GS Paper II

News Excerpt:

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), during an Open House Discussion on “Protection NTs, SNTs, and DNTs in India and forward trajectory”, stressed the need to implement the Idate Commission report.

Idate Commission’s recommendations:

• Permanent Commission: It recommended setting up a permanent commission for Nomadic, Semi Nomadic, and De-Notified Tribes (NTs, SNTs, and DNTs) in India.
• Separate Department/Directorate: It recommended that a separate Department/Directorate for DNT/NT communities may be set up in each State where they have a sizeable population.
• Removal of Anomalies: DNT/NT communities should be notified at least as OBCs subject to the report of ethnographic studies on them and after following the due procedure, as some of the DNT/NT communities have been left out of all 3 categories - OBCs, SCs and STs.
• Census: The results of the caste-based census 2011 be released selectively, at least with respect to the DNT/NT communities, alternatively, these data should be made available to the Central/State Governments, which would be useful in formulating policies for these communities.
• Due representation:  
• At least one member of the DNT/NT communities should be nominated by the President to the Rajya Sabha. 
• Similarly, at least one member of these communities should be nominated by the Governor to the Legislative Assemblies/Councils of the States where they have a significant presence. 
• At least one member of these communities should be nominated by the District Collector to the District Panchayats and the lntermediate Panchayats where they have a significant presence.
• De-stigmatisation: The commission also maintained that the government must act to repeal the Habitual Offenders Act, 1952 and if not, the appointment of a representative of the De-notified Tribe community with the nodal officers as stipulated in the Act.
• Mainstream Policy Measures: It also suggested formulating specific policies for the DNT/NT.

Other Commissions and their recommendations:

• The Kalelkar Commission (1953-55) suggested that these erstwhile tribes should not be called as 'Criminals' or 'Ex-Criminals' tribes but as Denotified communities (Vimochit Jatijan). It recommended measures that included providing basic education to their children, training them in crafts and arts, cottage industries, etc.
• Lokur Committee (1965) recommended that a separate state-wise list be made for these communities and suggested separate developmental programs for them as most of the schemes designed for SC and ST did not benefit them.

Issues regarding Nomadic tribes:

• The colonial mindset about the DNTs having “criminal tendencies” has made them vulnerable, as a result, their human rights are frequently violated.
• They lack citizenship documents, which makes their identity invisible and causes hindrances in obtaining government benefits and constitutional and citizenship rights.
• NTs, SNTs, and DNTs  lack proper means of livelihood.

Way Forward:

• Proper documentation of their identities needs to be speeded up so that they get the benefits of welfare schemes and the basic needs are provided to them. Hence, the different stakeholders need concerted efforts and discussions to streamline the issues impacting their human rights.
• The government must ensure the representation of De-Notified tribes in Parliament, Government institutions and higher education, especially for women and children.
• There is a need to identify challenges faced by the NTs, SNTs, and DNTs owing to the stigma imposed by the enactment of the Criminal Tribes Act, 1872 and later by the Habitual Offenders Act, 1952 and figure out a way to modify discriminatory provisions of the latter.
• Also, the Idate Commission’s recommendations must be implemented as soon as possible for the holistic development of the NTs, SNTs, and DNTs. 

For more information on NTs, SNTs, DNTs click here