Telangana to conduct second round of caste survey from February 16 to 28: CM
State deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said that the fresh survey will cover the remaining 3.1% of the population, which did not take part in the first round of survey
The Telangana government will conduct a second round of socio-economic, educational, employment, political and caste survey from February 16 to 28, in the wake of criticism from the opposition that the earlier survey was not comprehensive, besides objections raised by some OBC groups and leaders from within the Congress that there were discrepancies in the figures of various castes.
A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting convened by chief minister A Revanth Reddy with his cabinet colleagues and senior officials at the state secretariat on Wednesday evening.
State deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka told reporters after the meeting that the fresh survey will cover the remaining 3.1% of the population, which did not take part in the first round of survey. “Even those who took part in the first round of survey but want to update their information can furnish the same in the second round,” he said
According to the information furnished by the state government in the special session of the assembly on February 4, the door-to-door household comprehensive caste survey held between November 6, 2024 and December 25, 2024, covered 354,775,554 people and 11,215,134 families.
It said 96.9% of the households in the state were covered during the 50-day-long survey, but more than 300,000 families (about 160,000 people) could not take part in the survey for various reasons.
“The government has decided to give another opportunity to those who did not register their details in the house-to-house survey. Several political leaders, including top Bharat Rashtra Samithi leaders, deliberately avoided giving their details and some were unavailable. We are appealing to all of them to utilise the opportunity and register their details in the caste survey,” the deputy chief minister said.
He said if the leftover households call the toll-free number of the government saying that they want to register their details, enumerators will visit their houses between February 16 and 28 and take down the details. “The officials will also be available at the offices of their respective mandal development officer (MDO) to register the details of the leftover families. An online facility is also being provided to register family details,” he said.
Vikramarka said the government is committed to providing 42% reservation to OBCs in education, politics and economic sectors in the state, as promised by the Congress before the elections. “The government will introduce a bill extending reservations to the OBCs in the state assembly in the first week of March and get it passed. Efforts will also be made to introduce the OBC quota bill in the Parliament and get it approved,” he said.
The deputy chief minister said a delegation led by chief minister A Revanth Reddy would go to Delhi along with the political parties which are ready for the approval of the bill in Parliament. All the political parties in the country will also be invited to evolve consensus in support of the OBC reservation bill in Parliament.
Telangana BC commission chairman G Niranjan on Thursday hailed the decision of the state government to conduct a fresh survey of the remaining households from February 16 to 28 to make the survey comprehensive and foolproof.
He also expressed happiness over the decision to introduce a bill in the state assembly seeking to provide 42% reservations to the OBCs. “We appeal to the people not to have any apprehensions over the caste survey and take part in the fresh survey, if they could not register their details earlier,” Niranjan said.
BRS MLC K Kavitha on Thursday demanded that the Congress government introduce three separate bills in the assembly to ensure reservations to OBCs in education, employment, and political representation.
She demanded 46% quota for OBCs in education and jobs and 42% reservations in local bodies, as promised in the Congress before the elections. “Bundling all OBC-related issues into a single bill and merely forwarding it to the Centre would be a betrayal of the backward classes,” she told reporters in Jangaon.