Telangana to take up caste census soon

Telangana chief minister A. Revanth Reddy on Saturday said a caste census will be taken up in the state soon. He said the government is committed to fulfill the promise of conducting a caste census made during the Assembly election campaign.

The officials concerned have been asked to take necessary action to launch the caste census, according to a statement from the chief minister's office (CMO), following a review of the backward class, minority and tribal welfare departments at the secretariat.

The chief minister ordered the officials to furnish complete details of Gurukul schools functioning from rented buildings in the state, and instructed officials to make proposals for permanent Gurukul buildings by identifying suitable locations for the construction of new buildings at a rapid pace. The budget proposals will be prepared after estimating the cost of the construction of each school.

The chief minister also said diet charges, cosmetic charges and cooking bills of Gurukul schools should be cleared instead of being kept pending. The payments will be made through the green channel.

Reddy further directed officials to implement the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Overseas Scholarship Scheme more effectively. The officials have been asked to ensure that a greater number of students avail the scheme.

A framework has to be prepared to identify top foreign universities based on the ranking of the institutions. Students who pursue higher education in such universities should be given priority in availing the scheme, he said.

Reddy said all the SC, ST and Backward Class Gurukul institutions should be established in the integrated educational hub instead of being set up in different places, and said proposals should be prepared to build an integrated hub in every Assembly segment, to help in the efficient management, supervision and administration of the schools.

He believes that students will develop more competitive spirit and improve their talent by studying in the same campus. Officials have been instructed to identify suitable locations for the construction of such hubs in all segments immediately, preferably in towns or mandal headquarters as an alternative in case land is not available in an Assembly segment.

The CM ordered officials to prepare budget estimations to provide scheme benefits, including gold to the beneficiaries of Kalyana Mastu and Shaadi Mubarak.

The chief minister also said the establishment of Backward Class study circles in every Parliamentary constituency will be studied in place of existing study circles. Backward Class welfare minister Ponnam Prabhakar, ST welfare minister Seethakka, chief secretary Santhi Kumari and other top officials participated in the review meeting.