No Bangaru Telangana sans uplift of BCs

The Indian society is built traditionally on the strong pillars of caste and for all matters, caste prevails in the society. The largest section in the Telangana state constitutes the Backward Class castes. They form 52 per cent of the total population in Telangana and similar percentage in the country’s total population, as well. Therefore, it is but natural that without their development, that is, the development of majority people, the development of Telangana or the often called Bangaru Telangana or for that matter the development of the country as a whole cannot be imagined.

This makes it imperative for the governments in the State and at the Centre to seriously consider, plan and act towards the development of the Backward Classes for a transforming developed society. BC communities, who comprise 112 recognised castes in Telangana, are socially humiliated and downgraded, economically exploited, and politically deprived classes and castes for ages. A change for their development and welfare has been a big cry from these communities but has been unheard all these days.

The governments have legitimately provided certain reservations, i.e., 25% and 27% in the State and the Central governments respectively, in areas like education and employment in the government sector, followed by some welfare schemes as a measure to bring in development. It is observed that only a small section of people from few castes, may be four or five castes among the BCs, are availing of the maximum benefits, and reservations leaving aside large number of the most backward castes, about 106 castes, who are the minorities by their individual caste wise population.

A large majority of the Most Backward Castes (MBCs) people such as Jogi, Katipapala, Pichiguntla, Poosala, Dommera, Gangireddula, etc., are reeling under utter poverty and struggling for their livelihood and for social status. This is highly pathetic. The state of nomadic groups / castes is further more difficult to describe. A majority of them are marginalised communities and they are in BPL category. Their traditionally inherited caste-based professions or vocations could hardly enable them to earn their bread, forget about their social status.

Many do not have houses to live in and some castes like Gangireddulollu never purchase new clothes except to get them by begging from the affluent. Hardly there are literate people in such communities or who crossed the education up to 5th Class. In such situations, where is the possibility of availing of the so called reservations in education and employment or for that matter in the legislature and local bodies.

The challenges before the people of these MBCs are poverty, unemployment, lack of education and skills to get employed in modern day jobs. Above all, the most daunting problem with the MBCs is the social respect, honour and dignity to live on par, with all others in the society. In the guise of modernisation and industrialisation, the age-old traditionally practised professions have almost disappeared, making their lives miserable.

They can neither catch up with modernisation for want of education, skills and financial capacity, nor can they continue with their professions which became uneconomical in the present competitive IT-enabled world. This left them either to find other means of livelihood or to become labourers or even yet times to go on suicide with poverty, insecurity, debts and stress.

Can a welfare society and the people’s government allow these social evils / maladies continue to exist unaltered? The Telangana government move to constitute the Backward Class Commission to address some of the problems of the Backward Classes is laudable and welcome by the society and especially the BCs. But the Commission should have a clear agenda, powers, machinery and mechanism and adequate finances to contribute to the BCs welfare and development.

It is expected that the Commission should be headed by a person of eminence with social consciousness and should be an MBC to understand rightly the problems of the BCs and MBCs with empathy. And it should not just become a rehabilitation to someone who is in the political arena. The Telangana BCs and MBCs voice their desire to be heard by the government. They put forth the following issues to be addressed by the government or through the Commission.

They are: a) No abuses in the name of castes of BCs and to have a respectable and dignified living among all others in the society without any social discrimination and disrespect; b) To assess the beneficiary castes among the BCs who availed welfare schemes and reservations all these years, either in the central or state government and which castes were left out from the reservations and to bring justice to the deprived; c) To conduct a comprehensive caste-wise survey on the socio-economic, educational and employment conditions of the BCs, including their population, social status and to identify the MBCs among the BCs to offer focused packages and welfare programs first to them, among the BCs; d)

The existing reservations (33% & 34%) in local bodies have to be categorised under A,B,C,D in order to reach the benefits of reservations to all the sections within BCs; e) All the MBCs should be provided the Double Bed Room houses on priority bases; and f) Residential schools and colleges, and vocational training institutions have to be opened in all the mandals and districts in Telangana. One has to wait and see to what extent the Telangana government and the proposed BC Commission will fulfill the desires of the BCs.(Writer is a UGC Emeritus Fellow)

By Prof S Sudarshan Rao