Uttam Kumar Reddy (File picture)
Hyderabad: Telangana is all set to implement the SC Categorisation Act from April 14, said the irrigation and civil supplies minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy.
Chairing the final meeting of the cabinet sub-committee on SC Categorisation at the Secretariat on Sunday, April 13, Uttam Kumar Reddy and other officials thoroughly reviewed the implementation guidelines based on the recommendations of the Justice Shamim Akhtar Commission and gave its final approval for issuing the government order (GO).
With the Act set to come into force on April 14, Telangana will become the first state in the country to implement SC sub-categorisation following the Supreme Court’s green signal. The landmark decision was unanimously passed by the Telangana Legislative Assembly on March 18 and later received the Governor Jishnu Dev Varma’s approval, paving the way for its official rollout.
Further, the cabinet sub-committee also rejected the commission’s recommendation to introduce a creamy layer within the SC category.
Uttam Kumar Reddy clarified that the government was committed to ensuring equitable benefits without excluding any sub-group based on economic criteria. He assured that no existing benefits would be diluted and that the categorisation was designed to enhance fairness while protecting the rights of all SC groups.
He also noted that the current 15 percent reservation for SCs is based on the 2011 Census, whereas the SC population in Telangana has since grown to approximately 17.5 percent. He said the Congress government would consider increasing the total reservation once data from the 2026 Census becomes available.
The Act aims to rationalise the existing 15 percent reservation for Scheduled Castes by categorising 59 SC sub-castes into three groups based on inter-se backwardness. Group 1 comprises 15 of the most disadvantaged communities, constituting 3.288 percent of the SC population, and is allocated a 1 percent reservation.
Group 2 includes 18 moderately benefited communities, forming 62.74 percent of the SC population, and is allotted 9 percent reservation. Group 3 consists of 26 relatively better-off communities, making up 33.963 percent of the SC population, and receives 5 percent reservation.
The Shamim Akhtar Commission, appointed in October 2024 following the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment on August 1, was tasked with studying socio-economic indicators across SC sub-castes.
The Commission received over 8,600 representations and conducted a detailed analysis of population distribution, literacy levels, higher education admissions, employment trends, financial aid, and political participation. After initial submission, its tenure was extended by a month to address concerns raised by several communities, ensuring that every voice was heard before finalising the report.
This post was last modified on April 13, 2025 4:28 pm