Expert group submits report on caste survey to Telangana govt
Chief minister A Revanth Reddy, along with deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka, some ministers received the report at a programme at MCRHRD Institute. The CM said the report would be placed in the next cabinet meeting, likely to be held on July 25, for discussion.
The 300-page report assumes significance as the govt is set to earmark 42% reservations to the Backward Classes (BCs) in local bodies and is awaiting approval of the ordinance it sent to the governor.
The high court had directed the state govt to complete the election to panchayats by Sept 30, including fixing reservations in a month. CM Revanth said, "This is not just data but Telangana's mega health check-up X-ray.
As promised by Rahul Gandhi, we successfully conducted a caste survey in the state. This report will be useful for the uplift of the weaker sections in the state and for implementing social justice."
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Revanth further requested the expert group to study the differences between urban and rural areas and the reasons for them.
"We request the committee to identify the needs of the people and give appropriate suggestions," he added.
Sources told TOI that the report submitted by the expert group calculated a composite backwardness index (CBI) for each of the 242 castes in the SEEEPC survey. The report presents a first-of-its-kind analytical model to measure socio-economic backwardness and assigns a CBI score and rank for all 242 castes. The expert group was tasked to study, verify, analyse, and interpret the SEEEPC survey data of various castes.
It was appointed on March 12, 2025. Kancha Ilaiah (vice chairman), Praveen Chakravarthy (convenor), Prof Shantha Sinha, Sukhadeo Thorat, Himanshu, Nikhil Dey, Prof Bhangya Bhukya, and Prof K Purushottam Reddy, among others, comprise the expert working group that studied, verified, analysed, and interpreted the SEEEPC survey.
'Make report public'
Meanwhile, Telangana BC Commission chairman G Niranjan on Saturday said the independent expert group has submitted its report on the caste survey to the state govt, adding that it will serve as a valuable tool for advancing social justice. He recommended that the report be made public to ensure transparency.
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