- De-Notified Tribes (DNTs) are vulnerable and deprived communities of India.
- Criminal Tribes Act of 1871
- DNTs were ‘notified’ as ‘born criminals‘ during the British regime under the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871.
- These Acts were repealed by the Independent Indian Government in 1995, which made them ‘De-Notified’.
- Nomadic and semi-nomadic communities
- Nomadic and semi-nomadic communities are moving from place to place; they do not have a specific place to reside.
- Till now, DNTs and DNTs were never allowed to purchase private land and home.
- DNTs are mostly under SC, ST, and OBC categories.
- Population
- South Asia comprises the world’s largest nomadic population.
- Nearly 10% of India’s population is Denotified and Nomadic.
Commitee and Commissions on DNTs, NT and SNTs
- A National Commission for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (NCDNT:
- A National Commission for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (NCDNT) was constituted in 2006 by the then government.
- It was headed by Balkrishna Sidram Renke and submitted its report in 2008.
- The commission held that “It is an irony that these tribes somehow escaped the attention of our Constitution makers.
- They are deprived of Constitutional support unlike Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes“.
- The Renke commission estimated their population at around 10.74 crores based on Census 2001.
- Idate Commission:
- The National Commission was constituted in 2015 under the chairmanship of Shri Bhiku Ramji Idate.
- This commission was to identify and properly list DNT communities in different states, to evaluate the progress of development of these communities in the states.
- Suggestions
- As suggested by this commission, in the year 2019, the Government of India established the Development and Welfare Board for DNTs, SNTs &NTs, also abbreviated as DWBDNCs.
Initiatives for DNT
- Dr. Ambedkar Post-Matric Scholarship for DNT Students
- This Centrally Sponsored Scheme was initiated during 2014-15 for improvement of downtrodden students not covered under SC, ST or OBC.
- Scheme for Construction of Hostels for Boys and Girls from Nomadic Tribes:
- This Centrally Sponsored Scheme commenced during the year 2014-15. It operates through the State Governments/ UT Administrations/ Central Universities.
