Telangana Govt assures to hike SC reservations after the next Census

Telangana Government to increase SC reservation post data of Census 2026 is made public, ensuring proportional representation for Scheduled Caste communities.

Telangana Government has announced its resolve to enhance the reservation for Scheduled Caste (SC) communities after the data of the next Census is made public.

Based on the 2011 census, the State Government has fixed the reservations for SCs at 15% and will enhance it once the population status of the Scheduled Caste communities is revealed by the Census 2026. “The present reservation is fixed on the basis of Census 2011. There is likely to be two to three percent rise in the population in the last 15 years and the actual figure would be known only after the Census 2026. We have decided to enhance the quota on the basis of the Census data,” Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy who headed the Cabinet sub-committee of categorisation of SC reservation said.

He said there were demands for enhancement of SC quota from different sections and the government was committed to ensure that reservation was provided to them proportionate to their population. Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy participated in the discussion ahead of passage of the Telangana Scheduled Castes (Rationalisation of Reservations) Bill, 2025 by the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday (March 18, 2025).

Minister C. Damodar Rajanarsimha who piloted the Bill, explained the decades long struggle in support of Scheduled Caste categorisation and the process that went into the drafting of the present Bill. But, categorisation was not the ultimate solution in alleviating the problems faced by the SC communities and it was only an instrument towards working for their betterment.

SC communities were in need of skill development, financial support, quality education, house sites and other amenities and the government was committed to make its best efforts to ensure that the communities were given their due.

He explained that the government based its exercise for drafting the Bill keeping in view the Supreme Court’s observation that “one size fits all approach” was not appropriate for categorisation of SCs. The Apex Court also gave a word of caution that the decision on categorisation would be subject to judicial review and the government had accordingly taken steps to make the legislation fool proof.

It was decided against classifying SCs into four or two groups as there was not much data available to support it and such a classification could lead to imbalances and inequities. The one man commission headed by Justice Shameem Akhter recommended their classification into three groups based on empirical data. The government had accepted the entire 199 page report of the one man commission in toto except for the creamy layer concept.