Gehlot govt looks to tap backward classes ahead of Assembly elections 2023

The Gehlot govt in Rajasthan has constituted boards to address the welfare of Ghumantu and Ardha Ghumantu castes, the Mati Kala board for Prajapati, among others

In August, two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared the rollout of the Vishwakarma scheme in his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, listing artisanal castes among Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Scheduled Castes (SCs) that it would benefit, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced the Rajasthan State Balinath Board to study the socio-economic status of the Bairwa caste of the state and suggest measures to uplift them. The Bairwas are a Scheduled Caste who earn their livelihood through farming and as construction workers.

The Gehlot government's decision was in continuation with the