The SC community scores 96 out of 100 in the backwardness index, while the general caste community scores 31 | Photo credit: Nagara Gopal
For decades, Indian politicians have relied on income as a measure of disadvantage. Groundbreaking government report from Telanganabased on one of the largest population surveys ever conducted in the country, offers a sharp correction: when caste alone is measured, the difference is not incremental—it is exponential.
The Telangana Socio-Economic, Education, Employment, Political and Caste Survey (SEEEPC) 2024a census-scale cross-sectional enumeration covering 97% of the state’s population (35 million people), imposes a strict composite backwardness index (CBI). The findings released in a government report funded by the government of Telangana without external conflicts of interest show that Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) are not only “disadvantaged”. They are structurally locked.
Published – 24 Apr 2026 08:30 IST
