Mahadalit is a term which was coined in 2007 by the government of

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

for the poorest social groups within the

Dalit Dalit ( from meaning "broken/scattered") is a term used for untouchables and outcasts, who represented the lowest stratum of the castes in the Indian subcontinent. They are also called Harijans. Dalits were excluded from the fourfold var ...

s 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.

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. The commission has recognized Bihar's 21 Scheduled Castes out of the state's total 22 Scheduled Castes as the Mahadalits.

Demographics and occupation

The Dalits form over 15% of the population of Bihar, and the Mahadalits form around 10% of the state's population. According to Mithilesh Kumar, the Mahadalits do not own land and work as sharecroppers on the farms of the

Yadav Yadavs are a grouping of non-elite, peasant-pastoral Quote: "The Yadavs were traditionally a low-to-middle-ranking cluster of pastoral-peasant castes that have become a significant political force in Uttar Pradesh (and other northern states l ...

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." The Mahadalit status entails benefits of over a dozen government welfare schemes including free land to the landless.

References

Dalit Politics of Bihar Reservation in India {{bihar-stub