HYDERABAD: The Telangana Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution seeking the inclusion of a BC/OBC column in the second phase questionnaire released by the Union government as part of Census-2027. In the absence of such enumeration, it said, the purpose of identifying the number of BCs in the country to deliver justice will become impossible.
Initiating a short discussion on request for inclusion of BC/OBC in the second phase questionnaire of Census-2027, BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said: “The state government wants to send a unanimous resolution to the Centre to collate BC data properly. The data should be on the lines of Telangana SEEEPC survey, which clearly identified the number of BCs with separate column for them. When we questioned the absence of a column for identifying BC houses in the first phase, we were told they will be counted in the second phase when individuals are enumerated. But the questionnaire with 40 queries didn’t have a drop down menu for identifying an individual as a BC/OBC. It only records SC, ST and other castes. Lack of such a column will make the data redundant for counting BC share of the population.”
Explaining why the present method followed is problematic, he informed the House that Yadav, a BC caste in Telangana is a forward caste in some states. “Munnuru Kapu is BC in Telangana, and OC and identified as Kapu in AP. Collating BC castes by state will be more beneficial,” he said.
Citing the experience of the 2011 SECC survey, taken up by the Centre, he stated that the data collated then had become redundant to identify BCs as it didn’t have column to record the numbers.
It had many questions which are open ended and there by recorded lakhs of castes. Collation of data from such information became impossible and the objective was not achieved. It didn’t come in handy to take policy decisions, he said.
“The collation of data adopted in SEEEPC survey in 2024 by Telangana is a role model for the entire country and should be emulated.
The Centre, which opposed BC enumeration in the Supreme Court in 2018, was forced to announce that it would count the BCs. All parties which chose candidates opted for BCs after the survey in state,” the minister said, explaining the gains made after the survey, adding Telangana-like survey will be held across the country when Rahul Gandhi becomes the prime minister.
“Modi became PM as an RSS worker and not because he is a BC,” he added.
When BJP MLA Payal Shankar cited that caste survey ignored for 60 years is being done after 79 years of Independence, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said the nation is being misled by the BJP.
Rebutting the contention of Shankar that Congress had rejected the Kaka Kalelkar and Mandal Commission recommendations, minister Vakati Srihari said that changes have happened as per circumstances. He questioned the BJP members to state clearly if BC numbers need to be counted or not.
BJP members booed
The BJP members, citing the Congress’ alleged failure to implement its Kamareddy Declaration, staged a walkout only to return after a while. The Congress members booed them and called the BJP a “manuvadi party”.
CPI MLA Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao opined that the BJP members are beating around the bush, digging history and the walkout exposed their attitude.
AIMIM MLA Majid Hussain backed the resolution of the House and said that every caste should have a unique code and counted akin to the SEEEPC survey.
Government Whip Aadi Srinivas said that proper data will come in handy for giving land, employment, government schemes for BCs. “PM claims he is a BC. But without numbers how will they do justice. The data is not to pit one against another. The Centre should call an all-party meeting and take corrective measures,” he added.
BILL TO DECRIMINALISE MINOR OFFENCES ADOPTED
Hyderabad: The Telangana Legislative Assembly on Friday adopted the Telangana Praja Viswasam (Amendment Of Provisions) Bill, 2026 to decriminalise and rationalise minor offences under various central enactments. It said this will foster greater trust in governance. The changes were made on the lines of central Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions Act), 2023.
The Bill states that the Telangana government is committed to promoting trust-based governance, improving ease of living for citizens, and ease of doing business in the state. It has been observed that several state enactments contain criminal provisions prescribing imprisonment for procedural, technical and regulatory defaults. Such provisions, though intended to ensure compliance, often result in avoidable litigation, burden on courts, and deterrence to investment and economic activity, it said. In all, changes were made to nine laws.
The amendments broadly seek to decriminalise minor offences by replacing imprisonment with monetary penalties, introduce administrative adjudication mechanisms, provide for graded penalties based on the severity and duration of default; provide for graded penalties based on the severity and duration of default; compound certain offences to reduce litigation, improve regulatory efficiency and transparency, and repeal of obsolete and redundant laws.
It, thus, increases the fine from `2,000 to minimum penalty of `25,000 or value of the produce whichever is higher in the Telangana Forest Act 1967. In case of Telangana Minor Forest Produce (Regulation of Trade) Act, 1971 prescribes a fine of not less than `10,000 or value of minor forest produce involved, whichever is higher.
TRANSGENDERS TO GET REPRESENTATION IN ULBS
Hyderabad: The state government which appointed transgenders as traffic assistants took yet another step towards empowering the community by co-opting them as members in the urban local bodies. It is aimed at strengthening gender-responsive planning and budgeting, enabling urban local bodies to mainstream gender equality across municipal programmes, infrastructure investments, and service delivery mechanisms.
The government introduced a Bill in the Assembly in accordance with the mandate of the Telangana Municipalities Act, 2019. It noted that the “transgender persons” constitute a historically marginalised and socially excluded group which has been systemically discriminated, denied dignity and have limited access to basic civic entitlements such as housing, sustainable livelihoods, healthcare, sanitation, mobility, and safe use of public spaces. Introducing the Bill, Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu said that of the six co-opted members, three will be experts on municipal affairs, two from the minority communities and one will be a trans persons.
“The Bill intends to give respect and role in policy making to them. We appointed them as traffic assistants to assist the police. We were the first state to do so.” Responding to a request made by CPI MLA Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao, he said: “We will also be examining the possibility of allocating Indiramma houses to them.”
Calling it a revolutionary decision, the CPI member opined that they should also get representation in the gram panchayats. Stating that a transgender was recently elected as a councillor from Chityal municipality, BJP MLA Palvai Harish Babu called for similar initiative in rural areas.