Context:
Denotified Tribes (DNTs) have demanded constitutional recognition and a separate column in Census 2027 to ensure proper enumeration and improved access to welfare schemes.
Key Highlights:
- Demand for Separate Census Entry
- DNT groups seek a separate column in Census 2027 for better identification and policy targeting.
- Proposal for Separate Constitutional Schedule
- Demand for a separate schedule similar to SC, ST, and OBC categories.
- Historical Background
- Communities were labeled as “criminal tribes” under the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871 during British rule.
- The Act was repealed in 1952, leading to the term Denotified Tribes.
- Government Engagement
- The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment recommended inclusion of DNTs in the census to the Registrar General of India (RGI).
- Identification Challenges
- Many DNT communities are not clearly classified under SC, ST, or OBC categories, leading to policy exclusion.
- Welfare Scheme Challenges
- Under the SEED Scheme, only limited benefits reached DNTs due to lack of community certificates issued by States.
Relevant Prelims Points:
- Denotified Tribes (DNTs)
- Communities previously listed under Criminal Tribes Act, 1871.
- After repeal in 1952, they became known as Denotified Tribes.
- National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes
- Chaired by Bhiku Ramji Idate.
- Identified about 1,200 tribes across India.
- SEED Scheme (Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs)
- Implemented by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
- Provides education, livelihood support, health insurance, and housing assistance.
Relevant Mains Points:
- Socioeconomic Challenges of DNTs
- Historical stigma due to colonial criminalization.
- Low literacy levels, poverty, and marginalization.
- Limited access to education, healthcare, and social security schemes.
- Importance of Enumeration
- Accurate data helps design targeted welfare programs.
- Enables policy recognition and improved social inclusion.
- Policy Challenges
- Lack of clear legal classification.
- Difficulty in obtaining community certificates.
- Fragmented inclusion across SC, ST, and OBC categories.
- Way Forward
- Introduce separate census enumeration for DNTs.
- Strengthen legal recognition and welfare targeting.
- Improve state-level certification mechanisms.
- Expand implementation of SEED and other empowerment schemes.
UPSC Relevance:
- GS Paper I: Social diversity and marginalized communities.
- GS Paper II: Welfare policies and social justice.