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While Bihar has conducted a caste survey and Karnataka’s findings are awaited, Telangana’s effort stands retired arsenic 1 of the astir extensive. (Express photograph by Ranjan Rahi)
New DelhiFeb 4, 2025 13:21 IST First published on: Feb 4, 2025 astatine 13:21 IST
The Telangana caste survey has sparked wide statement crossed political, social, and world circles. While galore spot it arsenic a progressive measurement toward addressing humanities inequalities, concerns implicit governmental exploitation remain. As the archetypal broad caste-based enumeration successful Telangana since independence, it covers 3.54 crore people—96.9 per cent of the state’s population—across 1.12 crore households. The survey provides important insights into the social, economic, educational, employment, and governmental presumption of assorted caste groups. The findings uncover that Backward Classes (BCs) represent 56.33 per cent of the population, Scheduled Castes (SCs) marque up 17.43 per cent, and Scheduled Tribes (STs) relationship for 10.45 per cent. Muslims comprise 12.56 per cent of the population, with BC Muslims astatine 10.08 per cent and Other Caste (OC) Muslims astatine 2.48 per cent. Other Castes (OCs) relationship for 15.79 per cent of the population.
While Bihar has conducted a caste survey and Karnataka’s findings are awaited, Telangana’s effort stands retired arsenic 1 of the astir extensive. The information offers an accidental to reshape policies and code systemic inequalities. The survey highlights socio-economic disparities, with SCs, STs, and OBCs experiencing little literacy rates, higher unemployment, and constricted entree to onshore and payment schemes. It besides exposes their underrepresentation successful governmental institutions, reinforcing the request for inclusive policies.
Why bash we request caste surveys?
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India’s caste strategy continues to signifier entree to resources and opportunities, contempt affirmative enactment policies. The past nationwide caste census was conducted successful 1931, and since then, the socio-economic scenery has changed drastically. The lack of updated caste information has hindered the instauration of targeted payment programmes, leaving policies based connected outdated assumptions. The Telangana caste survey bridges this spread by providing granular demographic insights, helping policymakers place marginalised communities, measure existing programmes, and guarantee equitable assets distribution.
One of the astir important benefits of a caste survey is its imaginable to refine affirmative enactment policies. By analysing the socio-economic conditions of Dalits, Adivasis, and OBCs, the authorities tin tailor policies to their circumstantial needs. The survey besides reveals hidden caste-based exclusions, making it imaginable to plan interventions to combat discrimination, beforehand inclusion, and guarantee just assets allocation.
The hazard of governmental manipulation
While the caste survey has the imaginable to beryllium a instrumentality for societal justice, concerns stay implicit its imaginable governmental misuse. Political parties mightiness exploit caste information to refine electoral strategies, targeting circumstantial caste groups with promises of benefits and reservations. This could entrench caste-based politics, wherever electoral occurrence depends connected caste alliances alternatively than governance and development.
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The categorisation of disadvantaged groups is besides a contentious issue. Intra-group rivalries among SCs, STs, and OBCs implicit reservations could intensify, arsenic immoderate subgroups reason that ascendant sections wrong their class monopolise governmental benefits. This could substance demands for further sub-classifications, starring to accrued friction among caste groups, perpetuating divisions alternatively than transcending them. While the survey aims to code inequalities, it risks entrenching caste consciousness successful nationalist discourse, complicating efforts to physique a much inclusive, caste-neutral society.
Moreover, Telangana’s upcoming section panchayat elections, which person been delayed, could beryllium influenced by the report. Panchayats person been nether peculiar officers’ regularisation since February 2, 2024, and it is yet to beryllium seen whether the authorities authorities volition usage the survey’s findings to finalise caste-based reservations for section constituencies. The ruling Congress had promised to summation BC reservations to 42 per cent up of the 2023 Assembly elections, making the survey politically significant.
A double-edged sword
The Telangana caste survey is an important measurement successful addressing humanities inequalities and promoting societal justice, but its occurrence depends connected however the information is used. If wielded responsibly, it tin close systemic inequalities; if manipulated politically, it could deepen divisions. As past has shown—whether done the 2016 household survey (which remains inaccessible), the 2019-20 handloom census (which failed to amended conditions for 45 lakh artisans), oregon cultivation censuses (which seldom power policy)—data unsocial does not warrant progress. Implementation and intent volition find whether this caste survey becomes a instrumentality for justness oregon conscionable different governmental manoeuvre.
Ultimately, the Telangana caste survey is simply a double-edged sword. It offers unprecedented insights but besides risks electoral exploitation. The situation lies successful ensuring that it drives existent societal alteration alternatively than becoming conscionable different instrumentality of caste-based politics.
The writer is Professor & Head Department of Political Science Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU)
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