Denotified Tribes to be Enumerated in Census 2027 | 24 Dec 2025

Source: ET 

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has recommended the inclusion of Denotified Tribes (DNTs) in the upcoming Census 2027, marking their 1st official enumeration in independent India and the first since the colonial-era 1911 census. 

• The last enumeration was in the 1911 Census under the colonial category of criminal tribes.  Since then, no official Census has recorded their population. 
• About Denotified Tribes: Denotified Tribes were communities branded as "criminal tribes" under the repressive Criminal Tribes Act, 1871, which was repealed in 1949. 
  • They were labelled as criminal tribes because they were believed to be “addicted to the systematic commission of non-bailable offences.” 
• Classification Issues: Many of these communities are not classified as Scheduled Tribes (STs), Scheduled Castes (SCs), or Other Backward Classes (OBCs), leaving them outside the ambit of reservation benefits and targeted welfare schemes.  
• Findings of Government Committees: The Renke Commission (2008) estimated the population of denotified tribes at around 10–12 crore. 
  • The Idate Commission (2014) identified over 1,200 communities as denotified, nomadic, and semi-nomadic tribes. 
    • Nomadic tribes maintain a mobile lifestyle, moving periodically  without permanent settlements to sustain livelihoods via pastoralism, trade, or services. e.g., Banjara, Rabari. 
    • Semi-nomadic tribes combine seasonal migration with partial settlement, often practicing transhumance (maintaining a base while migrating livestock    seasonally), e.g., Gaddi, Maldharis. 
• Other Related Committees to DNTs:  
  • Ayyangar Committee (1949): Criminal Tribes Act, 1871 was repealed based on the recommendation of this committee. 
  • Lokur Committee (1965): It recommended treating denotified and nomadic communities as a distinct group for tailored development schemes.