Telangana BC commission asks for changing of derogatory caste names, re-inclusion of 26 castes

Hyderabad: Dommara, Pichaguntla, Tammali, Budabukkala and Veeramushti caste names are often considered derogatory and abusive references, and the Telangana Commission for Backward Classes has made specific recommendations to replace these names while referring to their communities.

In a 3-hour meeting at the Khairatabad office, the commission members gave a detailed report with specific recommendations about their castes.

The recommendations made include:

- Change the caste names of Dommara, Pichaguntla, Tammali, Budabukkala and Veeramushti as they are considered offensive.

- Castes Kummara, Rajaka and Mera have sought to add synonyms.

- Re-inclusion of the 26 castes omitted from the list of Backward Classes (BCs) after the formation of Telangana State in 2014. A notification will be issued for the same on May 15.

- The need for public hearings by the commission on June 9, 10 and 11 to hear objections to make note of opinions on the changes.

- Inclusion of certain castes in the Most Backward Classes (MBCs) needs to be examined, said the commission members.

DNT caste

The Central government has said that the DNT caste (de-notified tribes) should be mentioned in the caste certificate when applying for the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED) scheme.

The commission, in a detailed note, said, “The issue needs to be examined for DNT certificates and accordingly recommendations need to be made to the Telangana State government.”

Fair treatment of BC employees in Telangana government and the universities

The commission is collecting details of BC employees working in various government departments.

G Niranjan, chairman of the commission, said, “The commission has got a representation from BC employees of Prof Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University regarding the injustice done to them in preparing the seniority list. The commission has asked the vice-chancellor to submit a report. We have also requested the vice chancellor that there must be no injustice done to BC employees.”