Telangana caste survey: Congress government’s Rs 160-cr expense raises eyebrows

Controversy deepens with comparisons to Karnataka’s Socio-Economic and Education Survey in 2014, which also cost Rs 160 cr, but remained unpublished due to internal disagreements within Congress

Hyderabad: The Congress government‘s Rs 160-crore expenditure on the Social, Economic, Employment, Education, Political, and Caste Survey-2024 has sparked controversy, with BC leaders and opposition parties questioning the massive spending.

The survey, conducted primarily by local government employees, has raised doubts about the necessity of such high costs.

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Adding to the concerns, data entry operators responsible for uploading the survey findings have not been paid their salaries for four months, forcing them to protest for their salaries.

Critics argue that while the State claims to empower marginalised communities, it has failed to ensure fair treatment of its own workforce.

The controversy deepens with comparisons to Karnataka’s Socio-Economic and Education Survey in 2014, which also cost the exact Rs 160 crore, but remained unpublished due to internal disagreements within the Congress.

The situation in Telangana raises concerns that this survey, too, could meet a similar fate.

Incidentally, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy declared that they cannot divulge complete information of the survey findings, citing data privacy.

Despite questions mounting over financial mismanagement and transparency, the State government has yet to provide a clear breakdown of expenses.