Telangana caste survey | SCs, STs three times more backward than general castes: Report

The Telangana government’s Socio, Economic, Educational, Employment, Political, and Caste (SEEEPC) Survey 2024 has revealed stark structural inequalities across communities, highlighting that Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are nearly three times more backward than general caste groups, while a significant portion of welfare benefits goes to relatively less-deprived sections.

The Telangana government on Wednesday (April 15) released the data of the caste survey conducted by it in 2024-25 in the public domain. The survey — widely referred to as a caste census — covered 3.55 crore people across 242 castes, reaching 97 per cent of the state’s population through a door-to-door exercise.

Composite index maps deprivation

A key innovation of the report is the Composite Backwardness Index (CBI), developed by an expert panel led by former Supreme Court judge Justice B Sudershan Reddy. The index assigns scores across 42 parameters, including education, income, occupation, and access to resources.

The findings show SCs scoring 96, STs 95, Backward Classes (BCs) 86, and general castes just 31. The most deprived caste, SC Dakkal, scored 116, while Kapus ranked as the least backward at 12.

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Of the 242 castes surveyed, 135 — accounting for 67 per cent of the population — fall above the state average CBI of 81. Nearly all STs (99 per cent) and SCs (97 per cent), and 71 per cent of BCs belong to these more deprived groups. In contrast, all general caste communities fall below the average, indicating relative prosperity.

Population and social gaps

BCs form the largest share of Telangana’s population at 56.4 per cent, followed by SCs (17.4 per cent), general castes (11.9 per cent) and STs (10.4 per cent). About 3.4 per cent identified as having “no caste”.

The data reveals sharp disparities: 45.7 per cent of SCs in the working-age group are daily wage labourers, compared to 10.9 per cent among general castes. While 30 per cent of private sector professionals come from general castes, only 5 per cent are STs.

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Access to education and basic amenities is similarly skewed. One-third of general caste children attend private schools, compared to less than 10 per cent among SCs and STs. Around one-third of ST households lack basic facilities such as toilets or tap water, against just 5 per cent of general caste households.

Welfare delivery under scrutiny

The report raises concerns over welfare targeting. Of beneficiaries across 11 major schemes with a combined outlay of Rs 54,521 crore, 30 per cent come from communities that are less backward than the state average.

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In agricultural schemes like Rythu Bharosa, 15 per cent of beneficiaries are from general castes, compared to 12 per cent from SCs — despite SCs being more deprived and larger in number. In contrast, schemes like free bus travel for women appear better targeted, with 20 per cent of beneficiaries being SC women.

‘No caste’ group and internal disparities

The survey also identified nearly 12 lakh individuals who chose not to declare a caste, making them the state’s 10th largest group. With a CBI score of 48, they are among the least backward, reinforcing the view that socially-advantaged groups are more likely to forgo caste identification.

The report also highlights inequalities within communities, underscoring the need for more nuanced and targeted policy interventions.

Survey data posted on govt’s website

State Backward Classes Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar told reporters in Hyderabad that the data of Telangana Socio, Economic, Educational, Employment, Political and Caste (SEEEPC) survey-2024 is posted on the state government's planning department website. He said the government could not release the data earlier due to elections and other reasons.

The government, however, decided to make the reports and data public now as the state stands as a role model at a time when a nationwide debate is taking place on delimitation and women's reservation, he said.

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Prabhakar said 1.12 crore families and a population of 3.55 crore were covered in the survey with over one lakh enumerators and 76,000 data entry operators participating in it. Initiated on November 6, 2024, the first phase of the survey was completed over a period of 50 days.

Further, the second phase of the comprehensive caste survey was allowed through four windows - direct enumeration at the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) offices, through a missed phone call number, a mobile app, and through Mee Seva Centre enrolment.

(With agency inputs)