De-notified tribes-India

Ø Over 200 communities were identified by the British as ‘criminal tribes’ under the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871. However, the Act was annulled after Independence and the communities identified under this legislation were referred to as de-notified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes.

Ø Notified Tribe: all its member were to register with the local magistrate, failing which they will be charged with crime under Indian Penal Code. However Criminal Tribes Act 1952 repealed the notification. Hence now the Tribes called De-notfied Tribes.

Ø There is no authentic data on these tribes and no census has been conducted. They are found in almost all the States and belong mostly to the Other Backward Classes category in some large States and in Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes categories in other States.

Ø Some of them are not covered by any of the three categories. Even those covered under the three categories are often not able to avail the benefits because either they do not have caste certificates or because quotas are exhausted by non-nomadic/non de-notified communities in the reserved categories. A number of States have not even prepared lists of the de-notified or nomadic communities.

Ø Now the government proposes to create an enabling environment for the social empowerment of the de-notified tribes so that they could utilise reservation benefits in education and employment.

According to the 12th Plan documents:

Ø To provide all the support and facilities availed by SC ST & OBC categories

Ø Provide them scholarship and hostel facilities

Ø Housing for them under Indira Awas yojna

Ø To create a cluster development fund- for construction of their houses

Ø Skill development initiative to cover unemployed youth