New Delhi, Jul 12 (PTI)The Delhi High Court Tuesday said steps have been taken by the government for the uplift of certain de-notified nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes and to bring them into the mainstream of the country.

The high court noted that schemes for the welfare of De-Notified Tribes and semi-nomadic tribes both at the Centre and State levels were being implemented and a budget of Rs 200 crore for the next 5 years starting from Financial Year 2021-22 has been approved by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment.

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Taking note of the affidavit filed by the Centre on the issue, a bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad disposed of a petition seeking the formulation of schemes for the upliftment of de-notified nomadic tribes like the 'Banjare, Gadia Luhar, Bawaria, Nat, Kalbelia, Bopa, Sikligar, Singiwal, Kuchbanda, and Kalander.

“A perusal of the counter affidavit and the Status Report filed by the respondents (Centre) shows that the prayers of the petitioner herein in the instant writ petition have been answered inasmuch as steps have been taken by the government to bring these De-Notified Tribes into the mainstream of the country. No further orders/directions are necessary in this case. Accordingly, the writ petition is disposed of,” the bench said in its judgement.

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The verdict came on the public interest litigation (PIL) on which the high court in February 2020, had issued notices and sought responses from the ministries of social justice and tribal affairs.

Petitioner Salek Chand Jain has contended that despite the formation of several commissions by the central government for the upliftment of these tribes, nothing has been done till now.

Jain, who claimed to be a social worker, has also contended that such tribes were branded as criminals by the British, during their rule in India, as they had participated in the 1857 revolt.

The petition claimed that the British enacted the Criminal Tribes Act to marginalise such communities and to prevent them from settling in one place.

The Centre, in its affidavit through standing counsel Anurag Ahluwalia, informed the court that the Government, both at Union and State level, is implementing schemes for the welfare of De-Notified Tribes and a welfare scheme -- Scheme for Economic Empowerment of De-Notified Tribes (SEED) with a budget of Rs 200 crore for next 5 years starting from Financial Year 2021-22 has been approved by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment.

The court noted in its verdict that the government affidavit said the components of the scheme are Good quality coaching for De-Notified Tribes candidates to enable them to appear in competitive examinations, health insurance, facilitate livelihood initiatives at the community level, and financial assistance for construction of houses for members of these communities.

The government has told the court that several schemes have been brought out by it to ensure that proper education is given to the children belonging to these tribes under the Samagra Shiksha, a scheme that has been launched for providing education to underprivileged children, including those from the tribes which are the subject matter of this petition.

It was stated that a committee under the Chairmanship of the Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog is constituted to complete the task of identifying De-notified, Nomadic, and Semi-Nomadic communities which have yet not been formally classified.

It said that the Anthropological Survey of India, under the guidance of NITI Aayog, is already conducting an ethnographic study of said communities which have been identified in the Idate Commission report.

The petition had sought directions to the government to make and implement a scheme for ensuring that such de-notified nomadic tribes get to enjoy the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution, receive basic education, and are provided housing facilities and basic amenities.

The petition has also urged the court to direct the government to bring schemes for rehabilitation, providing medical facilities, and ensuring the economic development of such tribes. PTI SKV

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)