92% houses covered in Telangana caste survey: CM

Survey was completed in 1,088,975 houses out of the total number of 1,1758,491 houses identified: Data

The comprehensive household caste survey in Telangana, aimed at providing socio-economic, educational, employment and political opportunities for the Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other weaker sections of the state, is virtually limping towards the finishing line, with the enumerators already crossing deadline to wind up the survey, officials aware of the matter said on Tuesday.

92% houses covered in Telangana caste survey: CM

Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy said on Tuesday that the ongoing caste survey has covered more than 92% households till date. “The ongoing caste survey is a third movement in the country to achieve social justice, after the first two being a series of social reforms introduced during the Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi regimes,” the chief minister said, while addressing the Samvidhan Rakshak Abhiyan convention in New Delhi.

According to the official data released by the state government, the comprehensive survey was completed in 1,088,975 houses out of the total number of 1,1758,491 houses identified, accounting for 92.6% of the target, by November 25.

While the enumerators have achieved 100% target in as many as 13 districts, Sangareddy recorded the completion of survey in 88.1% households and Medchal-Malkajgiri district achieved 82.3% completion. In the remaining districts, more than 90% of the households were covered under the survey.

However, under the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits, the survey has been sluggish, compared to other parts of the state. As on Monday evening, the survey in GHMC limits was completed in 1,904,977 houses out of the total number of 2,505,517 houses — accounting for 76%.

The survey, being done by 87,000-odd enumerators under the auspices of 8,788 supervisors, was originally supposed to be completed by November 18. “But the survey could not be done at the expected pace in the first few days due to stiff resistance from the people to part with information,” a supervisor from Mahabubnagar district said.

But the enumerators managed to convince them that divulging information is not mandatory but voluntary and the survey is meant only to ascertain the caste-wise population. “After that, the survey picked up pace and the deadline was extended till November 24. Yet, in many areas, we could not complete the survey due to various reasons such as non-availability of families and locked houses,” another enumerator said.

The official statement said the computerisation of the data collected so far has been going on simultaneously. “So far, uploading of data on the dashboard of the planning department has been completed for 1,285,871 houses. Instructions have been issued to the enumerators and data entry operators to see that the details of the survey be uploaded without any scope for errors and the original data sheets be preserved for verification at a later stage,” the statement said.

State deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka also reviewed the progress of the survey during a video conference with the authorities, underscored the importance of maintaining quality in the data entry phase of the ongoing comprehensive household survey. “Any errors at this stage could undermine the extensive efforts undertaken so far,” he said.

Vikramarka said while the survey has reached the final stages in most districts, challenges persist in urban areas such as the GHMC, Ranga Reddy and Medchal districts, where survey work is still ongoing. He directed officials to address issues such as locked houses and unavailability of residents by contacting them through phone to ensure their participation.