SEED Scheme: An Overview

Key Features

  • Launch Date: February 2022
  • Ministry: Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
  • Implementing Body: Development and Welfare Board for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities (DWBDNC)
  • Financial Outlay: ₹200 crore over five years (2021-22 to 2025-26)
  • Implementation: Through online portal for registration and monitoring

Components of SEED Scheme

  1. Free Coaching: For competitive exams and professional courses
  2. Health Insurance: Coverage under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY)
  3. Livelihood Support: Income generation assistance
  4. Housing Assistance: Through schemes like Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)

Understanding DNT, NT and SNT Communities

Historical Background

  • De-notified Tribes (DNTs): Communities that were once classified under the Criminal Tribes Acts, 1871 implemented during British rule
  • These Acts were abolished by the Government of India in 1952, leading to de-notification of these communities
  • Some de-notified communities were also nomadic in nature

Definitions

  • Nomadic Communities (NT): Communities that move from one place to another
  • Semi-Nomadic Communities (SNT): Communities with partial movement patterns
  • Unlike living in one fixed location, these communities have traditional migration patterns

Demographic Distribution

  • India has approximately 150 De-notified Tribes
  • Around 500 Nomadic communities exist in India
  • Together, they account for nearly 10% of India's population

Categorization

  • Most DNTs are spread across SC, ST and OBC categories
  • Some DNTs are not covered under any category (SC, ST, or OBC)

Challenges Faced by DNT Communities

  • Historical marginalisation and social stigma
  • Targeted welfare measures needed
  • Lack of proper documentation and recognition
  • Economic backwardness
  • Limited access to education and healthcare

Committees and Recommendations

Various committees have highlighted the need for targeted welfare measures:

  • Kaka Kalelkar Commission: Examined social and educational conditions
  • Mandal Commission: Addressed backward community welfare
  • National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities (NCRWC): Focused on minority welfare

Constitutional and Policy Context

  • Article 15(4): Special provisions for socially and educationally backward classes
  • Article 46: State to promote educational and economic interests of SCs, STs and other weaker sections
  • The welfare approach has evolved from colonial-era surveillance to empowerment-based policies

Significance for India

  • Addresses historical injustice to communities once stigmatized under colonial laws
  • Provides multi-dimensional empowerment through convergence of existing schemes
  • Targets the most marginalized sections of society
  • Focus on self-reliance through skill development and livelihood support