Telangana Congress promised to hike BC quota from 23% to 42% in local bodies to create 23,973 new leadership positions for BCs.
Published Nov 10, 2023 | 6:54 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 10, 2023 | 6:56 PM
The BC Declaration rally in Kamareddy was attended by Congress leader and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. (Screengrab)
The Telangana Congress Pradesh Committee (TPCC), in its Backward Class (BC) Declaration on Friday, 10 November, announced that the BC reservations would be increased based on a caste census and a BC Commission report within six months of assuming power
The party promised to increase BC reservations to 42 percent from the existing 23 percent in local bodies to provide 23,973 new political leadership positions for BCs in panchayats and municipalities.
“(Will) Provide sub-categorisation in BC reservations in local bodies,” reads the declaration.
The party announced a 42 percent reservation for BCs in government civil construction and maintenance contracts.
The BC Declaration rally in Kamareddy was attended by Congress leader and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Also, Telangana Congress Chief Revanth Reddy filed his nomination from the constituency earlier in the day.
The party announced that the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule BC sub-plan would be given statutory status and adequate funds in the first Assembly session.
It also promised to spend ₹20,000 crore per year — amounting to ₹1 lakh crore in five years — for BC welfare.
The Congress in its declaration announced that a separate MBC Welfare Ministry would be created to oversee the development of the Most Backward Classes (MBCs).
“Corporations will be established for all the BC castes for their overall development. BC youth can avail interest-free and collateral-free loans up to ₹10 lakh to establish small businesses and attain higher education,” announced the party.
It also promised that Professor Jayashankar BC Aikyatha Bhavans with to be constructed in all district headquarters for ₹50 crore.
These, the party said, would have a convention hall, press club, study circle, library, and canteen. “The District BC Welfare Office is to be situated in the BC Aikyatha Bhavans,” read the declaration.
For education, the Congress declared one new Gurukulam in every mandal for BCs on a par with Navodaya Vidyalayas and one new degree college in each district.
It also promised in its declaration “full fee reimbursement irrespective of rank for BC students with annual income below ₹3 lakh”.
The Congress also promised a shopping complex with 50 shops in each mandal as “Vruthi Bazaars” to provide free shop space for artisanal communities such as barbers, carpenters, washermen, blacksmiths, and goldsmiths.
The party also promised “a reduction in the old-age pension eligibility age for all communities engaged in artisanal occupations from the present 57 to 50 years. “At present, the eligibility age is at 50 for only toddy tappers and weavers,” read the BC declaration.
The party also promised to conduct elections and provide financial assistance of ₹10 lakh to each society registered under BC corporations and federations.
For the Mudiraj community — one of the largest BC communities in Telangana accounting for 11 percent of the population in the state — the party promised to restore a Goverment Order (GO) by former chief minister YS Rajashekar Reddy, to move the Mudiraj, Mutrasi and Tenugollu communities from BC-D to BC-A category.
The GO, dated 19 February, 2009, was in force for a year before it was halted due to legal complications.
For the fisherfolk, the Congress announced that it would establish a Telangana Fisheries Development Board, which would have the powers to resolve pending issues on fishing rights amongst fisherman communities.
It would also have the power to take up fishery-development activities, such as the promotion of aquaculture, captive seed nurseries, and marketing infrastructure.
For the Yadav and Kuruma communities, the declaration announced that the party would take up the second phase of the Sheep Distribution Scheme within 100 days of assuming power.
For the Goud community, the Congress promised to allocate 5 acres of land in each village for the planting of palm trees, 90-percent subsidies in providing saplings of palm trees, drip irrigation, and in the construction of the compound.
It also promised to increase reservations for Gouds in liquor shop licences from the existing 15 percent to 25 percent, and rename the Jangaon district as the Sardar Sarvai Papanna Goud Jangaon district.
For the Munnuru Kapu, the Congress promised the establishment of the Telangana Munnuru Kapu Corporation to provide subsidised loans for the youth to encourage entrepreneurship.
For the Padmashalis, the weaver community, the party promised to set up mega powerloom clusters in Jagityal, Narayanpet, and Bhongir and 90-percent subsidies on powerlooms and accessories.
For the Viswakarma community, the Congress promised to provide toolkits for barbers, goldsmiths, blacksmiths, carpenters, and potters at 90 percent subsidy, and assign land in urban areas to set up shops.
It also promised to provide a subsidy of ₹10 lakh towards the establishment of laundromats for the Rajaka youth in cities, and modernise dhobi ghats across the state with an expenditure outlay of ₹10 crore per district for the Rajaka community.
