The Crossbill News Desk
With the Centre gearing up for a nationwide caste enumeration in 2027, denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes have renewed their push for formal recognition through a distinct category in the Census.
Leaders from these communities say the exercise, the first caste count since 1931, must include a separate column and code to ensure they are not subsumed under broader social classifications, according to a report by The Hindu.
The demand centres on securing constitutional recognition for denotified tribes through a dedicated Schedule, similar to those for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
Many of these communities trace their marginalisation to colonial-era policies, when a law enacted in 1871 branded several nomadic and semi-nomadic groups as “criminal tribes”. Although the law was repealed in 1952 and the communities were subsequently termed denotified tribes, activists argue that the stigma and exclusion have continued in different forms.
Following recommendations by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, the Office of the Registrar General of India has agreed to include denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes in the forthcoming caste enumeration, The Hindu reported.
However, community representatives stress that mere inclusion is not enough without a distinct identification mechanism.
“If we are not counted in a separate column, a separate code, in the Census forms, we will be lost once again,” 63-year-old Balak Ram Sansi, a Karnal-based organiser with the All India Denotified Nomadic Tribes Development Council, told the newspaper.
Alongside the call for a separate category, some leaders are also advocating recognition of “graded backwardness” within these communities, drawing on the Supreme Court’s recent judgment allowing sub-classification among Scheduled Castes
.
They argue that the varied levels of deprivation within denotified and nomadic groups must be reflected in policy design.
A national commission on denotified tribes had earlier identified around 1,200 such communities, most of which have, over the decades, been absorbed into the SC, ST or OBC lists. However, its 2017 report also flagged about 267 denotified communities that remain unclassified, underscoring the gaps activists hope the 2027 Census will finally address.
Leaders from these communities say the exercise, the first caste count since 1931, must include a separate column and code to ensure they are not subsumed under broader social classifications, according to a report by The Hindu.
The demand centres on securing constitutional recognition for denotified tribes through a dedicated Schedule, similar to those for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
Many of these communities trace their marginalisation to colonial-era policies, when a law enacted in 1871 branded several nomadic and semi-nomadic groups as “criminal tribes”. Although the law was repealed in 1952 and the communities were subsequently termed denotified tribes, activists argue that the stigma and exclusion have continued in different forms.
Following recommendations by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, the Office of the Registrar General of India has agreed to include denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes in the forthcoming caste enumeration, The Hindu reported.
However, community representatives stress that mere inclusion is not enough without a distinct identification mechanism.
“If we are not counted in a separate column, a separate code, in the Census forms, we will be lost once again,” 63-year-old Balak Ram Sansi, a Karnal-based organiser with the All India Denotified Nomadic Tribes Development Council, told the newspaper.
Alongside the call for a separate category, some leaders are also advocating recognition of “graded backwardness” within these communities, drawing on the Supreme Court’s recent judgment allowing sub-classification among Scheduled Castes
.
They argue that the varied levels of deprivation within denotified and nomadic groups must be reflected in policy design.
A national commission on denotified tribes had earlier identified around 1,200 such communities, most of which have, over the decades, been absorbed into the SC, ST or OBC lists. However, its 2017 report also flagged about 267 denotified communities that remain unclassified, underscoring the gaps activists hope the 2027 Census will finally address.
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