Census should be initiated in Telangana after including 40 more castes in OBC list: Commission for Backward Classes

Telangana Commission for Backward Classes urged Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao to take necessary steps for inclusion of 40 more Backward Castes in the State to the Central Other Backward Classes (OBC) list. The Commission’s Chairperson G. Niranjan said that the Census-2027 should be initiated in the State only after inclusion of the castes in the list. 

The House Listing Operations (HLO) in the State are scheduled to begin from May 11. This will be the first fully digital exercise. An option for citizens to voluntarily enter the data through a platform will be provided 15 days prior to the HLO. 

“In Telangana State, 130 castes have been recognized as Backward Classes. However, the Central Government has included only 90 castes in the OBC list and has not included 40 castes. Consequently, there is a possibility that the number of BCs in Telangana will be recorded as lower than the actual figure,” as per a press note issued on Wednesday (March 4, 2026). 

The State Government and the BC Commission had earlier submitted requests to the Centre to add the 40 castes to the OBC list. However, no decision has been taken so far, as per the press note.