Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs

In News 

• The Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment launched the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED) for the welfare of Denotified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic Communities. 

The major component of the SEED scheme are:

• Educational empowerment– Free coaching to students from these communities for Civil Services, entry to professional courses like medicine, engineering, MBA, etc.
• Health Insurance through PMJAY of National Health Authority.
• Livelihoods to support income generation, and
• Housing (through PMAY/IAY)

About De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes

• The term ‘De-notified Tribes’ stands for all those communities which were once notified under the Criminal Tribes Acts, enforced by the British Raj between l87l and I947. 
  • These Acts were repealed by the Independent Indian Government in l952.
• The Denotified and Nomadic communities have diverse ideological patterns, culture, political and social lifestyle, customs and traditions. 
• The social and cultural characteristics of nomadic communities are closely related to their economic activities. 
• They are engaged in various occupations such as transport, key-making, salt trading, entertaining — acrobats, dancers, snake charmers, jugglers — and pastoralists. 

Issues 

• They are the most neglected, marginalized and economically and socially deprived communities. 
• Most of them have been living a life of destitution for generations and continue to do so with an uncertain and gloomy future. 
•  These communities never had access to private land or homeownership. 

Government’s Initiatives 

• The Government of India constituted the first commission initially in October 2003 for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic tribes. 
  • Since this commission could not function properly due to some constraints, in March 2005, the Renke Commission was constituted to complete its mandate. 
• The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment decided in February 2014 to constitute a National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic Tribes for three years.
•  This commission gave its report in December 2017. 
  • Based on the National Commission’s recommendations, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has constituted the Development and Welfare Board for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities (DWBDNCs) in 2019. 

Source:PIB