Key Points
A Telangana government survey finds Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are three times more backward than General Castes, while Backward Classes are 2.7 times more backward.
As many as 135 out of 242 caste groups, accounting for 67% of the population, are more backward than the state average.
Data shows stark gaps in employment, education, income, and living conditions, with welfare benefits not always aligned with levels of deprivation.
The Socio, Economic, Educational, Employment, Political and Caste (SEEEPC) Survey 2024, conducted by the Telangana government, has found that Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the state are three times more backward than General Castes while Backward Classes (BCs) are 2.7 times more backward.
The findings, published on 15 April 2026, are based on the analysis of an Independent Expert Working Group (IEWG) headed by retired Supreme Court Justice B Sudarshan Reddy.
The survey covered over 3.5 crore people, nearly 97% of the state’s population, across 242 caste groups using 42 indicators, including income, education, occupation, land ownership, and access to infrastructure. At the centre of the analysis is the Composite Backwardness Index (CBI), which assigns scores between 0 and 126 to measure relative backwardness. The state’s average CBI score stands at 81, with higher scores indicating greater deprivation.
The report identifies 135 caste groups with CBI scores above the state average, together accounting for 67% of Telangana’s population. These include 69 BC castes, 41 SC groups, and 25 ST communities. In contrast, all 18 castes in the General category fall below the state average, indicating relatively better socio-economic outcomes.
An estimated 12 lakh individuals chose not to identify with any caste category. This “no caste” group recorded a CBI score of 48, placing it among the least backward segments, with relatively better access to education and services.
The survey underscores that backwardness is not uniform even within broad social categories. While 107 castes were found to be less backward than the state average, disparities persist within SC, ST, and BC groups themselves, reflecting layered inequalities.
Population data shows that Backward Classes form the largest social group in Telangana, followed by SCs, STs, and Other Castes. Together, SCs, STs, and BCs account for over 74% of the population. Among individual communities, the Madiga caste is the largest, followed by Shaik Muslims, Mudiraj, and Lambadi groups.
The data highlights stark differences in employment patterns. Nearly 50% of SC workers are engaged in daily wage labour, compared to around 10% of General Castes. In the private sector, more than 30% of professionals belong to General Castes, while only 5% are from ST communities. Overall employment levels remain limited, with only 43.4% of the population actively employed.
This disparity extends to education as well, with 30% of children from General Castes having access to private schooling, compared to less than 10% among SC/ST children.
Income disparities and economic vulnerabilities are equally pronounced. Over 78% of households from socially and economically backward castes earn around ₹1 lakh annually, while more than 13% of Other Castes earn between ₹5 lakh and ₹50 lakh. Only 2.1% of SC and ST households report incomes above ₹5 lakh. Around 44.4% of households reported having at least one outstanding loan, often taken for agriculture, medical emergencies, education, or marriages. Informal lending remains significant, with households borrowing from moneylenders at high interest rates, contributing to debt traps, particularly among weaker sections.
Housing conditions indicate widespread constraints and a lack of access to basic amenities – 21.2% lacks tap water access, 13.3% do not have toilets, and 5.8% lack proper electricity connections. 1-in-3 ST families live without toilets or tap water, compared to about 1-in-20 General Castes. About 63% of households live in homes with two or fewer rooms, and while rural areas see higher rates of home ownership, urban areas are marked by a high proportion of renters. A small share of households, about 1.08%, are homeless.
The survey also highlights demographic, social and socio-economic trends. 1-in-4 households in Telangana are headed by women, indicating changing household dynamics. At the same time, social practices such as caste-based marriages remain prevalent, with around 95% of families continuing to marry within their caste – only 5.6% of households reported inter-caste marriages. A majority of rural residents have moved away from traditional occupations, with 64.4% no longer engaged in customary work.
The survey also examined how welfare schemes are distributed across communities. It found that while over 70% of beneficiaries belong to the more backward groups, around 30% of welfare benefits go to relatively less deprived communities. In major agricultural schemes, General Castes account for a higher share of beneficiaries than SCs, despite the latter being more backward and larger in population. In contrast, schemes such as free bus travel for women show higher participation among SC women.
The IEWG noted that the Composite Backwardness Index provides a framework to quantify backwardness but does not capture representation in positions of power or influence. It emphasised the need for more nuanced policy approaches that account for variations within caste groups rather than treating them as homogeneous categories.
Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallusaid that the government plans to design targeted interventions for the 135 most backward communities, including support in education, employment, and financial assistance based on specific needs.
The findings, released in April 2026, provide one of the most detailed empirical mappings of caste-based inequalities in Telangana. They point to persistent structural gaps across sectors and highlight the complexity of addressing social and economic disparities in the state.
[DS]
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