Backwardness index will pave the way for targeted welfare schemes in Telangana, says Praveen Chakravarty
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Hyderabad: In a move that could redefine the framework of welfare and social justice, Telangana is set to unveil India's first backwardness index—a comprehensive caste-wise ranking derived from its state-wide caste survey.
The index aims to usher in a paradigm shift: The more backward a caste, the more targeted support it will receive. Praveen Chakravarty, convenor of the expert committee behind the index and a prominent economist who once worked with former PM Manmohan Singh, spoke to Sribala Vadlapatla about the methodology, intent, and implications.
Is this the first time a backwardness index has been created in India?
Yes, and it's a significant milestone.
The Mandal Commission in 1979 surveyed about 50 lakh people but did not build a formal index. Telangana's survey is far more extensive—covering 3.5 crore individuals across 243 castes with 74 questions each. This is the first time such granular caste-level data is being used to develop a scientifically scored backwardness index.
How did you ensure the data was accurate and reliable?
We conducted rigorous data validation over a 20-day period to ensure the integrity and accuracy of the survey—a major achievement of this entire project.
This included outlier analysis to detect anomalies or careless responses. For example, if a respondent in a white-collar job claimed to have no education, it would flag a likely inconsistency, suggesting inattention or error. Our team brought diverse and credible expertise to this process: I come from a data and statistics background; Professor Jean Dreze is both an economist and a sociologist; Professor Himanshu contributed to the Bihar caste census; Thomas Piketty, a renowned French economist, specialises in inequality; Nikhil Dey is a seasoned activist; and Professor Kancha Ilaiah, along with the commission chairperson, brings deep insight from Telangana.
How is the ranking of castes determined?
We identified 42 key parameters from the questionnaire—covering aspects such as literacy, education, and asset ownership—and placed them along a spectrum ranging from 'most backward' to 'least backward'. Based on these, we developed several sub-indices, including the social backwardness index, gender backwardness index, educational backwardness index, occupational backwardness index, and living conditions index.
In our composite backwardness index, a higher score reflects greater backwardness, while a lower score indicates relative advancement. A caste ranking as the most backward across all 42 parameters would score a maximum of 126 points, while the least backward would score zero. However, in practice, no caste scored either the full 126 or zero across the board.
How are castes grouped in the index?
All 243 castes are divided into quartiles.
Those in the most backward 20–30% range receive the highest points (3 per parameter), while the least backward (top 5%) receive zero. The rest fall within intermediary brackets (5–10%, 10–20%), ensuring a nuanced tiering instead of binary classification.
What happens after the index is released?
It is the govt's responsibility to design welfare schemes based on the varying degrees of backwardness across castes. While some communities lag in multiple areas, others may face disadvantages in only a few. This underscores that backwardness is relative, not absolute. Welfare policies must therefore be targeted and data-driven. We have recommended that the aggregate survey data be made publicly accessible for researchers and policymakers, with AI tools leveraged for deeper analysis.
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