Telangana CM KCR demands caste census

Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao demanded that the Central government implement reservations based on population ratio. The State Assembly will pass a resolution in favour of caste-based Census and send it to the Centre for necessary action, he said.

Responding to the questions raised by BJP MLA M Raghunandan Rao during a short discussion on ‘Telangana Dalit Bandhu’ in the State Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, the Chief Minister said the Union government must continue with the aspirations of Dr BR Ambedkar and ensure justice to the SCs by increasing reservations for them. 

“The Centre has fixed SC reservation at 15 per cent at national and State levels, but the SC population has increased considerably across the country including Telangana,” he said.

Chandrashekhar Rao said as per the Comprehensive Household Survey, Telangana has about 1.03 crore families including 18.22 lakh Dalit families, accounting for about 17.53 per cent of the total families. There could be more Dalit families as the survey was conducted five-six years ago, he said. The SC population is 25.64 per cent in



Mancherial district which is highest, followed by 21.53 per cent in Jangaon district, 22.46 per cent in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district, 20.44 per cent in Karimnagar, 21.35 per cent in Khammam, 22.27 per cent in Nagar Kurnool, 21 per cent in Peddapalli, 21.37 per cent in Rangareddy, and 21.91 per cent in Vikarabad. Hyderabad has lowest with 11.71 per cent of Dalit population.

“The Centre must take up caste Census. Why is the Centre objecting to conduct caste-based Census? What is the reason? Is it justified? We will pass a resolution in the Assembly and send it to the Centre to take up caste-based Census,” he said.

The Chief Minister said the State Legislative Assembly had passed unanimous resolution and sent it to the Centre for SC categorisation. “I personally submitted over 25 representations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but there has been no response. I request the so called great leaders of BJP from the State to convince their leadership at the Centre and get SC categorisation done. We will arrange a grand welcome for them and felicitate them in public,” he said.