The Telangana Congress Government has recently passed a bill in the Assembly aimed at increasing the reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) from the current 25 percent to 42 percent.
During a session in the Assembly on Monday, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy explained that this decision follows a recent Caste Census conducted in the state. He estimated that Other Backward Classes (OBCs) represent 56.36 percent of the state’s population and urged Union Ministers G. Kishen Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar to arrange a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help realize the proposed 42 percent reservations for BCs.
Reddy noted that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had pledged to raise reservations for BCs if the party came to power. Upon assuming office, the government initiated a Caste Census to accurately assess the percentage of BCs in Telangana. The previous administration had submitted a proposal to the Governor for a 37 percent increase in reservations, but Reddy’s government has decided to withdraw that proposal and submit a new one for 42 percent.
He called on leaders from all political parties to unite and meet the Prime Minister to push for the proposal’s advancement, emphasizing the collective responsibility to ensure that the bill is passed in Parliament. Additionally, the Assembly also approved a bill related to the classification of Scheduled Castes (SCs).
In a related initiative, Chief Minister Reddy launched the Rajiv Yuva Vikasam scheme, designed to create self-employment opportunities for over 500,000 youth, with a government expenditure of ₹6,000 crore allocated for its rollout. He mentioned that in the past 15 months, the government has successfully recruited 57,000 individuals across various positions.
