Decode Politics: Telangana caste survey in House today, what it could mean ahead of local body polls

As per the figures of the Socio Economic, Educational, Employment, Political, and Caste (SEEEPC) survey, 56.33% of the state’s colonisation belongs to the Backward Classes (BCs), with Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) constituting 17.43% and 10.45% of the of the state’s colonisation respectively. Other Castes (OCs) relationship for the remaining 15.79% of the state’s population.

How did the Telangana authorities spell astir the survey? Are determination immoderate loopholes successful the methodology? What are the governmental implications? A look:

*What was the methodology of the survey?

This survey covered 96.9% of Telangana households with the assistance of 94,863 enumerators and 9,628 supervisors who were deployed crossed 94,261 enumeration blocks. The surveyors had the participants capable retired a questionnaire with 56 questions. The questions sought accusation astir the caste and sub-caste of the subordinate arsenic good arsenic different demographic parameters specified arsenic name, age, occupation, income, spot and wellness figures. A full of 76,000 information introduction operators digitised the accusation wrong 36 days. The Centre for Good Governance developed the integer infrastructure to execute the project.

However, 3.1% of the state’s households did not cooperate with the enumeration. “Among the cardinal operational challenges were that 1.03 lakh houses were recovered locked, 1.68 lakh families were initially hesitant to participate, and 84,137 houses were misclassified arsenic they were not residential oregon were occupied by non-Telangana residents,” Telangana curate Uttam Kumar Reddy had said astatine a property league held connected Sunday.

*What does the Congress authorities privation to bash with the figures?

According to the Congress government, the caste survey volition pb to “data-driven payment oriented governance”. Uttam Kumar Reddy, who headed the sub-committee which oversaw the caste survey, said, “This survey is not conscionable a information postulation workout but a gyration successful societal justice, ensuring that the astir susceptible sections person the benefits they deserve. The findings volition assistance refine payment schemes, amended occupation opportunities, and uplift weaker sections, proving that Telangana has the capableness to execute large-scale, data-driven policies for the payment of the people”.

*Did the findings person immoderate surprises?

No. As per the 2011 census, the SC colonisation was astatine 54.09 lakh. The survey puts it astatine 61.84 lakh. While the ST colonisation was 31.78 lakh successful 2011, it roseate to 37.05 lakh successful the survey. The Backward Classes (BC), which were not separately enumerated successful the 2011 census, were ever calculated to beryllium supra 50% arsenic per the state’s Backward Classes Department. The survey puts the BC colonisation astatine 56.33%, and this includes 10.08% from the Muslim community.

The survey results are besides astir successful enactment with the past Caste Census India undertaken successful 1931, a demographer said.

Dr Srinivas Goli, a elder demographer from the Indian Institute of Population Sciences (IIPS) said “there has been nary large displacement successful the colonisation shares of antithetic societal groups successful Telangana”.

“If I comparison the proportional shares of antithetic societal groups illustrated successful the existent Telangana Government study with the National Family Health Survey-4 estimates (SC-18.87%, ST-10.45%, OC-15.11%, OBCs-56.33%), which is based connected the Census 2011 illustration frame, I spot a adjacent resemblance.”

*What is the authorities down the survey?

The survey results travel amidst a clamour for higher BC practice successful politics. In the 2023 Assembly elections, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) gave 22 tickets to BCs, portion the Congress and the BJP gave 34 and 45 tickets to the assemblage respectively.

“There is nary governmental preservation for BCs successful the authorities oregon the country. If determination were, implicit 50% of the seats successful Legislative Assembly and Parliament would person been reserved for BCs based connected colonisation figures. But present we are demanding antithetic governmental parties to actively see BC candidates truthful that these castes get represented successful the legislative process,” R Krishnaiah, a salient BC activist, who has been making a request for greater preservation for his community, said.

BCs are a voting bloc each the parties person been wooing due to the fact that of their sheer population. The enactment of salient BC groups successful the authorities specified arsenic Gouds, Munnuru Kapus and Yadavs to the Congress is said to person helped it decision the BRS that was successful powerfulness for 10 years.

As it tries to marque further inroads into Telangana aft winning 8 seats successful the 2023 polls, the BJP is besides trying to woo definite BC communities.

*How are the results of the survey going to play retired successful section assemblage polls?

Considering the numbers of the BCs, they are apt to exert unit for much representation. Currently, determination are lone 2 BC ministers successful the Cabinet: Ponnam Prabhakar and Konda Surekha.

At a nationalist gathering Sunday, Krishnaiah asked the Congress authorities to springiness 42% preservation for BCs successful the coming section assemblage polls. This request has been reiterated by respective BC activists including those who enactment the Congress party. Based connected the survey, BC groups are expected to enactment unit connected antithetic governmental parties to tract their ain candidates successful unreserved seats.

Krishnaiah has besides claimed the percent of BCs successful Telangana should person been 52% excluding BC Muslims. “The OC colonisation successful the authorities was ever believed to beryllium 8%. Now it is enumerated arsenic 15.79%, including OC Muslims. This summation has taken distant numbers from the BCs successful Telangana,” Krishnaiah claimed. This contented is besides apt to diagnostic successful the canvass discourse.