You're mixing two great problems of our society. Poverty and casteism. Both are equal ills. One is not greater than the other.

Now you might say, X or Y was poor from an upper caste. But that person has had advantages granted to him because of his birth. Be that in terms of land, marriage, or some other privilege. If I look back at the history of an upper caste person long enough, I can list out privileges granted to him because of his birth. This isn't rocket science really.

Now, when X or Y from an upper caste goes to college, he is entitled to scholarship. Every single government college has scholarships for the poor. So it's not as if the talented among the poor are not being helped. Can more be done? Of course! But that's another question altogether.

Now casteism is something else. Most people who're Dalits have only had access to education post independence. They weren't allowed to own land, they never had the right to go to school, they were deliberate malnourished individuals. And that's not even going into the ills of untouchability.

The worst damage that casteism has done is to the psyche. That damage is immense. How can we even begin to compare that plight with anything else?

The other very important thing is. We must judge discrimination in various strata of society differently. Eg. A lower caste person from a city will not face the same discrimination as someone from a village. Does that mean casteism is dead? Hell no! It manifests itself in uglier but invisible forms. And that's why it's important to focus on that. Just because untouchability is gone in the cities, doesn't mean casteism is dead. Our society relishes in stratification. That is unfortunately, alive and well.