Hyderabad: Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy on Monday said the caste census will be completed by March 1, 2027, alongside the national population enumeration. He said the data will help shape new welfare and development programmes. Over 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors, along with 1.34 lakh officials, will be deployed for the process, he said.
Addressing the media at the BJP state office, he said the census will be fully digital, with a new app being developed to ensure data security. For the first time since Independence, data on Backward Classes will be collected, he said.
Reddy claimed that the BJP’s outreach programmes to explain central government schemes and decisions taken over the last 11 years had received strong public response.
He criticised the delay in local body elections, saying panchayat raj and municipal polls were long overdue. He accused the Congress of failing to fulfil its promise of 42 percent BC reservations in these elections and demanded the party stand by its commitment.
He said many villages still lacked basic amenities, including street lighting, sanitation, and drinking water systems. The Centre had released funds for villages under the 15th Finance Commission and MGNREGS, he said, blaming the absence of elected sarpanches for the breakdown in administration.
He urged the state government to conduct panchayat and local body elections without further delay.
On allegations of phone tapping, Reddy asked why the state had not sought a CBI probe, despite previously informing the High Court. He said phones of lawyers, businessmen, actors, and public figures had allegedly been tapped. The BJP had filed a petition demanding a CBI investigation and was awaiting a favourable verdict from the High Court, he said.
On water-sharing disputes, he said the Central Water Commission would carry out a detailed review based on established guidelines, inter-state views, and existing policy frameworks. He said the Centre would take a decision after receiving the Commission’s report.