In Bengaluru, where the Survey began last Saturday, 2.6 lakh of the target 39.82 lakh households have been covered so far.
(File Photo: PTI)
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The 59 SC sub-castes and 33 ST sub-castes in Telangana will receive tailor-made benefits in education, employment, and need-based financial support to individual families, based on the findings of the state’s caste survey, The Indian Express has learnt.
While the focus till now had been on Madigas, the largest SC sub-caste, followed by Malas, it will shift to the remaining 57 sub-castes which have been left behind and are not doing well as per the caste survey report. Similar customised schemes will be applicable to nearly 50 sub-castes of the 134 BC castes in Telangana.
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The 11-member expert committee headed by former Supreme Court Judge B Sudarshan Reddy submitted a 300-page review of the caste survey report to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy at the Marri Chennareddy HRD Institute last Saturday.
Deputy Chief Minister (Finance and Planning, Energy) Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu told The Indian Express that the report places an even greater responsibility on the government to assemble community-specific schemes.
“The report provides an insightful understanding of how people of each caste and sub-caste are faring. Their standing socially and economically… whether they have jobs or not or any means of livelihood. Those are not just statistics in the report; they are people. We now know the numerical strength of each community. We need tailor-made solutions to address each community’s issues, down to family units,” Bhatti said.
An official explained, “Based on the numerical strength, we will design not just government schemes and benefits, but provide quotas in education and employment, individual financial assistance, political representation down to Mandal and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies.”
There were a few surprises too in the caste survey report. For instance, the BC population has crossed 56 per cent in the state. On July 11, the state government had passed a Bill providing a 42 per cent quota for BCs in local bodies, and another bill providing a 42 per cent reservation in education and employment opportunities, assuming that the BC population hovered between 55-56 per cent and would cross 56 per cent by the 2028 elections.
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The state government sent the two Bills to the President and the Centre for their consent.
As the Telangana government received indications that the President may send back the Bill without approval, Chief Minister Reddy, Deputy CM Bhatti and others rushed to New Delhi to make a powerpoint presentation at the AICC, in a bid to mount pressure.
Another surprise was that at least four per cent of Telangna’s population declared that they have no caste.
According to the finalised data, the state has 1,15,71,457 households and the population surveyed was 3,55,50,759. Of this, the SC population was 61,91,294 (17.42%), the ST population was 37,08,408 (10.43%), the BC population was 2,00,37,668 (56.36%), while other castes were 56,13,389 (15.89%).
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CM Reddy said that the social, economic, educational, employment and political caste (SEEPC) survey, conducted by the Telangana government through door-to-door visits and self-certification of the people, is a role model for the country. The government has collected 88 crore pages of data in the survey.
Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance.
Expertise and Experience
Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues:
High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules.
Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes.
Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak.
Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More
