De-Notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes of India

• 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  • These Acts were repealed by the Independent Indian Government in 1995, which made them ‘De-Notified’.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.