Ponnam Prabhakar Seeks Separate OBC/SEBC Category in 2027 Census

Telangana BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take necessary measures to ensure a scientific and transparent enumeration of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) in the 2027 Census. In a letter to the Prime Minister, he stressed that reliable caste-wise population and socio-economic data is essential for effective policies relating to reservations, education, employment, welfare and equal representation. The 2027 Census has officially been notified by the Centre.

Prabhakar called for a clearly defined OBC/SEBC category in the Census questionnaire, similar to the categories provided for SC and ST communities. He also suggested creating state-wise master caste directories, assigning digital codes to communities, and establishing mechanisms to verify caste names that are missing, disputed or locally recognised. Referring to problems associated with the open-ended recording of caste names in the 2011 Socio-Economic and Caste Census, he urged the Centre to adopt a standardised system. He also asked the Union government to consider Telangana’s SEEEPC survey experience, particularly its structured household-level data collection and systematic recording of caste information.