AP to conduct BC castes census from November 15

Vijayawada: BC welfare minister Chelluboina Srinivas Venugopala Krishna on Wednesday reiterated that Andhra Pradesh government will start a comprehensive enumeration of people belonging to backward classes in AP from November 15.

“Our government aims to develop backward castes along the lines of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and minorities,” he underlined.

The minister underlined that enumeration of BCs has been a long-pending desire of backward classes. He pointed out that census of the backward classes began in 1872. In 1901, it had been estimated that the population of BCs had been 30 per cent of the total population of India, including Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Venugopala Krishna disclosed that a special app has been designed for conducting the enumeration of backward class castes. Government will also conduct regional round table meetings at Visakhapatnam, Rajamahendravaram, Vijayawada, Kurnool, and Tirupati to receive suggestions from heads and leaders of all castes in this regard. A separate email ID will be finalised for taking suggestions from all castes heads in the state, he explained.

The minister said Venugopala Krishna at this stage, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is giving top priority to BCs. 10 MLAs of the community have been made ministers. Further, the Jagan government constituted caste-based corporations after identifying 139 BC castes in the state.

Venugopala Krishna said, “Our government passed a resolution in the last budget session to conduct a comprehensive BC castes’ population enumeration, along with the Population Census once in 10 years. For that, the government constituted a study committee with principal secretaries of BC, SC, ST, minority and gram / ward departments.

Gram / ward sachivalaya staff and volunteers will play a key role in enumerating the percentage of population of backward classes in Andhra Pradesh from November 15, he added.