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Uttam rejects doubts about caste survey

The minister, who headed the cabinet sub-committee of ministers on the socio, economic, educational, employment, political, and caste survey, said it was an authentic survey, conducted by trained enumerators

Hyderabad: Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy dismissed doubts cast on the caste survey by the opposition parties in the Assembly, stating it was a massive exercise done systematically and an inclusive one. He stated while constructive criticism and suggestions are welcome, doubts and casting aspersions on the exercise should not be done.

Addressing the Assembly, the minister, who headed the cabinet sub-committee of ministers on the socio, economic, educational, employment, political, and caste survey, said it was an authentic survey, conducted by trained enumerators.

“Even the national census is not done so systematically. The Congress is committed to social justice for BCs. The Centre should keep the reservation for BCs in the Ninth Schedule, giving it constitutional protection.”

The minister stated that he was willing to give a presentation to the members on the entire exercise. Each enumerator was given the task of just eight to ten houses on a day and a supervisor tasked with overseeing them for every 150 houses.

The BRS, which ruled the state for 10 years, and the BJP at the Centre did not even think of taking up such an exercise. Over 1.03 lakh government employees participated in the process.

Additionally, 76,000 data entry operators worked tirelessly to process the data, making it a historic milestone. The survey process began on February 4, 2024, and was completed today (February 4, 2025) with a total budget of Rs 160 crore.

Refuting the BRS’ claims, he clarified that the BC population percentage has increased compared to previous surveys. The BC population percentage, which was recorded at 51.09 per cent during the BRS regime, has now risen to 56.33 per cent. Similarly, the Scheduled Tribes (ST) population percentage has increased from 9.8 per cent to 10.45 per cent, while the Other Castes (OCs) population percentage decreased from 21.55 per cent to 15.79 per cent.

He also dismissed the Samagra Kutumba Survey figures cited by the BRS, stating that their total exceeded 114 per cent, proving them mathematically impossible and misleading.

Responding to CPI MLA K Sambasiva Rao, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the Congress government undertook this massive survey to assess the socio-economic conditions of various communities scientifically. He dismissed the Intensive Household Survey (IHS) conducted by the BRS government in 2014, stating that its findings were never officially published.

He pointed out that some opposition MLAs were quoting figures from the 2014 survey, but as an MLA at that time, he confirmed that the IHS was never recognised as an official document.

Reiterating that the BC population percentage has increased and the OC population percentage has declined, he condemned the BRS’ false propaganda outside the Assembly and urged the Opposition to stop misleading the people and instead support progressive initiatives that promote real social and economic justice.

BJP MLA Payal Shankar should ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi to undertake a similar exercise across India. “This is a historic step fulfilling what was promised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said.


( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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