🗂️ Topic: Culture / Social Justice / Governance

AnSI-Tribal Institutes Classify 268 Denotified and Nomadic Tribes After 3-Year Study

Introduction

The Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) in collaboration with various Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs) has completed a major classification study of Denotified, Semi-Nomadic, and Nomadic Tribes across India. The initiative, spanning three years, has led to the proposed inclusion of 179 tribes into the SC, ST, and OBC lists, with 85 communities being classified for the first time in history.

🗺️ Historical Context of Tribal Classification

• Criminal Tribes Act, 1924: Notified certain communities as “criminal by birth”
• Repealed in 1949, these groups became “denotified”, but without structured rehabilitation
• Major classification efforts:
  • First Backward Classes Commission (1955)
  • Lokur Committee (1965)
  • Mandal Commission (1980)
  • Renke Commission (2008)
  • Idate Commission (2017) — identified 1,262 such communities

Yet, 267 tribes remained unclassified, leaving them excluded from state benefits.

🧪 Recent Developments and Study Framework

• In February 2019, the Prime Minister’s Office formed a Special Committee to accelerate classification
• Oversight included:
  • Experts in anthropology and social justice
  • AnSI and TRIs conducting field research
• Final report submitted in August 2023
• 268 tribes documented
  • 179 recommended for inclusion in SC/ST/OBC lists
  • 85 newly classified for the very first time

📌 Why Accurate Classification Matters

• Lack of classification = denial of constitutional protections
• Parliamentary Standing Committee stresses urgency
• Misclassification (e.g., tribes listed as castes) has caused systemic exclusion
• Proper listing will allow access to:
  • Educational quotas
  • Job reservations
  • Welfare schemes

🗳️ Political and Social Implications

• Strong activism in UP, Haryana, MP, Gujarat
• Ongoing debates:
  • Should these tribes be added to existing SC/ST/OBC categories?
  • Or should a separate classification be introduced for Denotified Tribes (DNTs)?
• Issue is now central to reservation policy reform and community mobilisation

🔍 Next Steps

• Recommendations are under final scrutiny by the Special Committee
• Awaiting central government’s classification decision
• State governments expected to adapt their welfare planning and categorisation accordingly
• This move will likely reshape access to affirmative action for several lakh individuals