Telangana: BC Caste Census Bill in next budget session?

CM Revanth had announced that a caste census would be taken up in the State soon to fulfill the promise made to the people before the elections.

Hyderabad: The State government is reportedly planning to introduce the BC Caste Census Bill in the budget session, which is likely to begin in the second week of next month. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, during a review meeting with BC, Minority and Tribal Welfare Department officials at the Secretariat on Saturday, had announced that a caste census would be taken up in the State soon to fulfill the promise made to the people before the elections.

According to sources, the Chief Minister has entrusted BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar with the responsibility of drafting the Caste Census Bill. He has also instructed officials to study the practices adopted in Bihar and other States, which had already carried out or launched the caste census. Officials have been directed to adopt the best procedures for census in those States.

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The Congress had already announced conducting Caste Census as its national agenda before the elections for the benefit of the weaker sections, while the Bihar government had conducted a two-phase caste census survey four months ago, officials said.

The Bihar government already announced the census results that 63 per cent of the population in the State comprised Backward Classes (BCs). The Karnataka government too conducted caste census in the name of Socio Economic and Education Survey last year. The neighbouring Andhra Pradesh too has started the process for a caste census.

A complete caste census is said to have been conducted by the British as part of a population census in 1931 in India, with successive governments in the country still considering the 1931 census data as a standard.