Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED)

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

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

Who are Denotified Nomadic Tribes (DNTs)

• The DNTs, NTs, SNTs are one of the most deprived and economically weaker communities in India. 
• The policies of the colonial government affected lives and livelihood adversely. 
• The misery of these communities began with the enactment of the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871 during British rule.
• They were branded as criminals under various colonial acts. 
• This has led to the forcible alienation from their traditional occupations and habitations. 
• They remained hunter-gatherers and pastoral/peripatetic.
• Even after the Independence, they have not benefitted much from the planned development of over seven decades. 
• They were deprived of state support like the SCs/STs.
• After decades of facing horrors of this racial Act, they were denotified by the Government of independent India on August 31, 1952.
• While most DNTs are spread across the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) categories, some DNTs are not covered in any of the SC, ST or OBC categories.

What is the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED)?

• To economically empower De-notified, Nomadic and Semi Nomadic Communities. 
• The scheme will be for a period of 5 years starting Financial Year 2021-22 to 2025-26.
• The scheme has been formulated for families having income from all sources of Rs.2.50 lakh or less per annum and not availing any such benefits from similar Scheme of Centre Government or the State Government.
• The Government also decided to create an umbrella scheme for empowerment of these communities and accordingly, the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs, SNTs &NTs (SEED) has been formulated with four components that affect their livelihood.

The four 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)

Components of the Scheme:

• To provide coaching of good quality for DNT/NT/SNT candidates to enable them to appear in competitive examinations.
• To provide health insurance to DNT/NT/SNT Communities.
• To facilitate livelihoods initiative at community level to build and strengthen small clusters of DNT/NT/SNT Communities institutions.
• To provide financial assistance for construction of houses to members of the DNT/NT/SNT Communities.
• The scheme will be implemented through a portal that has been developed by the Department of Social Justice & Empowerment. Portal comprises of two modules:
• One for registration of applicants with details of his family, income, Aadhaar & bank details, occupation, caste certificate, etc.Upon completing the registration, the applicant will be assigned a unique ID(UID) number.
• Second part consists of a scheme component for which the applicant wants to seek benefit with his UID.
• The other implementing agencies of the scheme are Ministry of Rural Development, National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) and National Health Authority (NHA).

Many commissions and committees constituted since Independence have referred to the problems of these communities.

• The Criminal Tribes Inquiry Committee, 1947 constituted in the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh).
• Ananthasayanam Ayyangar Committee in 1949 (it was based on the report of this committee the Criminal Tribes Act was repealed),
• Kaka Kalelkar Commission (also called first OBC Commission) constituted in 1953.
• The B P Mandal Commission constituted in 1980 also made some recommendations on the issue.
• The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (NCRWC), 2002 held that DNTs have been wrongly stigmatised as crime prone and subjected to high handed treatment as well as exploitation by the representatives of law and order and general society.
• The NCRWC was established under the chairmanship of Justice M N Venkatachaliah.
• The National Idate Commission was constituted in 2015 under the chairmanship of Shri Bhiku Ramji Idate.
• Based on the recommendation of this commission, the Government of India set up the Development and Welfare Board for DNTs, SNTs &NTs (DWBDNCs) in 2019.