Caste Census to Begin in Telangana After Dasara

Hyderabad: In line with its election promise, the Congress government is gearing up to commence a comprehensive caste enumeration exercise in the state. The process is set to begin after Dasara, with the goal of completing the exercise within a month. A crucial meeting is scheduled later this week, with the Cabinet sub-committee to announce the schedule for holding the caste census.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet sub-committee led by minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday also proposed a socio-economic survey of BCs and a parallel enumeration of BC voters. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy emphasised the need for a swift action to meet the December 9 deadline set by the High Court, ensuring the data complies with legal frameworks.

Officials have also suggested setting up a dedicated commission to study the political backwardness of BCs, which will help in determining the percentage of reservations.

Backward Classes (BC) welfare minister Ponnam Prabhakar chaired a key meeting at the Secretariat on Tuesday to finalise the schedule for the caste enumeration. Telangana BC Commission chairman G. Niranjan, Chief Minister's adviser Vem Narender Reddy, and senior officials from various departments participated in the discussions.

The caste census is part of a broader strategy to determine reservations for BCs in local bodies elections. The government has passed resolutions in both the Assembly and the State Cabinet in favour of the exercise. The meeting chaired by Prabhakar covered best practices from similar surveys conducted in Karnataka, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh, with a decision made to adopt the most effective methods used in these states.

The enumeration process will be a door-to-door exercise to ensure accuracy, and the government is considering which department — general administration department (GAD), panchayat raj, or revenue — will take the lead. The monitoring of the process will be overseen by a senior IAS officer to ensure transparency.

The caste census is also expected to aid in the classification of Scheduled Castes (SC), an issue recently upheld by the Supreme Court. The data collected will be vital for this classification and the government’s efforts to ensure equitable representation across communities.

Prabhakar stressed the importance of completing the process smoothly and efficiently, while IT and industries minister Sridhar Babu called for a survey free of errors, aligning with the broader goals of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.