The Telangana government has officially released the findings of the Socio, Economic, Educational, Employment, Political, and Caste (SEEEPC) Survey 2024, a comprehensive exercise covering 3.55 crore people across 97% of the state’s population. The cornerstone of this report is the Composite Backwardness Index (CBI), an innovative metric developed by an expert panel led by Justice (Retd.) B. Sudershan Reddy. By evaluating 242 castes across 42 distinct parameters—including income, education, and resource access—the CBI provides a granular look at deprivation. The results highlight a staggering divide: while the state average backwardness score sits at 81, Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) recorded scores of 96 and 95 respectively, making them nearly three times more disadvantaged than General Caste groups, who scored a mere 31.
The survey provides a detailed demographic breakdown, identifying Backward Classes (BCs) as the largest segment at 56.4%, followed by SCs at 17.4%, General Castes at 11.9%, and STs at 10.4%. The internal disparities revealed by the CBI are profound; the SC Dakkal community emerged as the most deprived with a score of 116, while Kapus were identified as the least backward with a score of 12. Alarmingly, 67% of the total population falls above the state average of deprivation, including 99% of STs, 97% of SCs, and 71% of BCs. In stark contrast, every community within the General Caste category falls below the average, signaling a concentrated level of relative prosperity and social security among these groups.
Economic and educational gaps further underscore these systemic inequalities. In the labor market, nearly half of the SC working-age population (45.7%) is engaged in daily wage labor, compared to just 10.9% of General Castes. Representation in high-growth sectors remains skewed, with General Castes making up 30% of private-sector professionals, while STs account for only 5%. This disparity begins early in life, as one-third of General Caste children have access to private schooling, a privilege shared by less than 10% of SC and ST children. Furthermore, basic living standards remain a challenge for marginalized groups; one-third of ST households still lack essential amenities like tap water or toilets, whereas 95% of General Caste households have full access to these facilities.
Perhaps most critically, the report scrutinizes the efficacy of the state’s welfare delivery system. Despite a massive combined outlay of ₹54,521 crore across 11 major schemes, the data suggests a significant “targeting” issue. Approximately 30% of these benefits are currently being utilized by communities that are statistically less backward than the state average. This finding is expected to ignite a major policy debate regarding the recalibration of welfare schemes, ensuring that resources are prioritized for the most deprived castes identified by the CBI to bridge the widening social and economic chasm in Telangana.
