The Department of Welfare of Plain Tribes and Backward Classes (WPT & BC) was originally created as Tribal Areas Department in the year 1950. Later on, the Department was renamed as Tribal Areas and Welfare of Backward Classes Department in 1968. After the creation of the Hills districts the Department’s name was further changed to Welfare of Plains Tribe and Backward Classes in 1976.

            Further, BTC part was separated by issuing Notification No.AR.38/2020/53, dated 10-06-2021 naming it as Welfare of Bodoland Deptt.. After that WPT & BC was again bifurcated and renamed as Deptt. of Tribal Affairs (Plain) vide Notification No.AR.41/2022/2, dated 8/06/2022 and subsequent Notification AR.41/2022/17 dated 02-11-2022.

          The role of the Department in operating in the vast areas as mentioned above has been further broadened in recent times with the increase in schemes, increasing demands for Government role in protection and preservation of ethnic cultures, creation of Bodoland Territotial Council (BTC) and creation of development Councils to oversee the development of various OBC communities in the State. As the department looks after all the matters relating to three distinct social categories i.e. SC, ST and OBC’s having separate Plan allocations, the call for individual attention separately to each of these distinct social category has been the demand since long past. In view of this, Government has made a detailed study of the organizational structure of the Department and its functional relationship in implementation process of various tasks in terms of SCs, STs and OBCs.