NHRC recommends implementing Idate commission report

NHRC recommends implementing Idate commission report

News: Recently, The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) highlighted the importance of implementing the Idate Commission report’s recommendations for Nomadic, Semi-Nomadic, and De-Notified Tribes (NTs, SNTs, and DNTs) in India.

About Idate commission:
• The Idate Commission, established in 2014 under Bhiku Ramji Idate’s leadership, aimed to compile a comprehensive catalog of Denotified, Nomadic, and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNTs) in the state.

Important recommendations’:
• Assign individuals not identified in the SCs/STs/OBCs list to the OBC category for inclusive welfare measures.
• Enhance legal and constitutional safeguards by incorporating a third schedule into the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. This aims to prevent atrocities and restore a sense of security among community members.
• Advocate the establishment of a permanent commission with legal standing specifically for Denotified, Semi-Nomadic, and Nomadic Tribes (DNTs, SNTs, and NTs).
• Recommend the formation of a dedicated department to address the welfare of these communities, especially in states with significant population concentrations.
• Estimate accurate numbers of the DNT families.

Who are de-notified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes?
• De-notified Tribes (DNTs): These are communities that were labeled as ‘born criminals’ during the British regime under a series of laws starting with the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871. These Acts were repealed by the Independent Indian Government in 1952, and these communities were \'De-Notified\'.
• Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes: These are communities defined by their lifestyle of moving from one place to another rather than living in one place all the time. Their traditional occupations often include herding, hunting, gathering, and trading.

Challenges faced by them:
• Stigmatization and Discrimination: Despite the repeal of the Criminal Tribes Act, the stigma associated with being labeled as ‘criminals’ has persisted, leading to discrimination and marginalization.
• Economic Deprivation: Historically, these tribes never had access to private land or home ownership.
• Social Exclusion: Many DNTs are spread across the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) categories, but some are not covered in any of these categories. This has led to their exclusion from various social and economic benefits.
• Lack of Government Support: Recently, the standing committee of Parliament criticized the functioning of the development program for these tribes, noting that the Scheme for economic empowerment of DNTs communities could not spend even a single rupee in 2021-22.

What policy measures have been taken up DNTs?
• The Government had constituted National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (NCDNT) to prepare a State-wise list of castes belonging to Denotified and Nomadic Tribes.
• The Renke commission estimated their population at around 10.74 crore based on Census 2001.
• The Idate Commission submitted its report in January 2018. It mentioned that a permanent commission for Denotified, Semi Nomadic, and Nomadic Tribes should have a prominent community leader as its chairperson, and a senior Union government bureaucrat, an anthropologist, and a sociologist as members.
• A Development and Welfare Board for De-Notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities (DWBDNCs) has been constituted and a Committee has also been set up by the NITI Aayog to complete the process of identification of the De-Notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities (DNCs).
• The Government of India launched the “Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNT Communities (SEED)” in 2022 with a total outlay of Rs. 200 Crore for the next five years. This scheme aims to provide coaching for DNT candidates to enable them to appear in competitive examinations, provide health insurance, facilitate livelihood initiatives at the community level, and provide financial assistance for construction of houses for members of these communities