Mahadalit Explained

Mahadalit is a term which was coined in 2007 by the government of Bihar for the poorest social groups within the Dalits[1] 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 the year 2007 to recommended 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]

Demographics and occupation

The Dalits form over 15% of the population of Bihar,[1] and the Mahadalits form around 10% of the state's population.[4] 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]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: . Compliance or Defiance? The Case of Dalits and Mahadalits . George . Kunnath . 2013 . 36–59 . 35045790.
  2. News: Explained: Who are Mahadalits? . . New Delhi, India . 20 October 2020 . 10 January 2021.
  3. Web site: List of Mahadalits - Bihar Mahadalit Vikas Mission . Mahadalitmission.org . 2016-10-18.
  4. Proceedings of the Indian History Congress . 76 . 2015 . 969–975 . . India . Decoding the Political Narratives of Bihar in Terms of Caste Identity as Seen the Election of 2015 . Jayant . Kumar . Kala . Bakhala . 44156668.
  5. Book: Kumar, Mithilesh . Government of Peace: Social Governance, Security and the Problematic of Peace . reprint . Ranabir . Samaddar . First published 2015 . 2016 . 204 . . New York; Oxford . Governing Flood, Migration, and Conflict in North Bihar . https://books.google.com/books?id=Ew2rCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA204 . 978-1317125389 . Most Yadavs are peasants (with holdings ranging from 2–4 bighas) and the Mahadalits are landless labourers or sharecroppers on their fields..
  6. Web site: Politics hots up to woo Mahadalits - Times of India . Timesofindia.indiatimes.com . 2010-01-11 . 2016-10-18.
  7. Web site: All Dalits now Mahadalits, question is who’s their leader . The Indian Express . 2015-02-16 . 2016-10-18.

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