Telangana caste census: Backward classes make up over 50% of population; survey findings explained

The recently released Socio-Economic, Educational, Employment, Political and Caste survey in Telangana has provided a detailed demographic breakdown of the state. The survey revealed that Backward Classes (BC) constitute 56.33% of the state's population. The report, tabled before a Cabinet sub-committee, is expected to play a crucial role in shaping welfare policies and governance strategies.

The survey was conducted over 50 days, covering 3,54,77,554 people across 96.9% of Telangana’s households. The large-scale operation was carried out with 94,863 enumerators and 9,628 supervisors working across 94,261 enumeration blocks. Additionally, 76,000 data entry operators digitised the collected information within 36 days.

What does the survey result show?

According to the survey, the Backward Classes (BC) population stands at 1,99,85,767 individuals, including 35,76,588 BC Muslims. Scheduled Castes (SC) account for 17.43% of the population (61,84,319 individuals), while Scheduled Tribes (ST) make up 10.45% (37,05,929 individuals).

Other Castes (OC) represent 15.79% (44,21,115 individuals). The Muslim population in Telangana is 12.56% (44,57,012 individuals), with BC Muslims comprising 10.08% and OC Muslims 2.48%.

What questions were asked in the caste survey?

The enumeration process itself was an ambitious endeavor. Data collection began with door-to-door visits covering 1,16,14,349 households in Telangana on November 6, 2024. The state government allocated a budget of Rs 150 crore for this effort.

Over the course of two days, all houses were counted and listed, with detailed data collection commencing on November 9. The survey process included 56 questions, compared to Bihar’s caste survey which had only 17.

Questions covered a broad spectrum of topics such as caste, religion, social category, education, occupation, income, land ownership, reservation benefits, property holdings, and even caste discrimination experienced at places of worship.

The extensive survey, which was initiated as part of a key electoral promise made by the Congress party before the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections, aimed to refine welfare programs, enhance job opportunities and uplift marginalised sections of society.

Operational challenges of the survey

Despite its large scale and efficiency, the survey faced some operational challenges. Around 1.03 lakh houses were locked at the time of enumeration, 1.68 lakh families were initially hesitant to participate, and 84,137 houses were misclassified due to non-residential use or non-Telangana occupants.

BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar hailed the survey as a “golden chapter” in Telangana’s history, emphasising the trust the public has placed in the Congress government. The report is set to be presented before the Cabinet on February 4 and will also be discussed in the Assembly on the same day.

The findings will serve as a context for inclusive policies under Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka. Ministers Uttam Kumar Reddy, D Seethakka, Ponnam Prabhakar and Damodar Raja Narasimha played pivotal roles in overseeing the project.