Telangana first state to implement Schedule Castes categorization
Telangana has become the first state to implement Scheduled Castes categorization. Photo: X/@revanth_anumula New Delhi, April 14. 2025
The Telangana Government has officially announced the implementation of the Telangana Scheduled Castes (Rationalisation of Reservations) Act 2025. The State has issued a gazette notification, designating April 14, 2025 as the effective date for the categorization of Scheduled Castes into three distinct groups.
The Telangana government had previously appointed a commission led by Justice Shameem Akther, a retired High Court judge, to provide recommendations on SC categorization. Based on its recommendations, the government has decided to divide the 59 SC communities into three groups — Group I, Group II and Group III — within the existing 15 per cent quota for SCs in government jobs and education.
The release of the government order coincides with the birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of Indian Constitution.
The reservation framework consists of three distinct groups:
Group I comprises 15 socially, economically, and educationally disadvantaged Scheduled Caste (SC) communities, which will be allocated a 1% quota. Though these groups constitute only 0.5% of the population, the government had decided to provide them with 1% quota. It comes with a view to provide educational and employment opportunities to the most backward among the SCs.
Group II includes 18 out of the 59 communities who receive marginal benefits. They will receive a 9% quota.
Group III comprises 26 communities who are relatively better placed in terms of opportunity, which will be allocated a 5% reservation.
The Cabinet sub-committee, led by Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and co-chaired by Health Minister C. Damodar Rajanarsimha, presented the gazette notification to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy.
According to Minister Damodar Rajanarsimha, 33 out of 59 sub-castes remained in their previous group, with only 26 sub-castes (approximately 3.43% of the SC population) experiencing reclassification.
The new categorization will guide future government job recruitments, and would not be applicable to the vacancies already notified.
The irrigation minister also clarified that if the SC population goes up in 2026 census, the reservations for it would go up accordingly.
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