8. Definition of NT & DNT and identification/ Listing of
communities:
8.1 There is no clear definition of Nomadic Tribes or Semi-Nomadic
Tribes for official purposes by the Government of lndia, as it is for the 'tribe'.
Also a reliable list of De-notified and Nomadic Tribes has been lacking. The present
Commission has prepared a list of these communities drawing from the l93l Census
of lndia, State List of these communities wherever available, earlier reports, e.g.,
Renke Commission's report, and inferences drawn from the interactions with the State
Government officials and other stakeholders during the field visits and after detailed
consultation with Anthropologists, Social scientists, Community representatives,
etc. This list, however, could not be field validated since the proposed field survey
could not be conducted.
8.2 During the process of preparing the list, the Commission
encountered difficulties in identifying and classifying communities as NT/DNT since
some State Governments did not accept their status as NT/DNT even though these
communities were living in these States for years. lt is therefore important that
any Nomadic Tribe or Semi-Nomadic Tribe recognized in any state of lndia, or a Union
Territory should be recognized uniformly as De-notified Tribe/Nomadic Tribe throughout
the Union of lndia, for official purposes by the Government of lndia. There should
not be any discrimination in this respect. (This report has all through argued
that these communities are the poorest, most excluded and' marginalized, and most
stigmatized. Therefore, these communities need our attention, first and foremost.)
8.3 As and when any future Census or enumeration brings to notice
any other community or communities having nomadic or semi-nomadic way of life, or
were listed as Criminal Tribe in the past, they should be instantly considered for
inclusion in the list after a proper scrutiny.
8.4 As they become aware of the Commission, many communities
from different parts of the country kept approaching the Commission even towards
the end of its tenure and gave memoranda/ representations regarding their
inclusion. The Commission submits that besides the communities which have been listed
in this report, there may be many left out communities. lt is, therefore, recommended
that States should constitute a small committee, consisting of both Government
officers and experts in the field of Anthropology and Sociology, to identify the
remaining communities. Assistance from the Anthropological Survey of lndia and
the Office of the Registrar General of lndia can be sought for this work.
8.5 There is a consistent demand from many communities that they
are known by different names in different regions and states and there should be
some uniformity in the nomenclature of their communities for their easy identification
state wise and nationwide (For example, Sansis are known as Chharas, Dabgars, Salats,
Adodiyas in Gujarat and Kanjar and Kanjarbhat in Maharashtra). To address this issue
as well as to help better administer Government policies for these communities,
the Government of lndia may consider adopting a single standard nomenclature for
those communities which have different names (synonyms) in various regions after
due consultation with the relevant stakeholders and experts.
8.6 The field visits and interaction with these communities revealed
that though majority of population of these communities now possess Aadhar and
Voter's lD card, many still do not have any form of identification and they face
problems in proving their identities. The remaining DNT/NT population may be
given Aadhar and other identity documents on priority.
8.7 Special steps need to be taken to issuing certificates
such as caste certificate, domicile certificate, BPL cards and other documents,
by relaxing the rules wherever required after due enquiry by a revenue or panchayat
authority.
8.8 A single caste certificate, i.e., SC- DNT ST-DNT, OBC -DNT
to be issued instead of giving two separate certificates, e .g., one for
SC/ST/OBC and another for DNT/NT.
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