Relevance: GS-1: Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.
Relevance: GS-2: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted.
Key Phrases: Renke Commission, Denotified tribes, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes, NITI Aayog, vulnerable, Deprived, DWBDNC.
Why in News?
- A standing committee of Parliament, recently has criticized the functioning of the development programme for de-notified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes.
Who are De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-nomadic tribes?
- These are communities who are the most vulnerable and deprived.
- Denotified tribes (DNTs) are communities that were ‘notified’ as being ‘born criminal’ during the British regime under a series of laws starting with the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871.
- Nomadic and semi-nomadic communities are defined as those who move from one place to another rather than living at one place all the time.
Various Committees and Commission for DNTs
- Renke Commission:
- A National Commission for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (NCDNT) was constituted in 2006 .
- It was headed by Balkrishna Sidram Renke and submitted its report in June 2008, in which it said, “It is an irony that these tribes somehow escaped the attention of our Constitution makers and thus got deprived of the Constitutional support unlike Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
- The Renke commission estimated their population at around 10.74crore based on Census 2001.
- Venkatchaliah Commission:
- The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution under the chairmanship of Justice M N Venkatachaliah, said in its 2002 report that:“The denotified tribes/communities have been wrongly stigmatized as crime prone and subjected to high handed treatment as well as exploitation by the representatives of law and order as well as by the general society.”
- A new Commission constituted in February 2014 to prepare a state-wise list, which submitted its report on January 8, 2018, identified 1,262 communities as de-notified, nomadic and semi-nomadic.
- While a number of these tribes are categorised under SC, ST
and OBC, many are not
as they are less visible and difficult to reach.
Some Schemes for DNTs
- 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.
- 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.
Difficulties associated in the implementation of welfare programs
- In identifying the locations/areas where these communities are densely populated.
- In ensuring that ongoing programmes meet the special requirements of De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities.
- In monitoring and evaluating the progress of the schemes of Government of India and the States/UTs with reference to Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities.
About De-notified ,Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities (DWBDNC)
- The government had set up the DWBDNCs under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 under the aegis of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for the purpose of implementing welfare programmes.
- The DWBDNC was constituted on February 21, 2019 under the chairmanship of Bhiku Ramji Idate. Also, a committee has been set up by the NITI Aayog to complete the process of identification of the de-notified, nomadic and semi-nomadic communities (DNCs).
- Ethnographic studies of DNCs are being conducted by the Anthropological Survey of India, with a budget of Rs 2.26 crore sanctioned.
Conclusion
- Although the NTs and DNTs constitute a large proportion of the population of the country, they have not received much needed support.
- Now it’s high time that Government give proper attention towards them resolving their issues and provide a way forward to assimilate them into the society.
Sources: Indian Express
Mains Question:
Q. What is the state of denotified tribes in India? Discuss various welfare programs for them. (250 Words).
