Congress prior to Telangana Assembly elections promised to conduct a caste census within six months of the party coming to power.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. (X)
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, on Saturday, 27 January, said the state government would soon take up caste census as promised to people before elections.
Reddy, who held a meeting on issues concerning minorities, backward classes and tribal welfare departments, directed officials to take steps for carrying out the caste census, an official release said.
The minority declaration passed by the Congress on 9 November 2023 before the Telangana Assembly elections promised to conduct a caste census within six months of the party coming to power in Telangana.
Previously, the Congress party had, at the national level, put forth a resolution pledging to conduct a caste census across the country and also promised to eliminate the 50 percent reservation cap for Other Backward Castes (OBCs) through legislation.
Political observers believe that the BJP-led dispensation in New Delhi is reluctant to undertake a caste census, as doing so might put pressure on the Union government if an expected increase in OBC numbers leads to demands for increases in the reservation cap for jobs, education, and other categories.
On 2 October 2023, the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government published the findings of the caste census.
According to the findings of the caste survey, the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) constitute a whopping 63 percent of the state’s total population.
The numbers have the potential to change political calculations in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections and also had set off a domino effect with more Opposition-ruled states looking to emulate it.
Following Bihar, then Congress-ruled Rajasthan government also announced a caste survey. The Congress-ruled Karnataka also promised to publish the findings of the caste survey conducted by the then-Siddaramaiah government in 2015-2018.
The then-Siddaramaiah-led Congress government (2013-2018) in 2015 had commissioned the social-economic and educational survey, popularly known as the “caste census”, at an estimated cost of ₹170 crore in the state.
The state Backward Classes Commission under its then chairperson H Kantharaju was tasked with preparing a caste census report. The survey work was completed in 2018, towards the end of Siddaramaiah’s first tenure as chief minister, but was not accepted or made public.
In the run-up to the 2023 Assembly elections, the Congress party had promised to publish the findings of the survey.
But the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka found itself entangled in a complex web of demands and disagreements regarding the eagerly-anticipated caste census report.
The divergent opinions within the state’s leadership — especially between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar — have brought to the forefront the intricate dynamics surrounding this contentious issue.
While Siddaramaiah staunchly supports the acceptance of the report, Shivakumar aligns with pontiffs and leaders from the dominant Vokkaliga community in opposing it.
They are now calling for a resurvey, adding a layer of complexity to the government’s decision-making process.
In early January, the YSRCP government in Andhra Pradesh, led by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, issued orders to expedite the ongoing caste census, setting a deadline to complete the process by mid-February. This move comes when the elections are scheduled in the next three months.
All regional parties in Andhra Pradesh support the caste census, which began on a pilot basis in November 2023.
However, there’s a concern as the caste census is being undertaken by Village and Ward Secretariat employees, aka sachivalayam employees, who already stand accused of alleged involvement in the manipulation of electoral rolls.
The CM also asked officials to prepare budget estimates for implementing “Kalyanamastu” scheme of providing one tola gold in addition to financial assistance of ₹one lakh to girls from BPL families at the time of their marriage.
He directed officials to prepare estimates on the funds required for all types of government welfare hostels being run by the government.
Reddy said funds would be released in the “green channel” (expeditious release of funds) as per the estimated expenditure.
He instructed officials to furnish details on the government residential schools which are being run in rented buildings and also to identify lands for the construction of their own buildings.
He said the funds required for the construction of buildings can also be estimated.
The CM also suggested officials study the proposals for the establishment of a coaching centre for backward classes in one Parliamentary constituency.
He also told officials to set up an “integrated education hub” comprising SC, ST, and BC welfare residential educational institutions instead of having them separately. This would help in better maintenance and supervision, the release added.
(With PTI inputs)
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