Hyderabad: Telangana Backward Classes Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Sunday demanded a separate Other Backward Classes (OBC) column in the 2027 Census, along with a comprehensive nationwide caste census. He said accurate data on the OBC population was important for representation and welfare planning.
Addressing a national OBC conference in Begumpet, Ponnam said a scientific assessment of the OBC population would help determine the community’s share and support equitable distribution of welfare measures. The conference brought together leaders, intellectuals and representatives of OBC organisations from across the country.
The event was titled “Central Government Policy Decisions on OBC Population Census – Immediate Responsibilities and Future Course of Action”. The demand for a separate OBC/BC category has also been raised in the Telangana Assembly, which recently adopted a resolution seeking its inclusion in the second phase questionnaire for Census 2027.
Ponnam said the Telangana government had fulfilled its electoral promise by conducting a comprehensive caste survey after assuming office. He said the exercise demonstrated the government’s stated commitment to the empowerment of Backward Classes.
OBC census demand gains focus
The Minister said Congress leaders in Telangana were working across party lines to advance issues concerning Backward Classes at the national level. He emphasised the need for reliable population data to support policy decisions concerning OBC communities.
A recent Telangana Assembly resolution sought a separate BC/OBC column in the second phase of the Census 2027 questionnaire. Reports on the notified questionnaire indicate that the caste field for respondents other than SC and ST is open-ended, which has become a central point in the debate over how OBC data should be identified and classified.
AICC Secretary Sachin Sawant, government adviser V. Hanumantha Rao and delegates from OBC organisations across the country attended the conference.