SEEPC Survey kickstarts in city, queries make households edgy

Hyderabad: The State government with much fanfare has initiated the door-to-door survey to assess the Socio-Economic, Educational, Employment, Political, and Caste Survey (SEEPC) of all households across the GHMC on Wednesday, with over 22,000 enumerators and supervisors for surveying over 29 lakh houses in Greater Hyderabad.

On Wednesday, it was observed that when enumerators approached homes in the afternoon, many residents felt apprehensive upon seeing the lengthy forms containing over 70 questions. Nevertheless, the surveyors took the time to clarify the guidelines, easing the concerns of the residents.

On the very first day, all the heads of the families of households were ready with their Aadhaar, ration card and other documents to produce before the officer visiting the house. The surveyors along with the Socio Economic Survey forms visited a handful of houses and conducted surveys and affixed the sticker on the door of the households. During the survey, they interacted with the head of the family and recorded the information provided by the household.

“The survey is done in two parts with over 75 questions, with 56 main and 19 supplementary questions. This includes personal details, family information, education, employment, assets, caste status, and more,” said a surveyor in Shalibanda. The officer who wanted to remain anonymous said, “With such enquiries, the residents were anxious and were not responding. However with the help of local leaders we have cleared their doubts and explained to them about the guidelines and took up the survey.”

To ensure inclusive and effective governance, the Telangana government has initiated a landmark State-wide survey in 2024 to understand the diverse SEEPC needs of its citizens. As part of this initiative, on Wednesday, Minister for Transport and BC Welfare, and in-charge Minister of Hyderabad district, Ponnam Prabhakar, officially launched the programme in GHMC. Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi, Hyderabad District Collector Anudeep Durishetti and Deputy Mayor Srilatha Shobhan Reddy accompanied him.

The Minister appealed to the citizens not to have any misconceptions about a comprehensive house-to-house family survey and urged the citizens to furnish information to the enumerators without any apprehensions. He said that with the information provided by the government, the eligible beneficiaries will benefit from the government schemes in the future. “The data will remain confidential, and the goal is to address inequalities and ensure equal justice for all,” said Ponnam Prabhakar.

According to GHMC, as many as 20,920 enumerators and 1,728 supervisors have been appointed for the survey of 29,58,277 houses in Greater Hyderabad. Enumerators will be asking questions related to caste, employment, educational benefits, land ownership, loans, and more. They will also inquire about government schemes benefited from, such as reservations for SCs, STs, BCs, and EBCs, as well as details about migration and political involvement.

Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi asked the residential welfare associations, NGOs, public representatives and people from all walks of life to contribute to the survey.