Hyderabad: Kancha Ilaiah, vice-chairman of IEWG on the caste survey, has urged backward and disadvantaged communities to look beyond population figures and focus on their Composite Backwardness Index (CBI) scores. Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Ilaiah said: “The average CBI score in the state is 81. The higher the score above the average, the more backward the community is. This provides a clear understanding of the community’s standing.” Ilaiah stressed that backwardness varies even within the same category. For example, among those earning less than 1 lakh annually, economically disadvantaged other castes (OC) individuals are relatively better off compared to SC and ST groups. He pointed out that 34% of poor OC children attend private schools, while only 5% of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe children do.“People can even approach courts if they wish to, based on the data, to seek benefits. It is an individual choice and up to courts to decide,” Ilaiah added.
