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Time of India
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Congress launches national push for caste census, positions Telangana model as blueprint for social justice
Hyderabad: In a strategic political move aimed at reshaping the national discourse on social justice and representation, the Congress on Monday brought together its top OBC leaders from across the country for a high-level meeting in Delhi. At the heart of the deliberations was a plan to launch a nationwide campaign highlighting Rahul Gandhi 's push for a caste census, with Telangana's successful caste survey presented as a replicable model of inclusive governance. The Congress leadership intends to drive home the message that it was Rahul Gandhi who first made caste census a political priority—long before the Modi govt followed suit. The Socio-Economic, Education, Employment, Political, and Caste (SEEEPC) survey in Telangana, conducted after the Congress came to power in the state, is being positioned as proof of the party's commitment to 'jitni aabadi, utni bhagedari'—a slogan now central to the party's national agenda for BCs, Dalits, minorities, and other marginalised communities. T by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo he leaders underscored that the Telangana caste survey was a direct result of Rahul Gandhi's promise that wherever the Congress comes to power, a caste census would be implemented. The Congress leaders also plan to highlight how consistent pressure from Rahul Gandhi and the party forced the Modi govt to make a belated announcement about conducting a caste census alongside the delayed decadal population census. To amplify the issue nationally, the meeting decided to organise a massive public rally on the caste census, to be addressed by Rahul Gandhi. While most leaders favoured holding the rally in Delhi for maximum national impact, a section proposed Telangana as the ideal venue, given its successful implementation of the survey. A final decision on the location is pending. Among the prominent leaders from Telangana who participated were BC welfare minister Ponnam Prabhakar, Telangana Congress president B Mahesh Kumar Goud, Dalit rights activist Kancha Ilaiah, and party veteran V Hanumanth Rao. The Telangana delegation gave a powerpoint presentation on the survey's planning and execution, detailing pre-survey consultations with stakeholders and legal experts, the model and methodology adopted, and the training of over one lakh govt staff, including teachers, to collect household data through a printed questionnaire. Ponnam told TOI that the meeting also agreed to raise public awareness about the Telangana state assembly's passage of two bills enhancing BC reservations to 42% in education, employment, and local body elections. These bills were sent to the Centre for approval, but the Modi govt has not acted on them, he claimed. Mahesh Goud emphasised that the SEEEPC survey had provided granular data on the socio-economic and political status of every community in Telangana. "This proves that the Congress stands for real social justice. No govt can craft targeted welfare policies for the deprived without this kind of data. Telangana now has it—and we must take this model across India," he said. Last Friday, Rahul Gandhi had directed party leaders to vigorously communicate the success of the Telangana caste survey in their respective states. He reiterated that the party's commitment to a nationwide caste census is not an electoral gimmick, but a moral and constitutional obligation to uplift SCs, STs, OBCs, minorities, and even the underprivileged among forward castes. Monday's meeting drew a powerful cross-section of party leadership, including former chief ministers, PCC presidents, ex-PCC chiefs, and senior AICC office-bearers. The event was organised by the Telangana Congress with the approval of Rahul Gandhi, according to party sources.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Telangana BC survey can't be role model: Panel ex-chief
1 2 3 Hyderabad: Telangana Backward Classes (BC) Commission former chairman Vakulabharanam Krishna Mohan Rao has expressed serious objections over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi 's portrayal of Telangana's caste enumeration and 42% BC reservation initiative as a "national role model." He stated that the Telangana caste survey was conducted without authority as per the Constitution and legal framework. In an open letter to Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, Krishna Mohan Rao mentioned that while the Article 342A(3) permits states to maintain their own BC lists, any enumeration or survey, related to the identification of BCs must be conducted by a commission constituted under the Article 340 with the assent of the President, or under statutory provisions such as the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952, or the Collection of Statistics Act, 2008. He noted that the SEEEPC (Socio-Economic Educational Employment Political Caste) survey in Telangana was executed by the planning department through IAS officers, without the authority of any such legally mandated body, rendering it unconstitutional. "The caste survey lacks public consultation, transparency, and scientific rigour, with no caste-wise data made public to date. Despite this, the Telangana govt proceeded to act upon it," the ex-chairman said. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Đăng ký Undo He stated that the BC reservation in education and employment falls squarely under the purview of the BC Commission. He added that the govt could have entrusted the BC Commission with this task, backed by clear terms of reference (TOR), and ensured a scientifically sound process. "Unfortunately, that was not done," he said.
New Indian Express
23-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Panel to develop composite backwardness index for Telangana's sub-castes using survey data
HYDERABAD: In a major step toward evidence-based policymaking, the Independent Expert Working Group (IEWG) chaired by Justice B Sudarshan Reddy has decided to formulate a Composite Backwardness Index for each of Telangana's 243 sub-castes. The index will be based on data from the state's comprehensive Social, Education, Economic, Employment, Political, Caste Survey (SEEEPC), which covered 3.55 crore individuals. At its fourth meeting held on Thursday at the Constitution Club in New Delhi, the IEWG revealed that 73 sub-castes account for 96% of Telangana's population. These include 10 SC groups, seven ST groups, 45 BC groups and 11 OC groups. The index aims to provide a data-driven measure of each sub-caste's backwardness, drawing from 43 parameters under seven categories: social, education, living standards, occupation, income, movable & immovable assets and access to banking and finance. Panel to submit report soon The group confirmed that statistical and data analysis have been completed, and members reached consensus on the methodology, parameters, graphical representation and key findings of the Index. The next phase will involve drafting the report, which is expected to be submitted to the state government within a month. The final report will provide an ordinal ranking of each sub-caste's backwardness, as well as individual rankings across the seven parameter categories. The IEWG also recommended that the government develop a natural language interface powered by AI to make the anonymised SEEEPC dataset accessible to researchers for further analysis. It may be recalled that the state government had earlier conducted the SEEEPC survey, covering 3.55 crore individuals and collecting data across 75 fields for each person — spanning social, economic, educational, identity, occupational, and living conditions. The survey enumerated individuals across 243 sub-castes, with additional options for 'No Caste' (for those who chose not to disclose) and 'Others' (for those not listed in the enumeration manual).
Hans India
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Expert Group to submit report on caste survey by next month
Hyderabad: The State government's Expert Group will formulate a 'Composite Backwardness Index' (CBI) using the caste census data to measure disparities across 243 sub-castes. An Expert Working Group under the Chairmanship of Justice Sudarshan Reddy will study, analyse and interpret the data collected under the Social Education Employment Economic Political Caste (SEEEPC) Survey of 2024. The group consists of nine full-time members and other special invitees with expertise in sociology, caste studies, history, policy, law, economics, statistics and other domains who are working in an honorary capacity to prepare a report of their findings of the SEEEPC survey. After the first three meetings held in Hyderabad, the fourth meeting of the Expert Group was held in New Delhi on Thursday at the Constitution Club. The Telangana 2024 SEEEPC exercise is a robust survey of 3.55 crore people with 75 fields of information about each person covering social, economic, educational, identity, occupational and living aspects of their daily lives. It enumerates people across 243 sub-castes and an option of 'No Caste' for those that do not wish to divulge and 'Others' for those that do not fall into any of the sub-castes listed in the enumeration manual. The Expert Group will move to the next phase of the drafting of the report and expects to submit the report to the State government in a month's time. The report will present as ordinal ranking of relative backwardness of each sub-caste based on the CBI score as well as ranking of each sub-caste on each of the seven categories and parameters used for evaluation. The Expert Group has also recommended that the government provide a natural language interface using Artificial Intelligence to the SEEEPC dataset in aggregate form without revealing any household specific information and make it available for further analysis for the larger research fraternity.
Indian Express
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
How Telangana plans to use caste survey data to measure ‘relative backwardness' of subcastes
Telangana has announced the formulation of a Composite Backwardness Index using the state's caste survey data to measure disparities across 243 subcastes. The 'relative backwardness' of the subcastes will be measured using 43 parameters in rural and urban areas, said a statement by the expert committee constituted this year by the state to study, analyse and interpret data collected by the Social Education Employment Economic Political and Caste (SEEEPC) survey of 2024. The expert committee has also recommended that the government make SEEEPC datasets available to the research fraternity without revealing any household-specific information. Of the 243 subcastes, 73 subcastes constitute 96% of the population of Telangana. These include 10 subcastes of Scheduled Castes, seven subcastes of Scheduled Tribes, 45 subcastes of Backward Classes and 11 subcastes of Other Castes, the expert committee revealed on Thursday. 'The Composite Backwardness Index will be a numerical and objective measure of the relative backwardness of each subcaste computed through a quartile-based statistical analysis using all the parameters of the SEEEPC data,' the expert committee said. The committee is includes retired Supreme Court Justice Sudarshan Reddy as chairman, writer and academic Kancha Ilaiah as vice chairman and Praveen Chakravarthy as member convener. The 43 parameters used to measure backwardness will include social circumstances, educational background, living standards, occupation, income, movable and immovable assets, and access to banking and finance, the committee said. The parameters were adopted by striking a parallel with the Mandal Commission Report, which had used 11 parameters to compute relative backwardness, it said. The Telangana caste survey had covered 3.55 crore people and collected information about 75 fields, including 'social, economic. educational, identity, occupational and living aspects of their daily lives,' the statement said. According to the expert group, once the disparity is studied, the next phase would include the drafting of a report. 'We expect to submit the report to the government of Telangana in a month's time or before,' the statement read. 'The report will present as ordinal ranking of relative backwardness of each subcaste based on the CBI (Composite Backwardness Index) score as well as ranking of each subcaste on each of the seven categories and parameters used for evaluation.' The next meeting of the expert committee will be held soon to discuss and approve the final report, the statement said.
