BHOPAL: As many as nine caste/community-specific social welfare boards, which were formed by the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government just a month before the 2023 Vidhan Sabha polls in Madhya Pradesh, were dissolved on September 17, 2025, without receiving even a single rupee during their 23 months of existence.
The disclosure was made in the state government’s reply to a question by Congress MLA Pratap Grewal during the ongoing winter session of the Vidhan Sabha in Bhopal.
A total of 12 boards were created in April and October 2023 by the then Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP regime. These included the MP Kush Kalyan Board for the welfare of the Kushwaha community, Swarnakala Board for the Soni community, Telghani Board for the Sahu caste, Maa Puri Vayee Keer Board for the Keer community, Jai Minesh Board for the Meena community, Vishwakarma Board for the Vishwakarma community and Veer Tejaji Board for the Jats.
They also included the Rajak Samaj Kalyan Board and Maa Ahilya Devi Board for the Pal community, the Devnarayan Board for the Gurjar community, the Maharana Pratap Kalyan Board and the Jain Samaj Kalyan Board.
Out of these, nine boards formed in October 2023 were allotted Rs 8.34 crore in 2023, but not even a single rupee of those funds was released until the boards were dissolved in September 2025.
The information shared by Minister of State for Skill Development and Employment Gautam Tetwal in a written reply revealed that there was no information about any beneficiary being identified, selected or provided aid under any welfare scheme of the nine boards.
While not a single district-level meeting was held by any of the nine boards during the 23 months, three boards held state-level meetings on September 9, 2024, and three others conducted similar meetings in February to March 2025.
Three other boards, including the Maharana Pratap Board, Rajak Samaj Kalyan Board and the Telghani Board, did not hold even a single meeting during their entire existence.
Among the nine boards, the Maharana Pratap Board failed to appoint its head and secretary in 23 months, while no members were appointed in the Telghani and Jai Minesh Boards.
The Rajak Kalyan and Veer Tejaji Kalyan Boards had just one member each instead of the required four.
Further, outsourced staff were hired 18 months after formation in November 2024 and then relieved of duties within a few months, between April and August 2025.
Importantly, a majority of the boards operated from the AVN Tower in MP Nagar, Bhopal, which houses the headquarters of the Skill Development Directorate. Two boards functioned from privately rented buildings, despite having no operational activity.
Congress MLA Pratap Grewal, who shared with journalists the details of the reply given by Minister Gautam Tetwal, said the reply makes it clear that the caste- and community-specific welfare boards were formed solely to secure votes in the 2023 Assembly polls.
“The specific caste-communities were cheated just for political gain. BJP people were appointed as chairman and members of the board and were given facilities like vehicles, honorarium allowance, telephone, etc., and their work was done through them. In the name of welfare of the board, the amount of Rs 8.34 crore received by the concerned department was not deposited in the board, due to which not a single person from the societies benefited. Now after two years, the dissolution of the boards makes it clear that BJP has done the condemnable act of insulting the societies in the name of the board,” he said.