BACKGROUND: The Directorate of WPT & BC, Assam was set-up in the year 1976 as the main implementing arm of all policies and projects formulated for the welfare of Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes in Assam. It aimed to create an equitable society by catering to the needs of the vulnerable sections of population in the state by adoption of developmental schemes for reduction and removal of the gap in socio economic disparity of ST/SC/OBC viz-a-viz society at large and to empower them socially and economically. However, in the year 1989, the Directorate of Scheduled Castes, Assam was curved out of the Directorate of WPT & BC, Assam and created with a few ministerial staff who were transferred along with posts from the Directorate of WPT & BC, Assam.

Vide Govt. Notification No.AR.41/2022/2, dtd.8/06/2022 and Notification No.AR.41/2022/17, dtd.2/11/2022, the matters relating to Backward Classes were transferred to the Directorate of Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Assam and renamed as the Directorate of Welfare of Scheduled Castes & Backward Classes, Assam. But the manpower strength of the directorate remained the same. The Development Councils tranferred are: 

1. Kalita Development Council
2. Gorkha Development Council
3. Nath Yogi Development Council
4. Bishnupriya Manipuri Development Council
5. Manipuri Development Council
6. Hindi Speaking Development Council
7. Bengali Speaking Development Council
8. Keot Development Council
9. Sut Development Council
10. Goria Development Council
11. Tai Ahom Development Council
12. Chutia Development Council
13. Koch Rajbongshi Development Council
14. Maimal Development Council
15. Moria Development Council
16. Sadharan Jati Development Council
17. Adivasi Development Council
18. Tea & Ex-Tea Garden Development Council
19. Chaodang Development Council
20. Kumar Development Council
21. Jolha Development Council
22. SC Development Council
23. Brahmin Development Council