HYDERABAD: The state government is likely to conduct a comprehensive socio-economic, educational, employment, political and caste survey (enumeration of all castes) of every household, instead of just the BC communities, following the Karnataka model.
According to sources, after studying the caste surveys conducted in Karnataka, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, the state government has decided to adopt the Karnataka model for the purpose.
The proposal to enumerate all castes also comes in the wake of the recent Supreme Court order, allowing state governments to subcategorise Scheduled Castes for reservations.
On Tuesday, BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, State BC Commission chairman G Niranjan and Advisor to Chief Minister (Public Affairs) Vem Narender Reddy held a meeting at the Secretariat and discussed the modalities for conducting the caste census. Another key meeting is likely to be held within a week to decide the modalities.
“The government will appoint an agency to conduct the caste, socio and economic survey,” a key person in the government involved in this decision told TNIE. The government is now believed to be planning to conduct the caste census under the aegis of either Panchayat Raj or General Administration department appointing a senior IAS officer to oversee the whole process.
In February this year, the state government had passed a resolution in the Assembly stating, “This House resolves to take up comprehensive door-to-door household survey [socio-economic, educational, employment, political and caste survey or Kulaganana of entire Telangana state] as per the decision of council of ministers of February 4, 2024 so as to plan and implement various socio-economic, educational, employment and political opportunities for the amelioration of backward classes, SC and ST citizens of the state and other weaker sections of the state.”
However, the state government in September issued a GO 199 appointing the chairperson and members of Telangana Commission for Backward Classes. Through this executive order, the state government designated the BC commission as a dedicated commission for backward classes enumeration to determine reservations in the local bodies. While the resolution passed in the State Legislative Assembly was designed to enumerate all castes, the executive order had limited it to enumeration of BC castes.
Now, due to the latest socio-political developments, the government is re-considering its move to conduct it under the supervision of the BC Commission and has taken an in-principle decision to enumerate all castes.