Skip to main content

Why are welfare schemes unable to reach denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes?

By Bharat Dogra 
Nearly a decade has passed since the government had constituted the National Commission for Denotified Tribes, Nomadic Tribes and Semi-Nomadic Tribes in 2015 under the chairmanship of Bhiku Ramji Idate. However over seven years after its recommendations became available we see a situation of absence of adequate welfare steps and even inadequacy of steps to ensure proper identification for these communities. Out of the nearly 1526 communities identified, nearly 269 are not yet categorized as SC, ST or OBC, according to recent reports. 
While the government has started a special scheme SEED (Scheme for the Economic Empowerment for denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes) the budgetary allocations generally far fall short of real needs and its performance is even more inadequate. Another problem is that these communities sometimes face more problems in accessing development schemes meant for all people or all villagers. To give a recent example, the mahila sangathan of Barmer district, Rajasthan has complained that members of these communities are facing more problems in obtaining employment under NREGA.
This is very distressing, keeping in view the urgent need of many-sided welfare to reach these sections who have suffered for long due to injustice and discrimination. Although a Development and Welfare Board for these tribal communities has been formed, this by itself is not adequate and even some board members have expressed their impatience with the delays in adequate justice and welfare actions based on the Idate report.     
Some time back former Supreme Court Chief Justice D.Y.Chandrachud gave voice to the suppressed agony of millions of members of denotified tribes when he clearly stated that injustice and discrimination was still being suffered by them over 7 decades after independence. Speaking on the occasion of the 13th B.R.Ambedkar Memorial Lecture on ‘Conceptualizing Marginalisation’ organized by the Indian Institute of Dalit Studies and Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, South Asia, he stated, “ The British enacted the Criminal Tribes Act 1871 through which a tribe, gang or class of persons ( believed to be) addicted to the systematic commission of offences were notified. The Criminal Tribes Act was later repealed in 1949 and the tribes were ‘de-notified’.”
Futher the learned judge known for his deep concern for marginalized sections of society noted, “However even after nearly 73 years since the tribes were denotified, the members of the tribes are still subject to oppression and cruelty. Members of the denotified tribes are still picked up by the investigating officers to cover up shoddy investigations.”   
It is generally not realised that as many as 120 million people in India belong to denotified and nomadic tribes (DNTs). They are among the worst victims of neglect and oppression. Various nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes may be pastoral groups, or they may have artisan based livelihood (like godalia lohars or blacksmiths of Rajasthan) or else they may derive livelihood based on medicinal herbs, acrobatics, folk arts, etc.
Some attention could be drawn in recent years to the numerous problems and sufferings of these neglected groups due to the efforts of dedicated social activists and the National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic Tribes.
This Commission observed,"The Commission was shocked to notice the living conditions of large section of these people during its field visits. It was appalled by the fact that some of these communities are far away from receiving the benefits  of freedom and social justice even though they are classified as ST, SC or OBC. The welfare measures implemented for these groups either have not reached them or are irrelevant in their context. Those among the concerned communities who got the benefits of welfare are basically the ones who are better off and organised and the vulnerable groups are completely left out of their reach." 
"The nomads nurture a feeling that independence of the country has no meaning for them, as their condition has become worse in the more recent past."
"Several groups among these communities across the states, in both urban and rural sectors, are seen dwelling in temporary shelters or tents on vacant lands. These people have no permanent addresses; hence they have got no land allocation for housing purpose. With no proof of residence or property ownership certificates, they are not in a position to avail ration cards and have not been included in the BPL list. With no certification of their residence, they also face a lot of trouble in getting the caste certificate, which results further in not being able to avail government welfare schemes."
"In the name of change of occupation, the people are encountering dehumanization and deterioration of character, sometimes being forced to move away from morality and ethics due to their vulnerability." 
"The people concerned have no stakes in the decision making processes of the state. They are not a part of the gram panchayats as they are severely discriminated against, and inhabit the outskirts of a village."
"Among the extremely patriarchal nomadic communities there is hardly any protection for women, and the progressive property laws and laws for the dignity of women have virtually no relevance to the women in these communities. Living utterly undignified lives in destitute conditions, they are subject to maltreatment and abuse by all- the family, the community and the society at large. Having no shelter or support, they fall victim to every kind of social harassment and torture."
This report says that long after the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871 attached the stigma of criminality to these communities, the people of the communities are still harassed and persecuted under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code.
In addition the nomadic communities also suffer. As this report says, "Generally, it is understood by the goverment as well as by the activists that atrocities are perpetrated on the tribes considered 'criminal'; however, the fact is, that the nomadic communities which are scattered and in today's circumstances dehumanized into begging or other illegal activities at the bottom most level are being victimized on a growing scale. As was often reported by the people, they are haressed more often under Acts like the Prevention of Beggary Act. If they are caught begging, they are allowed to carry out the same only after agreeing to pay regular cuts to the officials, the non-payment of which may result in persecution. The same is true about other communities in the context of the Wildlife Protection Act, the Act for Prevention of Cruelry to Animals, the Act for Prevention of Magic and Drugs. These are the laws that have destroyed traditional livelihood supports, with no thought given to destroyed traditional liverlihood supports, with no thought given to providing any alternative means of livelihood. " 
Based on these observations the commission made a number of recommendations aimed mainly at helping the DNTs to make better use of existing government programmes. Recommendations to provide essential facilities for the settlements of DNTs and some land to the landless were also made
The Commission stated, "One of the major problems being faced by the Denotified Tribes is a continuing stigma of criminality about them and which has made them vulnerable to frequent police action merely on the basis of suspicion arising out of the stigma of criminality. It is, therefore, necessary that the Denotified Tribes get rid of this stigma at the earliest and live a dignified life like the mainstream citizenary of the country."
Coming back to the speech of Justice Chandrachud, he emphasized the need for social mobilization of collective against discrimination. This should not be seen as identity politics but instead should be seen as necessary for redressing historical discrimination, he asserted.
---
The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include "Protecting Earth for Children", "Planet in Peril", "A Day in 2071" and "Man over Machine"

Comments

TRENDING

Defeat of martial law: Has the decisive moment for change come in South Korea?

By Steven Lee  Late at night on December 3, soldiers stormed into South Korea’s National Assembly in armored vehicles and combat helicopters. Assembly staff desperately blocked their assault with fire extinguishers and barricades. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol had just declared martial law to “ eliminate ‘anti-state’ forces .”

70,000 migrants, sold on Canadian dream, face uncertain future: Canada reinvents the xenophobic wheel

By Saurav Sarkar*  Bikram Singh is running out of time on his post-study work visa in Canada. Singh is one of about 70,000 migrants who were sold on the Canadian dream of eventually making the country their home but now face an uncertain future with their work permits set to expire by December 2024. They came from places like India, China, and the Philippines, and sold their land and belongings in their home countries, took out loans, or made other enormous commitments to get themselves to Canada.

EVMs: Govt must prove beyond reasonable doubt it's upholding mandate for free, fair polls

By Jerald D’souza  With the growth of India’s population, concerns about electoral fraud associated with ballot papers, also began to escalate. In 1989, the People’s Representation Act was amended to enable EVMs to prevent electoral fraud. In 1998, EVMs made their debut during legislative assembly elections and for the first time for general elections in 2004. However, criticisms against the EVMs and questions about their integrity have been raised by political parties, civil society and the general population. On 2 February 2024, there was a noteworthy demonstration of dissent where numerous individuals, including Ambedkarite advocates, legal professionals, and other members of civil society  convened at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar demanding the prohibition of EVMs. In 2024, the Supreme court had slapped down a petition to return to paper ballots on the basis that machines give “absolutely accurate results” unless human bias maligns them. The court stated that it was open to testi...

This Indian British Marxist blamed USSR's collapse in 1991 on Khrushchev's 'revisionism'

By Harsh Thakor*  Harpal Singh Brar, British Indian Marxist scholar and communist leader, has passed away in Chandigarh. He was 85. He was a lifelong supporter of socialism, Marxism, and the working class. He will be remembered among British Communists.

Chalapathi's death in encounter suggests Maoists' inability to establish broader mass support

By Harsh Thakor* The Maoist movement experienced a significant loss during the Ramagudem encounter on January 21, with the death of Chalapathi (Pratap), a Central Committee member of the CPI (Maoist). His death, along with 15 others, marks a major setback for the movement. Reports suggest that his location was revealed to security forces through a selfie with his wife.

A groundbreaking non-violent approach: Maharishi’s invincible defense technology

By MajGen (R) Kulwant Singh, Col (R) SP Bakshi, Col (R) Jitendra Jung Karki, LtCol (R) Gunter Chass├й & Dr David Leffler*  In today’s turbulent world, achieving lasting peace and ensuring national security are more urgent than ever. Traditional defense methods focus on advanced weapons, military strategies, and tactics, but a groundbreaking approach offers a new non-violent and holistic solution: Maharishi’s Invincible Defense Technology (IDT). 

Why do we mostly resist and refrain from communicating on sanitation topic?

By Nikhil Kumar, Mansee Bal Bhargava* According to UN SDG Progress report (2022), at the present moment no targets for SDG 6 are expected to be met by 2030. In 2022, 2.2 billion people had no access to safe drinking water and 3.5 million lacked safe sanitation. Approximately 50% of the world’s population was reported to have been under resourced in enough water for part of the year and a quarter of that population was living under “extremely high” water stress. Add to it, droughts have affected over 1.4 billion people between 2002 and 2021.

CCG raises concerns over Indian State of Forest Report 2023 in open letter to environment minister

By A Representative  The Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG), a collective of former civil servants, has expressed serious concerns over the Indian State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023 in an open letter to the Union Minister for Environment, Forests & Climate Change. The group has criticized the report's delayed release, flawed methodology, and misleading claims regarding the state of India's forests.

Operation Kagar represents Indian state's intensified attempt to extinguish Maoism: Resistance continues

By Harsh Thakor Operation Kagar represents the Indian state's intensified attempt to extinguish Maoism, which claims to embody the struggles and aspirations of Adivasis. Criminalized by the state, the Maoists have been portrayed as a threat, with Operation Kagar deploying strategies that jeopardize their activities. This operation weaves together economic, cultural, and political motives, allegedly with drone attacks on Adivasi homes.

рдЕрд▓्рдкрд╕ंрдЦ्рдпрдХ рдХाрд░्рдп рдоंрдд्рд░ाрд▓рдп рдХा рдмрдЬрдЯ рдиिрд░ाрд╢ाрдЬрдирдХ: 19.3% рдЕрд▓्рдкрд╕ंрдЦ्рдпрдХों рдХे рд▓िрдП рдоाрдд्рд░ 0.0661% рдаोрд╕ рдЖрд╡ंрдЯрди

- рдоुрдЬाрд╣िрдж рдиреЮीрд╕*   1-2-2025 рдХो рднाрд░рдд рд╕рд░рдХाрд░ рдж्рд╡ाрд░ा рд╕ंрд╕рдж рдоें рд╡рд░्рд╖ 2025-26 рдХा рдмрдЬрдЯ рд╡िрдд्рдд рдоंрдд्рд░ी рдиिрд░्рдорд▓ा рд╕ीрддाрд░рдордг рдЬी рдиे рдкेрд╢ рдХिрдпा| рдЗрд╕ рд╡рд░्рд╖ рдХा рдмрдЬрдЯ 5065345 рдХрд░ोреЬ рд╣ै рдЬो рдХि рдкिрдЫрд▓े рд╕ाрд▓ рдХे рд╕ंрд╢ोрдзिрдд рдЕрдиुрдоाрди рд╕े рд▓рдЧрднрдЧ 7.39% рдХी рдмреЭोрддрд░ी рд╣ुрдИ рд╣ै| рд╡рд╣ीं рдЕрд▓्рдкрд╕ंрдЦ्рдпрдХ рдХाрд░्рдп рдоंрдд्рд░ाрд▓рдп рдХा рдмрдЬрдЯ рдоाрдд्рд░ 3350.00 рдХрд░ोреЬ рд╣ै рдЬो рдХि рдХुрд▓ рдмрдЬрдЯ рдХा 0.0661% рд▓рдЧрднрдЧ рд╣ै|  рдкिрдЫрд▓े рд╕ाрд▓ 2024-25 рдоें 3183.24 рдХрд░ोреЬ рдеा|