per cent) belong to SC category, 166 (46.89 percent) belong to OBC and there remaining 40 percent belong to the other communities including the ones who have not specified their caste. Of the total 354 workers 62 percent were employed in two major public sector units; Hindustan Shipyard and Port Trust. This shows clearly that majority of the affected workers belong to socially disadvantaged groups of SC and OBC in the PSUs Though the representation of these communities in the existing employment structure does not reflect their proportion in population or the 50 percent reservation quota, the retrenched VRS and sick unit workers are found to be more in proportion to the workers in the units due to the NIP. In their personal interview, workers informed that most of them were receiving a salary in the range of Rs 1,500 to Rs 5,000 per month at the time of VRS. As Table 4 shows 85 per cent of the workers have more than one dependent in their fami- lies; 73percent of SC workers' families have more than two dependents and 62 per cent of the OBC workers' families have similar status. Some of these dependents do not have sufficient educational background, making the VRS families among SC and OBC groups vulnerable to deprivation and destitution. The assistance offered to these VRS families is of limited use as most of them are past their prime and are not in a condition to pursue any wage employment. Further, most of them utilise the VRS money for marriage of their daughters or for getting education or employement in organised sector for their sons by offering bribes. Therefore, the NRF scheme hardly affords thema little investment required for self-employment.
