The Andhra Pradesh state legislature has unanimously approved a report by a one-man commission, led by retired IAS officer Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, on sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes for extending reservations in education and employment. The resolutions, introduced by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and State Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, were adopted by voice vote in both houses and will be sent to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes for ratification.
The state government in India has appointed retired IAS officer Rajeev Ranjan Mishra to lead a commission on SC classification. The commission conducted surveys in 13 districts and submitted a comprehensive report on March 10, 2025, recommending the division of 59 SC sub-castes into three categories for extending existing 15% reservations. Group 1 comprises the most backward Relli sub-castes, which would be provided with 1% reservation; Group 2 comprises backward Madiga sub-castes, who would get 6.5% reservations; and Group 3 comprises relatively less backward Mala sub-castes, who would get 7.5% reservation.
The resolution passed in both Houses also sought to include the Budaga Jangam community in the Relli sub-category of the SCs. This would also be forwarded to the central government for approval. The sub-categorisation of SCs was done based on the 2011 census, considering the state as a unit. After the national census is conducted in 2026, the government will explore implementing classification with districts as the unit.
The chief minister expressed satisfaction that the long-pending issue, which had been under discussion since his first take-off in 1995, was finally implemented during his tenure. He recalled that his government had first appointed Justice Ramachandra Rao Commission on September 10, 1996, on sub-categorisation of SCs. The government issued an order on June 6, 1997, categorising SC reservations into A, B, C, and D groups, which led to over 22,000 job opportunities for the Madiga and other sub-castes.
