Mahadalit
Poorest social groups within the Dalits
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mahadalit is a term which was coined in 2007 by the government of Bihar for the poorest social groups within the Dalits[1]: 38 another called Aazad people who are original inhabitants of South Asian sub-continent. However, the term "Mahadalit" is not a part of the Indian constitutional terminology.[2]
Composition
The Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in Bihar set up the State Mahadalit Commission in 2007 to recommend inclusion of extremely weaker castes amongst the Scheduled Castes in the Mahadalit category.[3] The commission has recognized Bihar's 21 Scheduled Castes out of the state's total 22 Scheduled Castes as the Mahadalits.[1]: 38
Demographics and occupation
The Dalits form over 15% of the population of Bihar,[1]: 38 and the Mahadalits form around 10% of the state's population.[4]: 971 According to Mithilesh Kumar, the Mahadalits do not own land and work as sharecroppers on the farms of the Yadavs.[5]
Politics
During the election year of 2010, Nitish Kumar launched a slew of government schemes to woo mahadalit voters. Nitish said, "My aim is to see the social, economic and political growth of certain castes who need a special campaign for their overall development."[6] The Mahadalit status entails benefits of over a dozen government welfare schemes including free land to the landless.[7]
