Padmashali Community — SEEEPC Survey 2024, Telangana

Basic Profile

The Padmashali community (also recorded as Sali, Salivan, Pattusali, Senapathulu, Thogata Sali) is classified as Backward Class BC-B in Telangana. Their surveyed population is 11,82,252 — representing 3.3% of the state's total surveyed population, making them one of the larger BC-B communities. Their traditional occupation is weaving.

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Composite Backwardness Index (CBI): Score 67

The CBI is the survey's master index of multi-dimensional deprivation across all parameters. The state average is 81 (higher = more backward; maximum = 116).

Community	CBI Score
SC Dakkal (most backward)	116
State average	81
BC-B Padmasali	67
BC-B Perika	63
OC Brahmins (least backward)	22

Padmashalis are ranked 67th among 242 castes — placing them in the moderately backward tier, below the state average backwardness level, meaning they are less backward than the average Telangana citizen. They fare better than most SC, ST, BC-A, and BC-D communities, but remain more backward than OC communities and a few select BC groups.

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Education

The survey explicitly calls out Padmashalis as a community that "fares better when it comes to higher education attainment" — alongside BC-C SC Christians, BC-B Goldsmiths, and BC-B Perikas. Key findings:

• Higher education attainment: Above average for BC communities. State average is 36.3% holding diploma or above; Padmashalis perform better than most BC groups.
• English-medium schooling: Positioned among the higher BC-B communities — near OC Jains and BC-D Chippolu, and significantly better than most BC-A, BC-D, SC, and ST communities.
• Women's education: Padmashali women perform significantly better than the state average of 65.5% (women not studying beyond 10th), positioned near OC Reddy and OC Velama — a notable achievement for a BC community.
• Government school dependency: Moderate — positioned in the middle band, indicating partial private school access.

Education is a relative strength of the Padmashali community.

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Occupation

The occupational profile is mixed:

• Daily wage labour: Moderate — below SC/ST levels, above OC communities.
• Child labour: Very low — among the best across 56 castes, comparable to several OC communities. A strong positive indicator.
• Agricultural labour: Low — consistent with their non-agricultural, artisan identity as weavers.
• Street vending: High — the survey explicitly states: "High among BC-B Vadrangi (Carpenter), SC Beda/Budga Jangam, BC-B Padmasali (Weaver)... shows the traditional occupation is still in some way impacting their occupation."
• Government employment: Above average — positioned near OC Komati, OC Reddy, OC Kamma levels, significantly above most BC-A, BC-D, SC, and ST communities.
• Traditional occupation continuation: Moderate-to-high — weaving remains an active livelihood for a significant share.
• MGNREGA dependency: Low — reflects relative economic stability.

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Living Conditions

Living conditions are a relative strength:

• Electricity access: Padmashalis rank among the top across all 56 castes for electricity access — alongside OC Jains, OC Iyengars, OC Brahmins, and BC-B Goldsmiths. Near-universal electrification.
• Toilet access: Among the better-positioned communities — comparable to OC Iyengars, OC Velama, and BC-B Goldsmith. Well below state average of 13.3% without toilets.
• Housing (room count): Moderate-to-good, better than most SC and ST communities.
• Refrigerator ownership: Mid-BC range — above most BC-D and BC-A, below OC groups.
• Car ownership: Near BC-B Gandla and BC-B Perika levels — moderate.

On the Living Conditions Backwardness Index, Padmashalis fall between BC-B Goldsmith and OC Muslims — among the better-positioned BC communities.

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Land and Assets

Land is a weakness:

Indicator	Value
Share of total state agricultural land	1.7%
Share of state population	3.3%
Land-to-population ratio	~0.52 (significant deficit)

The community holds approximately half the land share its population would suggest proportional ownership. This reflects their historically non-agricultural artisan identity. Household-level land ownership rates are moderate — positioned near OC Komati — suggesting land is held in small plots rather than absent entirely. Most Padmashali landholdings are under 5 acres.

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Gender and Discrimination

Parameter	Finding
Women's education	Significantly better than state average — near OC Reddy level
Girl child marriage	Very low — among the best across 56 castes
Inter-caste marriages	Moderate — lower-middle among 56 castes

Gender indicators are broadly positive for the community. Very low girl child marriage rates and strong female education access are standout findings.

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Access to Finance

A concern area:

• Emergency borrowing (loans for marriage/medical expenses): Moderate-to-high rate, in the upper-middle range among 56 castes.
• Moneylender dependency: Moderate-to-high — positioned near BC-D Chippolu (Mera) and SC Madasi levels, indicating incomplete integration into formal banking and continued vulnerability to high-interest informal credit.

This reflects the income irregularity inherent to the weaving economy.

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The Urban Backwardness Paradox — Critical Finding

This is perhaps the most striking and unique finding about the Padmashali community.

The survey calculates a Rural-Urban CBI Gap for each caste. A negative gap means urban members of that caste are more backward than their rural counterparts — the reverse of the usual pattern.

Caste	Rural-Urban Gap
BC-B Kuruba Kuruma	−17
ST Lambadis	−16
BC-B Padmasali	−15
BC-D Munnurukapu	−14
ST Yerukulas	−13

Padmashalis have one of the largest negative rural-urban gaps of any community in Telangana. Urban Padmashalis are 15 CBI points more backward than their rural counterparts. For comparison, communities like BC-A Gangiredlavaru have a +28 gap (rural much more backward — the typical pattern).

This strongly suggests that urban migration is not improving outcomes for Padmashali community members. The likely explanation is the contraction of traditional handloom weaving markets in urban areas due to industrialised textile competition, combined with informal urban settlement conditions and limited asset accumulation in cities.

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Summary Dashboard

Dimension	Status	Direction
Overall CBI (67)	Moderately backward	▲ Better than state avg
Higher Education	Above BC average	▲ Strength
Women's Education	Significantly better	▲ Strong strength
Child Labour	Very low	▲ Strong strength
Government Employment	Above BC average	▲ Strength
Electricity Access	Top-tier across all castes	▲ Strong strength
Toilet Access	Better than most BC	▲ Strength
Girl Child Marriage	Very low	▲ Strong strength
Street Vending	High	▼ Concern
Moneylender Dependency	Moderate-high	▼ Concern
Land Share (1.7% vs 3.3%)	Significant deficit	▼ Concern
Urban Backwardness Gap (−15)	Critical anomaly	▼ Critical concern

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Key Policy Priorities

Based on the data, the highest-priority interventions for the Padmashali community are:

Urban livelihoods and housing — The urban backwardness paradox is the most urgent finding. Urban Padmashalis, many engaged in declining traditional weaving or informal labour, need targeted housing, credit, and skill transition support.

Formal credit access — High moneylender dependency calls for artisan credit schemes, BC-specific banking linkages, and MUDRA-type programmes for weavers.

Weaving economy modernisation — Government handloom support, design upgradation, e-commerce access, and procurement policies favouring handloom products would directly benefit the community.

Land access — With a land-to-population ratio of 0.52, targeted land distribution and housing-site allocation schemes are warranted.

Consolidating educational gains — The community's educational strength should be reinforced through targeted BC-B scholarships in professional and technical education.

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Source: Telangana SEEEPC Survey 2024, Independent Expert Working Group Report 2025, Volume II. All data sourced directly from the published report. Population surveyed: 11,82,252 (3.3% of total Telangana surveyed population). CBI computed across 14 parameters for 242 castes.