Telangana CM Mulls Enhancing Backward Classes Quota In Local Body Elections

Revanth Reddy inquired about the timeline for completing the caste census which has already received approval.

The officials estimated that incorporating three additional columns would extend the caste census process to at least five and a half months for completion

Source : Facebook

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has directed officials to prepare an action plan aimed at enhancing reservation for Backward Classes (BC) in the upcoming rural local body elections. This directive came during a review meeting held at the Secretariat to discuss proposals for increasing BC quotas.

According to an official release, Revanth Reddy inquired about the timeline for completing the caste census, which has already received approval. He emphasised conducting local body elections based on the outcomes of this census.

Officials clarified that the caste enumeration format adopted by the Central government in 2011 comprises 53 columns. They estimated that incorporating three additional columns would extend the caste census process to at least five and a half months for completion, as per a report on IANS.

 

During the meeting, the Chief Minister sought details on the current implementation of reservations in panchayat elections and requested a proposal for increasing quotas in the upcoming elections. He urged officials to expedite the process to prevent delays in releasing central funds to local bodies.

To inform their decisions, Revanth Reddy suggested studying the application of reservations in local body elections in other states. He announced plans for another meeting before the start of the state assembly's budget session, expected to commence later this month. This meeting would aim to finalise decisions based on a report prepared by officials regarding the enhancement of reservation quotas.

Earlier, various backward classes organizations had called on the government to fulfill its electoral promise of increasing OBC (Other Backward Classes) reservation from 23% to 42% in the Panchayati Raj system, reported PTI.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Health and Family Welfare Minister Damodara Rajanarasimha, BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, Rural Development Minister Sitakka, Forest Minister Konda Surekha, Chief Minister's Advisor Vem Narender Reddy, and others.