Telangana BC council calls for socio-economic survey

Telangana BC chair met with National BC chair in New Delhi on Thursday

Hyderabad: Telangana State BC Council chairperson Vakulabharanam Krishna Mohan Rao called on National BC Council chairperson Hansraj Gangaram Ahir to suggest that the coalition government prioritize socio-economic caste surveys.

On Thursday, the chairperson of the Telangana BC Council met the chairperson of the National BC Council in New Delhi.

Vakulabharanam Krishna Mohan Rao pointed out that socio-economic surveys fall under the purview of the federal government and that such caste census data, drawn in a scientific manner, will help states to determine the exact percentage set aside required for education, employment and local institutions for the backward classes .

The work will also help the Rohini committee working on the subcategory and finding a permanent solution, he said in submitting a memo on several outstanding issues plaguing the BC community.

During the meeting, the Chairman of the National BC Council highlighted programs such as Kalyana Lakshmi, school fee reimbursement, overseas scholarships, Mahatma Phule Boarding School and free financial assistance being implemented by the Telangana government.

The BC committee chairman also discussed the meager budget of Rs 2,000 crore allocated to the OBC, which accounts for 56 percent of the population, in the Union’s annual budget for 2023-2024.

Krishna Mohan Rao stressed the importance of having a dedicated independent ministry for BCs at the union level, suggesting that the backlog policy be applied to OBCs to implement the mandatory retention of 27 percent of OBCs in education and employment.

He also urged the chairman of the National BC Council to include BC castes from Telangana on the central OBC list, enabling them to take advantage of the benefits in the areas of education and employment. It also suggested a review of raising the cap for non-cream tiers from Rs 8 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh.