Telangana Cabinet approves draft for 42% reservation for backward classes

Hyderabad: Telangana Cabinet on Thursday approved a draft for 42 percent reservation for backward classes in the state.

42 percent reservation

The cabinet has decided to introduce separate bills to provide for a 42 percent reservation for the backward class in political, education, and job opportunities.

Poonam Prabhakar said, "The cabinet has decided to withdraw the decision taken in 2017 to increase the bill to 37 percent. The cabinet decision is based on the promise made by the Congress to the people."

The government is also giving one more chance to those who have not participated in the caste survey to come forward and participate.

Minister Poonam Prabhakar for Transport and Backward Class Welfare said, "Telangana government has given another chance to those who missed the caste survey conducted by the state government regarding BC reservations after consultations with the intellectuals of weaker sections and leaders of caste associations. This is being done as there are people, mostly in the Hyderabad region, who have still not participated in the survey."

BC Commission report

BC Commission Chairman G Niranjan, along with the commission members, toured the areas in Hyderabad from where maximum complaints were received of enumerators not coming for the caste survey.

The government had extended the time from February 16 to 28, but due to the model code of conduct for MLC Graduates election, the enumerators and government officials were not available.

The commission members went door to door in different areas and assessed the ground situation. The commission then asked the government to extend the time further till the end of March so that the enumerators can be sent again to those areas which are left out.

Caste wise details

The final decision on the issue of changing the names of some of the castes will be taken after the completion of the census.

"The commission has initiated steps to collect caste wise details of employees working in all departments of the state. Similarly, steps have been taken to collect caste-wise details of students from the departments of school education, intermediate and higher education besides Kaloji Narayana Rao Health University. This is being done so that once the caste census is completed, the other steps can also be initiated. The motive of the caste census is to ensure that the benefits reach those who have been left out in the economic, education, and political growth of the country," said G Niranjan, chairman of the commission.