HYDERABAD: As questions are being raised over the veracity of the comprehensive door-to-door household survey conducted by the state government, Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy delivered a PowerPoint presentation, explaining the process adopted and official machinery deployed to survey the Congress MLAs and MLCs at the State Legislative Assembly on Wednesday.
Uttam emphasised that the government had ensured the “highest level of accuracy” in data collection and preparation of the report. Speaker Gadam Prasad Kumar, Council chairman Gutha Sukhender Reddy, ministers Ponnam Prabhakar, Government Whip Aadi Srinivas, MP Mallu Ravi and top officials were among those who attended the meeting.
Prior to the presentation, Uttam, who headed the Cabinet sub-committee on caste survey, interacted with the media and stated that the caste-based socio-economic survey conducted by the Congress government in Telangana was the most scientific, transparent and accurate population study since Independence. He stated that this was the first-ever field-based caste survey undertaken after the 2011 Census, making all figures cited by opposition parties false and fictitious.
“Unlike previous studies, which were incomplete or unofficial, this is the first legitimate and detailed survey. The findings would help shape welfare policies by assessing the socio-economic conditions of different communities,” he said.
Free from political influence
The minister assured that the data was reliable and free from political influence as government staff had carried out the entire exercise. Uttam rejected claims that similar surveys had been conducted earlier, pointing out that the “Samagra Kutumba Survey” conducted in 2014 was never made public by the previous BRS government. “The KCR government did not even endorse it as official data,” he added.
“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.