from rest of the majority population. Most minorities in India live in the urban areas. They are engaged in all sectors including agriculture, industry and some minorities are more predominantly found in the service sector. However, this is not to gainsay the fact that some livelihoods are exclusively practiced by minorities to service their respective religions’. At the same time one cannot overlook the inter-religion exchange of services that also take place. Religious conversions have not made a serious dent in the occupations that people traditionally followed. Religion-based educational institutions did make some impact on the way different minorities have placed themselves in different sectors. ‘livelihoods’ teams attempts to understand some significant dimensions associated with ‘minority’ livelihoods and how they come into play with respect to livelihoods in general.