56% of Telangana population belongs to backward classes, shows data

Backward classes, including 10.08 per cent Muslims, account for 56.33 per cent of Telangana’s population of 37 million, according to a caste survey report that the state Assembly will debate on Tuesday.  

The state planning department, which conducted the survey, submitted its report to the Cabinet sub-committee on Sunday.  

In February 2024, the state Cabinet had approved the decision to conduct the caste survey, which was a key plank of the Congress for the 2023 Telangana Assembly polls, which the party won.

 

The survey, which was conducted over 50 days from November 6, 2024, engaged 103,000 enumerators and 10,000 supervisors. 

 

The government has said 96.9 per cent of the state’s 37 million people were covered, while 3.1 per cent could not be covered either because of “door lock status” or some who did not wish to take part in the exercise.