Telangana Appeals to Centre for Backward Classes Data in Census

Telangana's state government has made a formal appeal to the Centre to incorporate Backward Classes (BC) caste enumeration into the national census framework, contending that such information would strengthen welfare policy formulation for disadvantaged sections of society.

The request was conveyed through a memorandum presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Hyderabad on Sunday. Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, along with Ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and Mohammed Azharuddin, handed over the document to the Prime Minister before his departure to Gujarat.

The delegation, which also included Protocol Chairman Harkara Venugopal, highlighted a critical gap in the current census structure. According to the state government, Column 13 of the household census schedule does not contain any dedicated field for recording BC caste information, creating an obstacle to comprehensive data collection on this demographic group.

Officials from Telangana have argued that gathering accurate BC caste data would facilitate more effective social justice initiatives and enable policymakers to design welfare programmes with greater precision. The state government maintained that reliable caste statistics would strengthen the implementation of existing schemes and help identify areas requiring enhanced support.

The memorandum urged the Centre to introduce a separate provision for BC caste details within the ongoing nationwide census exercise. State authorities contend that this modification would provide administrators with the granular demographic information necessary to address the specific needs of Backward Classes communities across the region.