Telangana govt forms independent panel to study caste survey data

Hyderabad: The Telangana government on Friday constituted an independent committee of prominent personalities to study the data of caste survey conducted by it. The appointment of the panel came against the backdrop of opposition BRS and BJP raising doubts over accuracy of the survey's data.

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said the committee would be headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Sudarshan Reddy.

While former professor Kancha Ilaiah would act as vice chairman, Praveen Chakravarthy is its convener. Economist and activist Jean Dreze would be a special invitee to the committee, an official release quoted him as saying.


Vikramarka said the panel has been formed to analyse the survey data to ensure that any anomolies are ruled out.

He requested the panel to submit a report within a month to the state government's planning department.

The comprehensive household survey encompassing socio-economic, political, and educational status of citizens was taken up at the instance of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge with a noble objective, he said.

The Congress government under the leadership of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy got the survey done with sincerity as it wanted to lay foundation for social justice in the society, he said.

The Deputy CM added that "socially conscious intellectuals in the state and the country" have been made partners with an independent status to study the data collected in the household survey with an intention to dispel any misconceptions about the survey and to rule out any inaccuracies.

The BRS had alleged that the population of backward classes has declined as per the caste survey when compared with the data of an 'intensive household survey' held during the BRS regime.