Denotified Tribes in India: Renewed Call for Constitutional Status and Census Recognition

Why in News ? 

Denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes have demanded constitutional recognition and a separate column in the 2027 Census to address long-standing political, administrative, and social marginalisation. The demand reflects growing frustration over continued invisibility in policy frameworks despite decades of post-Independence reforms.

Background and Context: Denotified Tribes in India

• Denotified Tribes (DNTs) are communities historically labelled as “criminal tribes” under colonial rule.
• The Criminal Tribes Act, 1871, empowered British authorities to:
  • Notify entire communities as criminal by birth,
  • Subject them to surveillance,
  • Restrict movement and livelihoods,
  • Institutionalise social stigma.
  • The Act was further amended in 1924, deepening discrimination.
  • After Independence, the law was repealed in 1952, and these communities were officially “denotified”.
• Since then, they have been collectively referred to as:
  • Denotified Tribes (DNTs),
  • Nomadic Tribes (NTs),
  • Semi-Nomadic Tribes (SNTs).
• However, repeal of the law did not translate into:
  • Social acceptance,
  • Economic empowerment,
  • Administrative inclusion.
• The stigma of criminality has persisted through:
  • Policing practices,
  • Social exclusion,
  • Institutional neglect.

Socio-Economic Status of Denotified Tribes

• DNTs remain among the most marginalised communities in India, facing:
  • Severe deficits in education, health, housing, and livelihood security.
• Many DNT communities:
  • Lead nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyles,
• Lack access to:
  • Land ownership,
  • Ration cards,
  • Caste certificates,
  • Welfare schemes.
• Studies and official committees report:
  • Extremely low literacy rates among several DNT groups,
  • Negligible school completion in some communities.
• Economic survival often depends on:
  • Informal labour,
  • Traditional occupations,
  • Seasonal migration,
• This makes them highly vulnerable to:
  • Exploitation,
  • Police harassment,
  • Economic insecurity.

Administrative Classification and Policy Gaps

• Unlike Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), DNTs:
  • Do not have a dedicated constitutional Schedule.
• Over time:
  • Some DNT communities were subsumed under SC, ST, or OBC categories,
  • Others were left completely unclassified.
• The Idate Commission (2017) identified:
  • Around 1,200 denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic communities,
  • About 267 communities not included in any constitutional category.
• Even those included within SC/ST/OBC lists:
  • Often fail to access benefits due to:
    • Intense competition with relatively better-off groups,
    • Administrative hurdles and documentation gaps.
• This fragmented classification has resulted in:
  • Policy invisibility,
  • Lack of reliable national-level population data,
  • Inadequate targeting of welfare schemes.

Government Initiatives for Denotified Tribes

• The Union government launched the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED), covering:
  • Education,
  • Health insurance,
  • Housing,
  • Livelihood support.
• However:
  • Utilisation remains low due to:
    • Absence of proper DNT certificates issued by States and UTs,
    • Weak outreach and awareness,
    • Administrative bottlenecks.
• Between 2020 and 2025, actual spending under SEED:
  • Remained significantly below allocations,
  • Reflecting implementation failure rather than lack of need.

News Summary: Demand for Constitutional Recognition

• In the run-up to the 2027 caste-based Census, DNT, NT and SNT communities across northern India have renewed demands for:
  • A separate Census column and code.
• They argue that:
  • Without explicit enumeration, they will once again be statistically erased.
• The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has:
  • Recommended their inclusion to the Office of the Registrar General of India,
  • Which has agreed in principle to include them in the caste enumeration exercise.
• However, community leaders assert that:
  • Mere inclusion is insufficient without a distinct category.
• There is also a growing demand for:
  • Constitutional recognition through a separate Schedule, similar to SCs and STs.
• Leaders seek:
  • Sub-classification within DNTs to recognise “graded backwardness” between settled and nomadic groups,
  • Drawing support from recent Supreme Court judgments allowing sub-classification within reserved categories.

Significance of the Demand

• Accurate Enumeration:
  • A separate Census entry would generate credible population data, forming the basis for:
    • Targeted welfare schemes,
    • Budgetary allocations,
    • Political representation.
• Constitutional Justice:
  • Constitutional recognition would:
    • Acknowledge historical injustice,
    • Provide legal backing for affirmative action,
    • Strengthen access to constitutional remedies.
• Policy Coherence:
  • It would reduce fragmentation and ambiguity in classification, enabling:
  • Clear eligibility criteria,
  • Better coordination between Centre and States.
• Social Inclusion:
  • Formal recognition would:
    • Challenge the lingering stigma of criminality,
    • Promote dignity, citizenship, and belonging.
• Without these reforms, DNTs risk remaining:
  • Trapped between categories,
  • Unable to compete within SC/ST/OBC lists,
• Yet lacking an identity of their own.

Way Forward

• Introduce a separate constitutional Schedule for DNTs or amend existing provisions to ensure their distinct recognition.
• Ensure explicit enumeration of DNTs in the 2027 Census with a dedicated code.
• Develop a comprehensive national database on DNTs for evidence-based policymaking.
• Strengthen implementation of welfare schemes like SEED through:
  • Issuance of standardised DNT certificates,
  • Improved outreach and grievance redressal.
• Promote community participation, legal awareness, and access to justice to dismantle structural exclusion.