Denotified Tribes in India

• Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities (DNCs) are hard to reach, less visible, and therefore frequently left out.
• While most DNTs are spread across the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) categories, some DNTs are not covered in any of the SC. ST or OBC categories.

Who are DNTs?

• The term 'De-notified Tribes' stands for all those communities which were once notified under the Criminal Tribes Acts, enforced by the British Raj between l87l and I947.
• These Acts were repealed by the Independent Indian Government in l952, and these communities were "De-Notified".
• A few of these communities which were listed as de-notified were also nomadic.
• Terms such as nomads and semi-nomads are applied to 'social groups who undertook a fairly frequent, usually seasonal physical movement as port of their livelihood strategy in the recent past.
• The term semi-nomad is mostly used to describe those sections of nomads whose duration, distance and frequency of movement is comparitively less than others.
• The distinction between nomads and semi-nomods do not involve distinguishable ethnic categories or social groups, it rather describes the degree of mobility practiced by them.

Status in India

• It has been estimated that South Asia has the world’s largest nomadic population. In India, roughly 10 % of the population is Denotified and Nomadic.
• While the number of Denotified Tribes is about 150, the population of Nomadic Tribes consists of about 500 different communities.
• While the Denotified Tribes have almost settled in various States of the country, the Nomadic Communities continue to be largely nomadic in pursuit of their traditional professions.
• The Government in July 2014 had constituted National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (NCDNT) for a period of three years to prepare a State-wise list of castes belonging to Denotified and Nomadic Tribes and to suggest appropriate measures in respect of Denotified and Nomadic Tribes that may be undertaken by the Central Government or the State Government.
• Commissions for Denotified tribes in India
  1. Idate Commission Report.
  2. The Renke Commission (2008) was earlier commissioned to identify and list the DNT communities.
  3. A Development and Welfare Board for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic communities has also been constituted vide gazette Notification dated 21.02.2019 for Development and Welfare of De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic communities.

National Commission for De-Notified and Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes

The Ministry, vide Gazette Notification dated 12.02.2014 had constituted National Commission for De-Notified and Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (NCDNT) for the period of 3 years from the date of Notification. Government has so far launched following welfare schemes for the benefits to DNTs:

• Dr. Ambedkar Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarship for DNTs Boys and Girls.
• Nanaji Deshmukh Scheme of construction of Hostels for DNTs Boys and Girls.
• A Development and Welfare Board for De-Notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities (DWBDNCs) has been constituted on 21.02.2019 and
• A Committee has also been set up by the NITI Aayog to complete the process of identification of the De-Notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities (DNCs).
• The survey work of identification of DNT Communities and placing them in a category of SC/ST/OBC is also under process in NITI Ayog and Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI).
• Also, the Department has approved a special scheme namely "Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNT Communities (SEED)" for welfare of this community having following four components:-
  1. To provide coaching of good quality for DNT candidates to enable them to appear in competitive examinations.
  2. To provide Health Insurance to them.
  3. To facilitate livelihood initiative at community level; and
  4. To provide financial assistance for construction of houses for members of these communities.

Schemes for DNT

Dr. Ambedkar Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarship for DNTs :

• This Centrally Sponsored Scheme was launched w.e.f. 2014-15 for the welfare of those DNT students who are not covered under SC, ST or OBC. The income ceiling for eligibility is Rs. 2.00 lakh per annum.
• The scheme is implemented through State Governments/UT Administrations. The expenditure is shared between the Centre and the States in the ratio of 75:25.
• The rate of Scholarship for Pre-Matric is:
  1. Class I to VIII Rs. 1000 per student for 10 months
  2. Class IX to X Rs. 1500 per student for 10 months
  3. The rate of Scholarship for Post-Matric is:
  4. Hostellers Rs. 380 to Rs. 1000 per student for 10 months
  5. Day Scholars Rs. 230 to Rs. 550 per student for 10 months

Nanaji Deshmukh Scheme of Construction of Hostels for DNT Boys and Girls.

• This Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched w.e.f. 2014-15 is implemented through State Governments/ UT Administrations/ Central Universities.
• The aim of the scheme is to provide hostel facilities to those DNT students; who are not covered under SC, ST or OBC; to enable them to pursue higher education.
• The income ceiling for eligibility is Rs. 2.00 lakh per annum.
• The Central Government provides a maximum of 500 seats per annum throughout the country. The cost norm is Rs. 3.00 lakh per seat plus Rs. 5000/-per seat for furniture.
• The expenditure is shared between the Centre and the States in the ratio of 75:25.

Other Schemes

• From the year 2017-18, the scheme "Assistance to Voluntary Organization working for the Welfare of Other Backward Classes (OBCs)" has been extended for DNTs and EBCs as "Central Sector Scheme of Assistance for Skill Development of Backward Classes (OBCs)/ De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNTs)/ Economic Backward Classes (EBCs)".

• For a complete video on all the Tribes in India: click here.