Telangana’s caste count creates new conundrum

In Telangana's Mahabubnagar, villagers resist a caste survey, fearing impacts on welfare benefits, sparking political controversy and calls for a second round.

In the sun-baked expanse of Mahabubnagar district in Telangana, November brings a trickle of relief. Morning mist clings to trees and crop fields. By mid-morning, though, the winter whispers retreat before the assertive sun, and the landscape shimmers in heat. It makes N Jogaiah Babu’s morning trudges to the field easier. His village is a jumble of modest single-story houses, their walls a patchwork of limestone wash and broken bricks, lining narrow alleys that wind like dusty ribbons.

An enumerator records details of a respondent in the Siddipet district of Telangana. (HT photo)

An agricultural