Hyderabad: The Chairman of TPCC NRI Cell, Dr BM Vinod Kumar, has highlighted the importance of the ongoing door-to-door household caste survey conducted by Telangana state in developing better welfare and support plans for Gulf workers.
In a press conference held at Gandhi Bhawan in Hyderabad recently, Dr Kumar urged family members of the Gulf migrant workers to participate in the survey for improved welfare programs.
He also urged the public not to fall for misleading propaganda being spread by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Benefits for Gulf workers
Dr Kumar mentioned various existing programs to help Gulf migrant workers and their families. He stated that the Telangana government’s new welfare plans include an ex-gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh to the families of deceased Gulf workers.
In addition, Gurukul schools now provide admissions for Gulf workers’ children and a grievance redressal counter, ‘Pravasi Prajavani’, has been established to address migrant family issues.
“The information collected in this survey will be very important for carrying out more welfare programs in future for Gulf workers,” he said.
Convenor of the TPCC NRI Cell, Mandha Bheem Reddy, explained that the survey will provide crucial data on Gulf workers in Telangana, enabling the government to develop tailored policies for their welfare and safe migration.
Reddy criticized the previous government’s handling of Gulf workers’ data, citing the 2014 Comprehensive Family Survey under the BRS government for failing to disclose information.
Chennamaneni Srinivasa Rao, leader of the Gulf JAC, praised Gulf workers’ contributions to India’s economy, urging them to take pride in the essential role they play.
Srinivasa Rao highlighted the importance of village, mandal, and district-wise data on age, educational qualifications, profession, and job of foreigners for designing resettlement and reintegration schemes.
On Wednesday, November 6, Telangana state launched a household caste survey to assess socio-economic, educational, employment, and political opportunities for the Other Backward Classes (OBC), Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and weaker sections.
The initiative marks a key milestone for the state, with 80,000 enumerators surveying nearly 1.17 crore households across 33 districts. The exercise is anticipated to be completed by Saturday, November 30.
This is the first caste-based census since 1931, fulfilling a long-held promise and reflecting the Telangana Movement’s ambitions.
