<p>Hyderabad: Perhaps the Telangana Socio, Economic, Educational, Employment, Political and Caste (SEEEPC) Survey 2024 colloquially referred to as the 'caste census' most consequential headline finding concerns welfare expenditure.</p><p>As per the findings released recently, a full 30 per cent of the total 2025-26 budgeted welfare expenditure of the Telangana government is going to people in caste groups that are less backward than the state average. </p>.13% Telangana households have no in-house toilet facilities, caste survey reveals.<p>The Telangana government proposes to spend nearly Rs 30,000 crores every year in agricultural schemes such as Rythu Barosa and free electricity to farmers. 15 per cent of these beneficiaries are people from the more prosperous General Caste while only 12 per cent are Scheduled Castes even though they are far greater in number and thrice as backward as the General Caste. The contrast is instructive when set against free bus travel for women, where 20% of beneficiaries are SC women and fewer than 10% are from general caste communities.</p><p>In Telangana, successive governments have implemented a broad array of welfare schemes aimed at alleviating poverty, enhancing social equity, and fostering inclusive development. These popular welfare programs such as Rythu Bharosa, Cheyutha Pensions, Rythu Bhima, Arogyasri, and the Housing Initiative have become integral pillars of the state’s social policy landscape.</p><p>Since these welfare schemes form a crucial part of Telangana’s social policy and receive a substantial share of the state budget, government felt it is essential to assess their reach across different caste groups identifying which castes are benefiting and which remain under served.</p><p>As part of the SEEEPC survey, households in Telangana were asked whether their household had benefited from any government welfare schemes in the preceding 5 years.</p><p>About 2 crore individuals i.e. 55% of the total state population reported ‘No Benefit Availed’. It is then reasonable to presume that 45% of the population of Telangana received some welfare benefit which is consistent with India’s overall welfare policy, said the SEEEPC report.</p><p>Of the Rs 54,521 crores that is allocated annually for welfare, close to 75% of it goes towards Rythu Bharosa, Cheyutha and Free Power. Other important welfare schemes such as Free Bus Travel for Women (7.7%) and Kalyana Lakshmi/Shaadi Mubarak (6.6%) receive comparatively smaller allocations.</p><p>Flagship programmes like Free Electricity for Households (3.7%), Aarogyasri (2.0%), and Free LPG Cylinder (1.3%) receive minor shares. Apart from this, Government housing has a total allocation of Rs 22,000 crores and Crop loan waiver has a one time allocation of Rs 26,684 crores.</p><p>Farm support forms the largest share of total allocations, with Rythu Bharosa and Crop loan waiver together consuming nearly 60% of welfare spending. Subsidized electricity both agriculture and domestic collectively accounts for over 18% of funds</p><p><br>On the other hand, General Castes (OCs), whose CBI score is least at 31 and are least backward among all social groups, have a smaller share of beneficiaries in almost all welfare schemes except for Rythu Bharosa and Free Power for Agriculture, where their historical landholding advantage gives them access. Their low presence in social security and welfare schemes reflects their better economic standing but also suggests lesser state support in these areas.</p>
<p>Hyderabad: Perhaps the Telangana Socio, Economic, Educational, Employment, Political and Caste (SEEEPC) Survey 2024 colloquially referred to as the 'caste census' most consequential headline finding concerns welfare expenditure.</p><p>As per the findings released recently, a full 30 per cent of the total 2025-26 budgeted welfare expenditure of the Telangana government is going to people in caste groups that are less backward than the state average. </p>.13% Telangana households have no in-house toilet facilities, caste survey reveals.<p>The Telangana government proposes to spend nearly Rs 30,000 crores every year in agricultural schemes such as Rythu Barosa and free electricity to farmers. 15 per cent of these beneficiaries are people from the more prosperous General Caste while only 12 per cent are Scheduled Castes even though they are far greater in number and thrice as backward as the General Caste. The contrast is instructive when set against free bus travel for women, where 20% of beneficiaries are SC women and fewer than 10% are from general caste communities.</p><p>In Telangana, successive governments have implemented a broad array of welfare schemes aimed at alleviating poverty, enhancing social equity, and fostering inclusive development. These popular welfare programs such as Rythu Bharosa, Cheyutha Pensions, Rythu Bhima, Arogyasri, and the Housing Initiative have become integral pillars of the state’s social policy landscape.</p><p>Since these welfare schemes form a crucial part of Telangana’s social policy and receive a substantial share of the state budget, government felt it is essential to assess their reach across different caste groups identifying which castes are benefiting and which remain under served.</p><p>As part of the SEEEPC survey, households in Telangana were asked whether their household had benefited from any government welfare schemes in the preceding 5 years.</p><p>About 2 crore individuals i.e. 55% of the total state population reported ‘No Benefit Availed’. It is then reasonable to presume that 45% of the population of Telangana received some welfare benefit which is consistent with India’s overall welfare policy, said the SEEEPC report.</p><p>Of the Rs 54,521 crores that is allocated annually for welfare, close to 75% of it goes towards Rythu Bharosa, Cheyutha and Free Power. Other important welfare schemes such as Free Bus Travel for Women (7.7%) and Kalyana Lakshmi/Shaadi Mubarak (6.6%) receive comparatively smaller allocations.</p><p>Flagship programmes like Free Electricity for Households (3.7%), Aarogyasri (2.0%), and Free LPG Cylinder (1.3%) receive minor shares. Apart from this, Government housing has a total allocation of Rs 22,000 crores and Crop loan waiver has a one time allocation of Rs 26,684 crores.</p><p>Farm support forms the largest share of total allocations, with Rythu Bharosa and Crop loan waiver together consuming nearly 60% of welfare spending. Subsidized electricity both agriculture and domestic collectively accounts for over 18% of funds</p><p><br>On the other hand, General Castes (OCs), whose CBI score is least at 31 and are least backward among all social groups, have a smaller share of beneficiaries in almost all welfare schemes except for Rythu Bharosa and Free Power for Agriculture, where their historical landholding advantage gives them access. Their low presence in social security and welfare schemes reflects their better economic standing but also suggests lesser state support in these areas.</p>