The Madhya Pradesh government has dissolved nine caste-based welfare boards that were created ahead of the 2023 assembly elections. State minister Gautam Tetwal informed the assembly on Monday that the boards were discontinued in September as they were originally set up for only two years.
Responding to a question from Congress legislator Pratap Gerewal, Tetwal said that although ₹8.34 crore had been allocated to these boards, no funds were spent on welfare activities. He noted that none of the boards held district-level meetings, while only six conducted a single state-level meeting. Three boards did not meet at all.
The boards were established by then chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to support communities such as Vishwakarma, Rajak, Telghani, Kush, Rajput, and Meena. They were intended to provide skill development, entrepreneurship training, employment support, and loans for new businesses. Their chairpersons were granted perks equivalent to those of state ministers.
Tetwal further revealed that several boards lacked full appointments. The Maharana Pratap Board had no chairman or secretary, while the Telghani and Jai Meenesh boards had no members. Only one member each was appointed to the Rajak and Veer Tejaji boards. Outsourced employees hired in November 2024 were later removed between April and August 2025.
Congress leader Pratap Gerewal criticised the decision, stating that the boards existed only on paper and served as “false appeasement” before elections. He added that some BJP leaders enjoyed ministerial benefits through these boards without any real work being done.
BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal said the dissolution was a policy decision and assured that the government remains committed to ensuring progress for all communities.