HYDERABAD: The Telangana government will introduce two significant bills in the State Assembly on Monday to enhance social justice and welfare. One bill proposes increasing reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) in education, employment, and politics to 42%, while the other seeks to provide legal backing for Scheduled Caste (SC) categorisation, in accordance with the Supreme Court ruling.
The state cabinet has already approved these bills, and they are expected to gain legislative approval. Special discussions on SC categorisation and BC reservation enhancement will take place in the Assembly and Legislative Council on Monday and Tuesday.
The government had earlier conducted a socio-economic caste survey to assess the BC population and ensure fair representation. According to the survey findings, the BC population has been determined based on caste-wise enumeration. Currently, BC reservations in the state stand at 29%, with 25% allocated to BCs and 4% for Muslims under the BC-E category. The proposed bill will raise the total reservation to 42%.
As part of the legislative process, BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar will hold a special meeting with BC MLAs on Monday in the Assembly hall to discuss the proposed bill.
SC Categorisation Bill Ready for Implementation
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has affirmed that the state will implement SC categorisation as soon as the Supreme Court delivers its verdict on the matter. To facilitate this, the government had previously established a sub-committee led by Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy.
To prevent future legal complications, the government also appointed a one-member commission under Justice Shameem Akhtar. The commission’s report, submitted in February, recommended the division of SC sub-groups into three categories. The government presented these findings in the Assembly.
While some caste groups have raised concerns and suggestions regarding the categorisation, the commission reviewed these objections and submitted a revised report to the government. Based on this, the SC categorisation bill is now ready for introduction in the Assembly.
