Telangana kula ganana | New survey, renewed hopes

Pochampally Komuraiah sits by his weathered kiln, the faint warmth from his Diwali diya sales already fading and his gaze fixed on an uncertain horizon. A potter from Bhupathipur village in Telangana’s Peddapalli district, the 65-year-old’s hands still shape clay with a skill honed across generations, yet his livelihood faces the threat of dwindling patronage. The number of potters in this village, once a bustling pottery hub, where 80 families used to thrive on their craft, has reduced to just two — Komuraiah is among the last, carrying the torch of tradition against the gusts of rapid urbanisation.

With his son having migrated to Dubai in search of greener pastures a few years ago, Komuraiah says he stands alone in sustaining his ancestors’ craft. The Telangana government’s upcoming statewide socio-economic survey from November 6 has given him a glimmer of hope, a potential boost for artisans like him who rely on pottery’s quiet but essential presence in daily life — from clay pots for weddings to ceremonial earthenware for village goddesses. “I make clay pots for toddy tappers too,” he notes underlining the importance of pottery intertwined with other traditional occupations.

The survey’s promise of government intervention is a small ray in the veteran potter’s life. “We are pinning hopes on the upcoming kula ganana to ascertain the socio-economic status of rural artisans and government’s policy interventions to give a fillip to traditional occupations,” he says.

Weight of unfulfilled promises

The last intensive household survey — Samagra Kutumba survey — conducted on a single day in August 2014 by the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) regime, had also stirred hope among artisans like Komuraiah, promising new support for traditional crafts and livelihood opportunities. Yet, for many, those promises never materialised. Some potters, disheartened, turned to farming or other trades.

“My son, who was working for a private company in Hyderabad then, had to hire a vehicle and rush to our village, along with his wife and children, to participate in that household survey,” he recalls, adding, “We, however, did not receive any benefit from it.”

Bakkaiah, another resident of Bhupathipur, hopes that the new survey will document the percentage of Backward Classes (BCs) in the population, paving the way for determining quotas in local body elections — a step that he believes could lead to much-needed economic and political empowerment for BCs.

“I toil in the palm grove every day to earn a livelihood by tapping toddy, enduring the risks of falling from Thati (palm) trees that are 30 to 40 feet high. My daily earnings are less than ₹250,” says 48-year-old Burra Srinivas Goud from Irukulla village in Karimnagar rural mandal.

“There are around 500 palm trees in and around our village, but only about 25 members of our community depend on toddy tapping for their livelihood. My son distanced himself from the traditional occupation due to the grueling, risky task of climbing tall palm trees,” he rues, adding he will apply for safety kits that the Telangana government is distributing under the ‘Katamayya Rakshaka Kavacham’ scheme.

“The upcoming caste survey should be conducted scientifically to gather accurate data for implementing real welfare measures that uplift weaker sections, including BCs,” suggests Narayana, another villager.

In a wave of migration a decade ago, many flocked to their native villages in Telangana to take part in the State government’s Intensive Household Survey (IHS) on August 19, 2014. Aimed at compiling socio-economic data for targeted welfare programmes, the survey required residents to be physically present at their native residences, creating challenges, especially for low-wage workers who had moved to urban centers like Hyderabad in search of employment.

Thousands undertook long, arduous journeys with essential documents like Aadhaar, ration, and voter ID cards in hand to ensure their inclusion. Among them was autorickshaw driver Ratlavath Dasru, who travelled from Karmanghat in Hyderabad to Cherukupalle in Nalgonda district, about 120 kilometres away. “We had to go back to our village with all necessary documents, as directed by the government, to ensure our inclusion in the records,” he explains.

Cherukupalle, a village of 6,000, saw an influx of residents returning from places like Kalvakurthy, Nalgonda, and Hyderabad, many of whom had to leave work temporarily to avoid the risk of exclusion.

For others, the fear of losing access to essential welfare benefits spurred even greater sacrifices. Uppula Ravindra Chary, who lives in Patancheru near Hyderabad, recounts making the trip to his native village, Nallabelli, in Warangal district with his family. “We rushed to our village as we feared that our names might be struck off ration cards or other essential records if we did not show up,” he says, noting that many of his friends and acquaintances from Hyderabad and Warangal also returned to their respective hometowns.

M. Adinarayana Reddy experienced a similar urgency, returning to Nallabelli with his wife and two children, anxiously awaiting the enumerators at their ancestral home. “The government’s intense publicity created a sense of urgency, and many feared future complications if their details weren’t recorded. People waited at home, postponing other important work to ensure they didn’t miss their turn,” Reddy says.

He notes that one villager, Macherla Rajender, who works in Bhiwandi, Maharashtra, made the long journey back to Telangana to ensure his name remained in the records.

Jeevan Rao, another villager, shares that his nephew, a software engineer based in Bengaluru, had also travelled back for the survey.

Rushed efforts

The single-day survey, designated a public holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act, presented severe logistical challenges. For those working far from their native villages, the requirement was especially demanding.

While some had family members to represent them, many migrants felt compelled to attend in person, fearing exclusion from welfare schemes. Despite promise of a thorough process, the rushed arrangement left many facing additional financial burdens, from travel expenses to loss of work hours.

To gather accurate data from around 4 crore residents in just one day, the government mobilised nearly 4 lakh personnel, including Anganwadi workers and Accredited Social Health Activists, police, and other officials. They collected data on 94 items across eight broad categories, from Aadhaar and ration cards to caste certificates and vehicle registration details. Equipped with minimal training, the enumerators canvassed households, with each session lasting at least 15 minutes.

While the then BRS government touted the survey as a landmark effort to streamline welfare programmes and prevent leakages, the compressed timeline drew criticism. Many noted that the frontline workers, under significant time pressure, began collecting much of the data a day or two earlier.

An engineering college faculty member, roped in as an enumerator, shares that he, along with 150 colleagues, covered numerous households each, without receiving any honorarium. “I had to ask my sister to provide my documents at our native village while I was out on duty,” he says, underscoring the logistical hurdles involved.

According to official sources, the then Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao introduced several welfare schemes such as sheep distribution on subsidy, free fish seed distribution, and Rythu Bandhu, based on analysis of data collected through the 2014 survey.

Although the government maintained that participation in the survey was voluntary, many travelled from distant places, fearing that they would lose out on major welfare schemes.

A new approach

Now, the stage is set for the commencement of Telangana’s first comprehensive socio-economic, educational, political, and caste census, from November 6. Over 80,000 enumerators, primarily teachers and 10,000 supervisors will survey every household across the State, creating a detailed database of all families. Data collection will take three weeks, followed by an additional three weeks for compiling explanatory notes, revisiting missing households, and distributing completed questionnaires with the signature of the head of the family. These records will then be stored at mandal headquarters for future reference.

Following the survey, there would be random household checks for two weeks to verify the authenticity of information. Altogether, the two phases, including data processing, are expected to take around eight weeks, based on a tentative schedule. This plan was prepared after reviewing similar survey processes and costs in Karnataka, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh.

In Karnataka, for instance, the government spent ₹162 crore to survey 1.35 crore households over 50 days, gathering physical data. Andhra Pradesh conducted a similar survey over 15 days in a fully digital format, though exclusive expenditure was not listed. In Bihar, the General Administration department covered 2.77 crore households, with 15 days allocated for house listing and 30 days for enumeration, totaling a 45-day survey period. Telangana has allocated ₹150 crore for its comprehensive survey, anticipated to be completed within two months.

Aiming for accuracy, inclusivity

During the Budget session in July, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy announced plans for a State-wide caste census and led the State Legislature to pass a resolution following a five-hour debate. The resolution committed to a comprehensive household survey across Telangana, encompassing socio-economic, educational, employment, political, and caste details to better address the needs of socially and educationally backward classes, SCs, and STs, as mandated by various constitutional provisions.

The move aligns with senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s call for a caste census as the basis for equitable policymaking, advocating for community representation based on population. Addressing a rally in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, he stressed the need to revisit the 50% cap on reservations to ensure fair representation in government and education.

Inspired by Gandhi’s stance, Chief Minister Reddy initiated steps after extensive consultations with officials, including the Backward Classes Commission. A detailed 50-point questionnaire has been prepared to collect data on each family’s social, financial, and educational status, along with caste information, with a particular focus on enabling proportionate reservations for BCs in upcoming local body elections.

Analysts say a caste census has become essential, as population figures for BCs have been vague, often influenced by political calculations of respective ruling parties. While there is clarity over the SC and ST populations, the same is not true for BCs. This uncertainty complicates the equitable distribution of reservation benefits to these communities.

“There has not been a scientific study on the number of BCs for long. The census has become imperative due to increasing social aspirations of these groups over the years,” says senior journalist and analyst Telakapalli Ravi.

A social audit is now necessary to provide statistical support through a comprehensive database, which the government’s planned survey aims to achieve. Senior officials say this survey is intended to assess the social backward indicators of the backward sections, allowing for a detailed examination of their challenges and the development of targeted policy interventions.

The Samagra Kutumba Survey conducted in 2014 mobilised the entire State apparatus to build a comprehensive household database to aid various government departments in efficiently targeting welfare programmes. Its aim was to ensure that the benefits of schemes reached the right recipients and minimised leakages in implementation.

However, that survey excluded large sections of the population, such as those owning more than five acres of land, employees of State and Central governments, and PSUs, major business owners, income tax payers, outsourced staff, and those with homes having more than three rooms, thereby leaving significant gaps in the data.

Conducting the survey in a single day also drew criticism from officials, who argued that it was unfeasible. The five-page questionnaire required over 20 minutes per household, meaning that each official needed to work for around 18 hours non-stop to cover the 40-plus households assigned to them.

That impacted the credibility of the data, which remains unpublished, prompting some citizens to seek legal intervention to access it.

Learning from those challenges, the Congress government now is said to have taken steps to ensure that the current survey’s schedule allows enough time for enumerators and supervisors to gather accurate details. The data collection will primarily be digital, with a printed questionnaire provided to each family.

This caste survey gains significance following the Supreme Court’s recent approval to categorise SCs into A, B, C, and D groups. The government has formed a Cabinet sub-committee to to work out modalities for its implementation. The proposed caste census, primarily for preparing a scientific database of different caste groups and population of the sub castes within the community, has become crucial as the data will also be useful for SC categorisation, making the job easier for the government.

BC Commission chairman G. Niranjan and other members have already started touring districts to conduct open sessions with different caste groups. “We should have comprehensive database of the communities in the State. The High Court has also sought the same,” Niranjan says.