AP Assembly adopts resolution for BC Census

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Tuesday adopted a resolution to urge the Centre to conduct the caste-wise census of the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes of citizens along with that of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Minorities while holding the General Census for 2021.

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy stated that the enumeration of Backward Classes (BC) will help devise better policies for their welfare, education, employment, and for effective implementation to benefit BCs. He said that the last caste-based census in India was conducted in the year 1931 and even after 90 years, due to the lack of proper enumeration, there is no scientific data regarding the population of BCs to ascertain their social, educational, and economic backwardness, which has been posing a hurdle to meet the interests and aspirations of BCs.

Besides welfare, BCs got a major share in posts, jobs, and schemes, as the State Government enacted a law providing 50 percent reservations in all nominated posts and nominated works to all BC, SC, ST, and Minorities. Briefly touching on the details, he said that the government had set up a permanent BC Commission and also sent two BC leaders to Rajya Sabh. He stated that 7 of the 13 Mayors, 6 of the 13 ZP Chairpersons, 76 of the 196 Market Committee Chairpersons, 201 of 484 nominated Directors, 53 of the 137 Corporation Chairpersons are BCs, besides establishing 56 BC Corporations. He assured to bring better initiatives and do more good for the BCs in the coming days. Earlier, moving the resolution for caste-wise census of BCs, Minister for BCs, Chelluboina Srinivasa Venu Gopala Krishna said, the conduct of caste census will help the government evolve schemes for the social and economic uplift of BCs, as the previous census of BCs was conducted in 1931 before Independence.