Minister Seethakka hails caste census as historic for social justice

Hyderabad, February 4: Telangana Tribal Welfare Minister Seethakka has described the caste census as a landmark step towards ensuring fair representation in political, educational, and employment sectors.

Reflecting on the initiative, she noted that a decision to conduct the census was made on 4th February last year. Over a ten-day period, officials worked to gather comprehensive demographic data.

Seethakka criticised certain groups and political parties for abstaining from the census, arguing that their absence disrespected Backward Classes (BC), Scheduled Castes (SC), and Scheduled Tribes (ST). She asserted that while these entities claim to uplift marginalised communities, they fail to engage in meaningful initiatives.

She emphasised that the collected data would help address historical inequalities. Seethakka advocated for reservations to be based on population percentages, stating that sustained implementation could lead to significant progress.

Citing disparities in representation, she pointed out that communities comprising nearly 50% of the population have less than 2% representation in the Prime Minister’s Office. She added that this issue had deeply impacted Rahul Gandhi, who is now committed to addressing the imbalance.

Seethakka thanked Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for expediting the caste census and likened the initiative to Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s vision of an egalitarian society. She expressed confidence that Telangana’s model would serve as a benchmark for the nation.