Hyderabad, March 4 (IANS) Telangana Commission for Backward Classes on Wednesday said that the Census in Telangana should be initiated only after the Central government includes 40 castes in the Central OBC list.

Commission Chairman G. Niranjan has written a letter to Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao requesting necessary action to include the 40 Backward Class castes of Telangana State in the Central OBC list.

As part of the Central Census programme in Telangana, house listing will be conducted from May 11 to June 9, 2026. Thereafter, population enumeration will be conducted from February 9 to February 28, 2027.

The Commission Chairman stated that in this Census, only the 90 castes of Telangana will be included as the Central Government’s OBC list is having only 90 Backward Class castes of Telangana. As a result, there is a danger of under-reporting the number of Backward Class castes in Telangana.

Niranjan mentioned that 130 castes in Telangana have been recognized as Backward Classes. However, the Central Government has included only 90 castes in the OBC list and has not included 40 castes. Consequently, there is a possibility that the number of Backward Classes in Telangana will be recorded as lower than the actual figure.

The state government and the Backward Class Commission have already requested the Central government to include these 40 castes in the Central OBC list. However, no decision has been taken on this matter so far.

It was announced on Tuesday that the first phase of Census 2027 will commence across Telangana on May 11 with House Listing Operations.

Chief Secretary Ramakrishna Rao, along with Director of Census Operations, Telangana, Bharathi Holikeri, conducted a comprehensive review meeting with District Collectors to assess preparedness and outline detailed modalities for the upcoming Census enumeration process.

House Listing Operations (HLO) will begin from May 11 statewide. In a significant digital initiative, self-enumeration will be launched 15 days prior to HLO, allowing citizens to voluntarily submit their details online through the designated platform. This dual approach is expected to improve efficiency and citizen participation.

The Chief Secretary directed all District Collectors to ensure complete geographical coverage, making it clear that no household, habitation, remote settlement, tribal hamlet, or urban slum should be left out. He emphasised focused attention on inaccessible and vulnerable areas to guarantee inclusive enumeration.

–IANS

ms/pgh