California Bill Proposes Ban on Caste Discrimination.

California could become the first US state to ban caste discrimination if a new bill introduced in the state Senate is signed into law. The bill would explicitly name caste as a protected category, and would help prevent issues such as wage theft, social exclusion and harassment in the workplace. Discrimination based on caste is illegal in India, but is still present in the lives of Dalits, those born at the bottom of the caste hierarchy. The bill is relevant across communities and religions, and would require mass education to ensure that employers and others can identify bias when it happens.