Revanth Reddy also set a two-month deadline for the commission led by the former judge of Telangana High Court, Justice Shameem Akhter.
Published Oct 14, 2024 | 11:09 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 14, 2024 | 4:30 PM
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The Congress government in Telangana has begun implementing two of its promises: Conducting a caste census and sub-classification of Scheduled Castes (SCs) ensuring reservations in jobs and seats in educational institutions.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy was the first leader to respond to the Supreme Court’s 1 August judgement on the sub-classification of SCs. He had said that Telangana would implement it before any other state but the actual process began just now.
The apex court’s judgement has been considered a watershed for rendering justice equitably to all SCs by preventing the reservation monopoly by one SC sub-caste. The Supreme Court has allowed the states to sub-classify the SCs.
It aligned with the party’s national policy of conducting a backward caste census. It was aimed at ascertaining the population of each caste to let policymakers decide on the funds required to empower the SCs.
The two promises have significant political import as they have been pending for long and considered crucial for the communities concerned.
The sub-classification of the SCs has been a contentious issue. Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti (MRPS) founder-president Manda Krishna Madiga, who fought for the sub-classification of the SCs, and got a favourble Supreme Court order, was livid when the chief minister went ahead with recruitment to about 11,000 teachers without implementing the court’s directive.
He felt if the order had been implemented, many Madigas would have got jobs as teachers by now.
When Revanth Reddy promised to implement the Supreme Court order immediately after it was delivered, Manda Krishna Madiga praised him for the sensitivity he has shown towards his caste. He requested the chief minister not to make any recruitments without sub-classifying SCs. Revanth Reddy agreed.
When the government announced that it would hand over appointment letters to those who had cleared the District Selection Committee (DSC) examination for recruitment to teacher posts, Krishna Madiga called for protests last Wednesday.
As there was no permission for the protests, the police arrested Krishna Madiga from Dharna Chowk at Indira Park in Hyderabad. He was to lead a procession from Dharna Chowk to the Ambedkar statue on Tank Bund.
He demanded the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) implement the Supreme Court order for all recruitments.
When Krishna Madiga announced that he would organise a major rally in Warangal on Wednesday, 16 October, the chief minister held a review meeting and directed officials to ensure the implementation of the recommendations of the one-member commission constituted to look into the issue.
He also set a two-month deadline for the commission led by the former judge of Telangana High Court, Justice Shameem Akhter.
The decision to appoint Justice Akhter followed a recommendation by a six-member committee headed by Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy.
The committee was set up to study several issues that might crop up in implementing the Supreme Court judgement. Justice Akhter Commission has been asked to evolve a scientific methodology in implementing the judgement.
The commission is expected to group homogeneous castes for sub-classification of the SCs. The commission was also asked to study the representation of each sub-caste.
It will also examine various social, economic, political, and educational backwardness among various sub-groups within SCs and identify an effective implementation method to sub-classify SCs. The commission has been asked to submit its report in 60 days.
“No new notification for recruitment should be issued until the one-man commission submits its report. Let arrangements be made for the commission to visit all the 10 erstwhile districts to receive representations on the implementation of the SC order,” the chief minister, meanwhile, said.
“The commission will be taking the data of the 2011 census for doing its work and let all the departments of the state government furnish the details that the commission might require,” he ordered.
The chief minister and the Backward Communities welfare minister have often asserted that the government was committed to ensuring a census of all castes. They said it would be done immediately as it was a part of the Congress national manifesto.
Except for assertions at review meetings, little has so far been done. A GO was issued only recently.
Revanth Reddy said at a recent review meeting that the process for conducting the caste census would commence immediately. The planning department has been entrusted with the census-related work after BC Commission Chairman G Niranjan told the chief minister that he had no machinery to conduct the enumeration.
The chief minister also announced that a senior IAS officer would be entrusted with the responsibility of coordinating between the planning department and the BC Commission. Revanth Reddy has set a 60-day deadline for conducting the census, and mandated the submission of the report by 9 December, coinciding with the birthday of Sonia Gandhi.
The chief minister made it clear that he would go for local body elections only after conducting the caste census. It is expected that the work will commence this week.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
