The Chief Minister directed officials to establish a one-man commission to examine the issue of categorization of Scheduled Castes (SC). Mr. Revanth Reddy has set a 60-day deadline for the commission to complete its study and submit the report. This step is part of the government’s efforts to address concerns related to SC classification and improve representation.
The State government decided to establish a one-man commission to review the recent Supreme Court ruling on categorising Scheduled Castes into A, B, C, and D groups. The commission will also provide recommendations for the effective implementation of the judgment.
Telangana will release new government job notifications only after receiving a report on the sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes, officials confirmed. This follows the Supreme Court’s August 1 ruling allowing SC sub-categorisation for reservation purposes.
Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy announced that the state would be the first to implement this decision and appointed a one-man commission, led by a retired High Court judge, to examine various SC groups and submit a report within 60 days.
Additionally, a social and economic survey of Backward Castes has been ordered. Officials also noted that local body elections will only take place after the SC sub-categorisation and Backward Castes survey reports are submitted to the government.
Telangana Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy stated,
“Chief Minister has instructed officials to begin preparations for implementing the sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes (SCs) in line with the Supreme Court’s ruling.”
On Wednesday, CM Revanth Reddy conducted a review at the state secretariat regarding the SC sub-categorisation and the Backward Castes survey. Ministers Uttam Kumar Reddy, Damodar Rajanarasimha, Ponnam Prabhakar, and D. Anasuya, who are part of the Cabinet Sub-Committee, briefed the CM on the representations they received and shared insights from SC sub-categorisation measures in Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Haryana.
The CM emphasized that new job notifications would be issued based on the SC sub-categorisation report, according to officials. Additionally, the CM ordered that arrangements be made for the commission to visit all 10 districts to collect appeals and complaints at the local level.
Regarding the Backward Castes survey, officials informed the CM about methods used in Bihar, Karnataka, and other states. The CM assigned the Planning Department to establish a special mechanism for conducting the survey, as requested by BC Commission Chairman G. Niranjan.
Officials directed to complete the socio-economic survey within 60 days and submit the report by December 9. The CM also confirmed that local body elections would take place after the survey’s completion.
Madigas are the largest of Telangana’s 59 SC sub-castes, followed by Malas. Unofficial estimates from the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government suggest SCs make up about 19% of the state’s population. According to the Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti, the SC population is approximately 54.32 lakh, with Madigas accounting for 32.22 lakh and Malas making up 15.27 lakh.