telangana caste survey:Caste survey, which the Congress has been using as political rhetoric with success, could turn into a major headache for the party. With the release of the Telangana caste survey’s findings, demands for its implementation are gaining traction right before local body polls in the state. The Congress is also a divided house and is sitting on the Karnataka caste survey report prepared seven years ago.
In his push for a nationwide caste census, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi cited the Telangana caste surveyas a prime example on Monday. However, Gandhi’s appreciation of the survey, that revealed the Backward Classes (BCs) to be 46% of the state’s population, could return to bite the Congress, as there’s demand in Telangana to implement its recommendations in the upcoming local body elections.
Telangana Caste Census
Defending the Congress government’s findings on the Caste Census, state irrigation and civil supplies minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the survey in Telangana was the “most scientific, transparent, and accurate population study” since Independence. He stated that the Backward Class (BV) population in the state has increased from 51.09% to 56.33%.
Addressing the media at the Assembly Committee Hall on Wednesday, February 5, the minister emphasised that the Telangana government had ensured the highest level of accuracy in data collection for the Caste Census. Uttam Kumar Reddy, who headed the cabinet sub-committee for the survey, underscored that no authentic caste-based data had been compiled in the past, particularly for Backward Classes (BCs).
“Unlike previous studies, which were incomplete or unofficial, this was the first legitimate and detailed caste survey. The findings will help shape welfare policies by assessing the socio-economic conditions of different communities. The data is reliable and free from political influence, as government staff had carried out the entire exercise,” said the Telangana irrigation minister.
telangana caste survey
Telangana’s Socio, Economic, Education, Employment, Political and Caste Survey, dubbed as the caste census, has revealed that Backward Classes (except Muslim BCs), make 46.25% of Telangana’s population, thereby making them the largest social group in the state.
Following the BCs, the report reveals that Scheduled Castes (SCs) account for 17.43%, Scheduled Tribes (STs) make up 10.45%, and Muslim BCs constitute 10.08% of Telangana’s population.Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s slogan, “jitni aabadi, utna haq” (meaning rights proportionate to size of population), coupled with the survey’s findings that BC Hindus and Muslims together make up around 48% of Telangana’s population, has now served as the catalyst for demands for increased reservations in the upcoming local polls.
Telangana Caste Census Report
Questioning the Congress government’s Caste Census results in Telangana seems to have backfired for the main opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). While the BRS has questioned the results, which put the Backward Class (BC) population (excluding Muslims) at about 46%, the party is also now facing questions over the Samagraha Kutumba (Intensive Household) Survey which was done in 2014 during the time of ex-chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) and was never released.
The BRS has in the past also faced questions as to why it never released the Intensive Household Survey data, which it had used to formulate social welfare schemes. But since it was in power for two terms, it managed to never put the information out. Now, with the Caste Census by the incumbent Congress government out, it is to be seen if the ruling party will in fact release the Intensive Household Survey report as well to corner the BRS.
“The Intensive Household survey that we did was used for the formulation of welfare schemes under KCR. Now if you ask us why it was never revealed that he only tell you. But there is some data that is circulating in Whatsapp groups that is actually unreliable and untrue,” said a BRS leader. He however defended the Intensive Household survey done by KCR stating that after Telangana was formed in 2014, there was no detailed dataset available for the then state government since assets were shared with Andhra Pradesh.
Telangana Double Bedroom Status
No caste survey done earlier in Telangana, says Uttam
The Telangana irrigation minister rejected claims that similar surveys had been conducted earlier. He stated that the Intensive Household Survey (IHS) done in 2014 was never made public by the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government and that even ex-chief minister K Chandrashekar (KCR) did not endorse it as official data.
“Nobody can challenge us. These are the only real figures, and there is no need to be defensive. We are speaking the truth,” he declared. He called for countering the ‘propaganda’ by opposition parties and said that anybody questioning the survey should be refuted with facts. He also said that there was no official data on any caste in Telangana except for the 2011 Census.
Apart from the BC population percentage, the Scheduled Tribes (ST) population percentage also increased from 9.8% to 10.45%, while the Other Castes (OCs) population percentage decreased from 21.55% to 15.79%, he said, as per the data. The Telangana irrigation minister also “strongly condemned” opposition leaders for claiming that the BC population percentage has decreased.