Hyderabad: Muslims constitute 12.56 percent of Telangana’s population and of them more than 10 percent come under Backward Classes (BCs), reveal the caste survey report of Telangana.
According to the report that BCs account for 56.33 percent of the state’s population, of whom 10.08 percent are BC Muslims.
According to the report of Socio-Economic, Education, Employment, Political and Caste Survey, 17.43 percent of the population are Scheduled Castes (SCs), 10.45 percent Scheduled Tribes (STs) and 12.56 percent Muslims, of which 2.48% are Other Caste (OC) Muslims. The OCs make up 13.31 percent of the total population.
The comprehensive door-to-door household survey covered 3,54,77,554 people and 1,12,15,134 families.
In absolute numbers, the population of BCs in the state is 1,99,85,767, including 35,76,588 BC Muslims. The SC population is 61,84,319 and ST population is 37,05,929. The OC population in Telangana is 44,21,115. The Muslim population in the state is 44,57,012.
The government claimed 96.9 percent of the households in the state were covered during the 50-day long survey. According to the report, 16 lakh people (3.1 percent) opted out due to various reasons. The enumerators found 1.03 lakh houses locked.
The report was reviewed by the Cabinet Sub-Committee headed by Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy. He stated the survey laid the foundation for comprehensive social justice.
Telangana became the third state in the country after Bihar and Karnataka to conduct a caste survey to determine caste-wise demographics. The survey has been conducted in line with top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s idea of “jitni abadi, utna haq” (rights proportionate to population).
The caste survey was one of the promises made by the Congress in Telangana in its election manifesto in 2023.
The government has called one-day special session of Assembly and Council on February 4 to discuss the caste survey report.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and government advisor (SC, ST, OBC and Minorities) Mohammed Ali Shabbir said the caste survey provided strong evidence to protect 4 percent Muslim reservation.
He claimed that the survey finding reinforced the legal standing of the 4 percent reservation for Muslims in education and employment. He said this had also silenced the critics of Muslim quota.
The former minister termed the survey a historic step towards social justice and equitable resources distribution. He said the data would help design welfare schemes based on real socio-economic conditions, ensuring transparency and inclusivity.
