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Sikh population rises in Andhra, Telangana

Hyderabad - Hindus and Muslims recorded an increase of 9.85 per cent and 15.60 per cent respectively.

An analysis of the religion-based census data in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana reveals that the population of Sikhs saw a significant increase in the two states. At 29.92 per cent increase, Sikhs account for the sharpest rise in the decadal population growth.
Hindus and Muslims recorded an increase of 9.85 per cent and 15.60 per cent respectively. A surprising feature of the 2011 census data is that the population of Christians which has come down by 52,133 compared to the figure in 2001.
In the two states put together, the population of Sikhs has increased from 30,998 in 2001 to 40,244 as per the 2011 census. The decadal growth in population of other communities are - Hindus- 60.78 million in 2001 to 70.48 million in 2011 and Muslims 6.986 million to 8.82 million. The population of Christians, on the other hand, has decreased from 1.81 million to 1.12 million during the period. In Hyderabad, the common capital of Telangana and AP, there are 11,466 Sikhs as per 2011 census compared to 10,054 in 2001. In the neighbouring Ranga Reddy district, there are 8,062 Sikhs. The number of Jains has been recorded at 19,560 in Hyderabad, almost the same as in 2001 census. "There has been a steady influx of Sikhs into Hyderabad in search of better livelihood opportunities. Besides, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has made several promises to protect the interests of the community," said Avatar Singh, a representative of the Gurudwara Committee, Hyderabad.
The study of the religion-based census shows that Muslims are largely concentrated in cities and towns like Hyderabad, Nizamabad, Warangal, Mahaboobnagar, Adilabad, Karimnagar, Khammam and Nalgonda in Telangana and Kurnool, Kadapa, Nellore, Guntur, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam in AP. In both the states, the Muslim population is urban-centric.
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