The National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations data says 62% of Dalits in the state remain illiterate and 63% are unemployed
NEW DELHI — Dalits in Bihar face continued neglect and deprivation despite decades of political promises and tall claims of development by successive governments in the state, a new report by the National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR) has said.
The report titled “Bihar – What Dalit Want,” was recently released at the Press Club of India in the national capital after the Election Commission announced the Bihar Assembly elections in November.
The study underscores that Dalits have been left out of the so-called development narrative in the state.
The survey, based on direct interactions with 18,581 Dalit families across 25 districts including Patna, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, and Darbhanga, revealed that most Dalits continue to live in conditions marked by poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, lack of land ownership, and inadequate housing.
Releasing the report, NACDAOR chairman Ashok Bharti said it is intended to amplify Dalit voices that are consistently suppressed during elections. “Every fifth person in Bihar is a Dalit, yet their concerns rarely find space in electoral debates,” Bharti said. “Our survey shows that those who lost their land and homes in the name of development are the ones who remain the most disadvantaged today.”
Castigating Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for painting a misleading picture of progress in the state, he said the chief minister has not done anything worthwhile for the progress and well-being of the people. “Nitish Kumar has been hailed as the ‘development man’ for two decades, but our data tells a very different story,” Bharti said.
The report’s findings show that 62% of Dalits in Bihar remain illiterate, 63% are unemployed, and the average monthly income is only Rs 6,480. Bharti also highlighted that the budget share for Dalits has declined from 2.59% in 2013-14 to just 1.29% under the current government at the Centre run by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“The state government constructed roads and bridges, but at the cost of demolishing Dalit homes in several districts. The question remains: when every fifth Bihari is a Dalit, why is there no place for them in Nitish Kumar’s so-called good governance?” Bharti questioned.
The NACDAOR report also examined issues such as education, employment, health, land rights, and atrocities against Dalits. It concluded that Bihar’s development model has failed to address the persistent structural inequalities faced by the community.
