Caste census report to be ready by month-end

Hyderabad: The survey report on caste census which is now under the scrutiny of the state Panchayat Raj department would come up with a detail of socio, economic, political and educational conditions of each caste in rural areas. The data would be segregated on the caste basis and prepare a report with the compilation of rural and urban data. It is expected that the report will be made public by the end of December.

The survey in the rural Telangana has been completed and the enumeration was nearing completion in the urban areas, according to official sources.

Top officials told Hans India that the State Planning department had sent a report of the caste survey to the Panchayat raj wing and the latter was analysing the data involving the officials of the state Statistical department.

However, the enumerators are facing some challenges due to various reasons to complete the survey in urban areas particularly in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits (GHMC) and its surrounding urban local bodies. Hence the data from the rural areas would be prepared first and then it will be combined with data from urban households.

This report, sources said, would help the state government to take some important policy decisions for empowering the backward castes based on their social, educational, political and economic conditions.

The caste census report will be first used in the upcoming local body elections by providing proper representation through reservation to certain communities.

Planning department officials said that the government had asked the state Panchayat Raj wing and state Election Commission to make arrangements for the local body elections mainly Gram Panchayat, MPTC and ZPTC elections across the state.

“The caste census data will help to finalise special quota in the wards and Sarpanch posts in the panchayats and also special quota for the identified communities. The Government will bring a new system in the quota in the local bodies based on the census report”, officials said.

The next big task is the economic empowerment of the backward communities and revival of their traditional occupation for livelihoods and encourage them to pursue their professions.