Govt ensured highest level of accuracy in data collection in caste survey: Uttam

Hyderabad: Irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Wednesday said the people, particularly the backward classes (BCs), should not get carried away by their numbers in the voter's list compared to the statistics of their population revealed by the recent caste survey. "There is a possibility of duplication of voter names in the electoral list due to urban-rural migration and the demographic shift in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana," he added.
Addressing the media at the assembly committee hall before participating in a PowerPoint presentation by planning department principal secretary (Planning) Sandeep Kumar Sultania, state nodal officer and Hyderabad collector Anudeep Durishetty, the minister emphasised that the govt ensured the highest level of accuracy in data collection. The survey also introduced ‘No Caste' and ‘No Religion' categories, ensuring inclusivity and accurate representation of Telangana's diverse population.
"The previous elections were based only on BC voter lists, which contained inaccurate BC population data. The Congress govt's survey is the first time an official BC-specific caste enumeration has been conducted. The socio-economic survey was the most scientific, transparent, and accurate population study since Independence. This was the first-ever field-based caste survey undertaken after the 2011 Census, making all figures cited by opposition parties false and fictitious," he added.
Uttam, who headed the cabinet sub-committee on the caste survey, underscored that no official authentic caste-based data was compiled in the past, particularly for BCs. Unlike previous studies, which were incomplete or unofficial, this was the first legitimate and detailed caste survey. The findings would help shape welfare policies by assessing the socio-economic conditions of different communities. He assured that the data was reliable and free from political influence, as govt staff carried out the entire exercise.
"Nobody can challenge us. These are the only real figures, and there is no need to be defensive. We are speaking the truth," he declared. He called for countering the propaganda by opposition parties and said that anybody questioning the survey should be refuted with facts. There was no official data on any caste except for the 2011 Census until the Congress govt's survey. Even the SC categorisation was based on the 2011 Census, he added.