Telangana: Union Government forms committee to examine categorisation of SC’s, long-pending demand of Madigas

Under the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Committee of Secretaries has been formed, with Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba serving as the chairperson. The committee’s purpose is to scrutinise administrative measures that can be implemented to protect the interests of Scheduled Castes. Government sources revealed that this initiative was prompted by representations from Scheduled Caste communities, including the Madigas and other groups, expressing concerns about the uneven distribution of benefits and asserting that they were not receiving their fair share.

The committee is composed of secretaries from key ministries, including the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Department of Personnel and Training, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the Department of Legal Affairs, and the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment. According to government sources, the inaugural meeting of the Committee of Secretaries is scheduled for January 23.

This committee seems to be in response to a longstanding demand for the sub-categorization of Scheduled Castes (SCs) across the country. Recently, PM Modi visited the Madiga Vishwarupa Sabha held on November 11, in the midst of the Telangana Assembly elections.

Various state governments, including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka, have submitted representations to the central government advocating for the sub-categorization of Scheduled Castes, which includes the Madiga community. These representations emphasise that the current distribution of reservation benefits and welfare or developmental schemes intended for Scheduled Castes is not reaching all communities uniformly.

The primary objective of this committee is to evaluate and devise a strategy for the distribution of benefits, programmes, and initiatives aimed at the 1,200 Scheduled Castes in the country. These communities, often overlooked in favour of more advanced and dominant ones, are the focus of the committee’s efforts to address disparities and ensure a fair allocation of resources and opportunities.

The issue was initially raised by the Madiga community, the most populous among SC communities in Telangana, who claimed that their rightful representation was being overshadowed by another SC community, the Malas. The Madiga community has been advocating for sub-categorization since 1994, leading to the establishment of the Justice P Ramachandra Raju Commission in 1996 and, subsequently, the Justice Usha Mehra Commission in 2007. Both commissions acknowledged the need for addressing this matter, and now, as part of fulfilling the promise made during the Telangana Assembly election, the Union government under PM Modi has taken action to delve into the sub-categorization of SCs.

Justice Usha Mehra, head of the commission, studied the issue of the classification of Scheduled Castes for purposes of reservations. She submitted a report to Union Minister for Social Justice Meera Kumar in New Delhi on May 5, 2008. The commission had favoured classification and recommended a constitutional amendment in this direction.