Telangana Budget Session to Begin on March 12

Hyderabad: The Budget Session of the Legislature is set to commence on March 12, with Governor Jishnu Dev Varma delivering the joint address to both Houses. The Governor issued a notification to this effect on Friday. The Budget is expected to be presented on March 19.

This marks the first occasion that Governor Varma will address the Legislature since assuming office on July 31, 2024. The previous winter session of the Legislative Assembly was held from December 9 to 24, 2024. Additionally, a special session of the Assembly was convened on February 5 to approve reports on the caste census and Scheduled Caste (SC) sub-categorisation.

During the upcoming Budget Session, the state government has decided to introduce three key Bills related to reservations. The first seeks to extend 42 per cent reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) in education and employment. The second Bill aims to provide 42 per cent reservations for BCs in political representation within local bodies.

The third Bill pertains to the implementation of reservations for 59 sub-castes in education and employment, categorised into three groups within the existing 15 per cent quota for the Scheduled Caste communities.

Once the BC reservations Bill is passed, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is set to lead an all-party delegation to New Delhi. The delegation will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders of political parties to push for the passage of a Constitutional Amendment in Parliament to include Telangana’s 42 BC reservations Bill in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.

If included in the Ninth Schedule, the legislation would be shielded from judicial review.

Revanth Reddy is advocating for judicial protection of the 42 per cent quota, as the overall reservations in Telangana will rise to 67 per cent, exceeding the Supreme Court’s prescribed upper limit of 50 per cent for reservations.