New Delhi, Dec 9 (IANS) Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Virendra Kumar, informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that nearly 15 crore people in India belong to de-notified, nomadic, and semi-nomadic communities.

These groups, which include loh-gadia (ironsmith), snake charmers, and banjaras, often lead itinerant lives without permanent employment.

The minister emphasised that the government has set up a dedicated board to facilitate their integration into mainstream development.

The minister during Question Hour was responding to a question raised by Advocate Chandrashekhar Azad of the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram), representing Nagina in Uttar Pradesh, who pointed out that states such as Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh have a higher concentration of these communities, and that many of them have been classified under Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, yet they continue to face challenges in accessing welfare benefits.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also intervened during the discussion, suggesting that Members of Parliament should organise camps in collaboration with local communities to directly engage with nomadic tribes, particularly for education, and ensure that government schemes reach them effectively. He said he was making efforts in his constituency.

Highlighting the government’s initiatives, the minister said that the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED), launched under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, is the primary programme aimed at their upliftment.

The scheme focuses on education through free coaching, health insurance via Ayushman cards, livelihood support through self-help groups, and housing benefits linked with the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

The Development and Welfare Board for DNTs (DWBDNC), constituted on February 21, 2019, oversees these efforts.

He added that students from these communities are also being linked with the National Overseas Scholarship scheme to expand opportunities.

The minister noted that only Madhya Pradesh has already provided residential benefits to 3,047 families of such communities; other state governments are being urged to extend similar support. However, challenges remain, particularly in the issuance of caste and birth certificates.

Kumar admitted that the absence of certification prevents many from availing benefits. Currently, only seven states — Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Rajasthan — issue caste certificates to DNT communities, while states like Andhra Pradesh have yet to do so.

Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure of Shiv Sena(UBT), representing Shirdi in Maharashtra, raised concerns about this gap, stressing that without proper documentation, government certificates, these marginalised groups remain excluded.

The minister assured the House that the Centre has requested all states to begin issuing certificates to ensure that nomadic and de-notified tribes are not left behind in the country’s development journey.

While responding to a question of Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, DMK Thoothukuddi (Tamil Nadu), the minister said, a committee has been constituted to extend benefits to the identified 1,262 communities and also 268 non-classified as Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe. The government is making every effort to extend the benefits of the government.

–IANS

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