A caste and socio-economic survey conducted by the Telangana government has found that Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are three times more backward than General Castes, The Indian Express quoted Backward Classes Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar as saying.

The survey was conducted in 2024-’25 by the state’s Congress government. Its findings were released on Wednesday.

The survey found that Backward Classes are 2.7 times more backward than General Castes, The Indian Express reported.

According to the study, 135 of the 242 castes in Telangana are more backward than the Composite Backwardness Index, PTI quoted an Independent Expert Working Group set up by the government to analyse the survey as saying. The 135 castes account for close to 67% of the state’s population.

The index is used by the state government to scientifically quantify the backwardness of castes.

Sixty-nine of the 135 groups are Backward Classes, 41 are Scheduled Castes and 25 are Scheduled Tribes.

“Expectedly, all the 18 castes within the more privileged ‘General Caste’ category that account for 12% of the total population fall well below the state CBI [Comprehensive Backwardness Index] average,” PTI quoted the expert working group as saying.

The study found that “every backward caste is not equally backward”. It found 107 castes were less backward than the state average.

The 107 groups included all 18 castes in the general category, 64 from the Backward Classes, 18 from the Scheduled Castes and seven from the Scheduled Tribes, PTI reported. The 107 castes account for 29% of Telangana’s population.

The survey covered more than 3.5 crore households. It used 42 indicators, including income, employment, education levels, land and property ownership and access to medical and civic infrastructure, according to The Indian Express.

Those facing backwardness have been left behind in education and job opportunities, lack access to proper housing, clean drinking water, functional toilets and are economically unstable, the study said.

About 50% of the Scheduled Castes are daily wage workers, as compared to only one-tenth among General Castes, the report said, according to The Indian Express. Only 5% of the Scheduled Tribes had jobs in the private sector, while more than 30% of General Castes had well-paying private employment, it added.

Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu said that based on the findings, specialised benefits, including financial support, will be extended to the 135 groups who face backwardness, The Indian Express reported.