Telangana Becomes First State To Implement SC Categorisation; Here's How New Quota System Works

Telangana has officially implemented Scheduled Castes (SC) categorisation, becoming the first state in India to do so. A government order (GO) was issued on Monday, coinciding with the birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar. Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, who headed a cabinet sub-committee on the issue, announced the development and handed over the first copy of the GO to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.

The move follows the recommendations of a commission headed by retired High Court judge Justice Shameem Akther. The panel had proposed that the 59 SC communities in the state be categorised into three groups (Group I, II and III) for the purpose of allocating the existing 15 per cent reservation in education and government employment.

According to the commission report, group-I one comprising 15 socially, economically and educationally disadvantaged SC communities, are given one per cent reservation, though these groups constituted 0.5 per cent of the population. Group-II, including 18 moderately benefited SC communities, are provided a nine per cent quota while the Group-III comprising 26 significantly benefited SC communities, are given five per cent reservation, reported news agency PTI.

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The Telangana Legislature had passed the Scheduled Castes (Rationalisation of Reservation) Bill, 2025 in February, accepting the Justice Akther Commission's recommendations while rejecting the suggestion to exclude the creamy layer. The Governor gave assent to the Bill on April 8, and it was published in the Telangana Gazette on April 14.

Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy stated that all upcoming government job vacancies will be filled as per the new categorisation. He criticised previous governments for only passing resolutions without implementation. He also mentioned that if the SC population increases in the 2026 Census, the reservation proportion would be adjusted accordingly.

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"From today, from this moment, SC categorisation will be implemented in Telangana in employment and education. We have issued a GO to that extent and gave the first copy to the CM," he told reporters.

Telangana’s implementation comes after a favourable Supreme Court verdict on SC sub-categorisation last year, making it the first state to put the ruling into practice.

(With PTI Inputs)