VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday approved the Scheduled Castes (Subclassification) Bill 2025 after discussions, which is hailed as a significant step to promote Dalit welfare. Social welfare minister Dola Bala Veeranjaneyulu introduced the bill in the assembly. Ramanjaneyulu said SCs in the state were divided into three groups—Group 1 (12 castes), Group 2 (18 castes) and Group 3 (26 castes). The MLA praised minister Nara Lokesh for implementing the internal reservation roster for 17,000 jobs, which, he said, instilled confidence among Dalits by giving equal representation to all sub-groups. After the approval of the SC classification bill, minister Nadendla Manohar tabled the Panchayat Raj (amendment) bill, which was passed unanimously.