Telangana Becomes First State to Implement SC Categorisation; Issues Government Order

In a historic move on the birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, Telangana has officially become the first state in India to implement Scheduled Castes (SC) categorisation, with a government order (GO) issued on Monday.

Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy announced the development at a press conference, stating that the GO was handed over to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy earlier in the day. “From today, from this moment, SC categorisation will be implemented in Telangana in employment and education,” the minister said.

Division of SC Communities Into Three Groups

The state government had constituted a commission led by retired High Court judge Justice Shameem Akther, which submitted its recommendations on the categorisation of SCs. According to the commission’s report, the 59 SC communities in the state have been divided into three groups to better distribute the 15% reservation available to them:

• Group I: 15 communities considered the most socially and economically backward, will receive 1% reservation.
• Group II: 18 communities identified as moderately benefited so far, will receive 9% reservation.
• Group III: 26 communities that have significantly benefited from reservations in the past, will now receive 5% reservation.

Bill Passed, Supreme Court Backing

The Scheduled Castes (Rationalisation of Reservation) Bill, 2025 was passed by the Telangana Legislature in February, and received the Governor’s assent on April 8, 2025. The government order was published in the Telangana Gazette on April 14 for public awareness.

This move follows the Supreme Court’s verdict last year, which allowed for categorisation within SCs—a decision that paves the way for more equitable reservation benefits based on current socio-economic realities.

A Step Beyond Symbolism

Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy criticized previous administrations, alleging that they had merely passed resolutions without any concrete action. He said that all future job vacancies in the Telangana government would now be filled based on the newly implemented SC categorisation system.

The minister, who chaired the Cabinet Sub-Committee on SC Categorisation, also revealed that extensive consultations with stakeholders were carried out before finalising the policy.

Furthermore, he noted that if the Scheduled Caste population increases in the 2026 census, the reservation percentage may also be revised to reflect the new data.

This landmark step is expected to serve as a model for other states, addressing the longstanding demand for fairer distribution of benefits among SC subgroups.