Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy urged the Union government to follow the Telangana model for caste census by forming a group of ministers and experts' committee to study the caste profile in every state, before undertaking caste census as part of general census.
A day after the Union government decided to conduct a nationwide caste count along with the next population census, Revanth Reddy addressed the media on May 1, Thursday. He suggested that the Modi government first constitute a group of ministers to build consensus by visiting the states to seek suggestions from the state governments and all stakeholders.
Subsequently, a committee of experts, including officials, should be constituted to work out the terms of reference for caste census, he said.
Stating that every state has a different caste composition, CM Revanth Reddy said the expert committee should visit all the states to study the situation so that a questionnaire can be prepared for caste census.
Addressing a press conference, he suggested that the Union government follow the example set by Telangana, which formed a group of ministers to hold consultations with the political parties, caste groups and civil society and studied the situation in every district.
However, the Telangana government’s caste survey has been controversial, with many questioning the integrity of its findings.
Revanth Reddy pointed out that following consultations with all sections of society, 57 questions were prepared for collecting data during caste census. The data of each family was collected through these questions.
The Chief Minister said that as part of the exercise to collect data, the state was divided into 95,000 units. A total of 95,000 enumerators were appointed and each enumerator visited 150 houses to collect the data during this 60-day-long exercise. The state government had also appointed a supervisor for every 10 enumerators.
He said 96%of the population was covered by the caste census and in view of the demands to cover the remaining four per cent of people, the government provided a toll-free number to enable the families not covered earlier to give their details.
"We have made a very good policy document of caste census without any controversy, any legal litigation or political interference. Telangana model will help everyone," he said while stating that they were not trying to belittle anyone.
He suggested that the Union government send its expert committee to Telangana to study the model and assured all support from the state government.
Revanth Reddy said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has the responsibility to tell the nation when he plans to initiate the process and complete it. He also made it clear that mere caste enumeration without an in-depth analysis would be of no use.
He said the state government has also appointed an expert committee to study the caste data and suggest measures to do justice to different sections of the society in areas of education and employment.
The Chief Minister thanked Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for taking the initiative to amplify the demand for a caste census.
"Rahul Gandhi promised that if Congress comes to power in Telangana, caste census will be taken up. The Congress party formed the government and within 15 months we conducted a caste census to show the way to the country. We have done what nobody has done for 100 years. Telangana model is the role model for the country," he said.
CM Revanth Reddy recalled that the State Assembly also passed a resolution, urging the Union government to undertake a caste census across the country.
