New Delhi, June 11
At a time when the Gujjars of Rajasthan are redefining the culture of political protest to demand a special status, it turns out that over 10 per cent of India’s population is living in absolute obscurity.

Even after more 60 years after Independence, close to 11 crore Indians don’t have the right to citizenship, livelihood and voting, and are ‘invisible’ to the Indian constitution and law. Legislations passed over the years have in fact eroded their traditional livelihood bases, pushing them to the margins.

The startling finding comes from the National Commission on De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-nomadic Tribes, set up two years ago to study the status of de-notified and nomadic tribes in India and recommend welfare measures.

In its final report, to be submitted to the government before June 30, the commission is recommending constitutional safeguards for this section, arguing that it is the most backward and the most in need of reservation.

“The Gujjars are much better of and should act as big brothers to their invisible colleagues,” feels the commission which, after touring every nook and corner of India, has placed the population of invisible nomadic and de-notified tribes at a whopping 11.71 crore. These people form 500 communities spread over SC/ST/OBC and general categories.

Their actual number would be higher, as this figure does not include persons belonging to 123 communities of nomadic tribes and as many communities of de-notified tribes mentioned in the government list but not reflected in the 1931 census.

“We used the 1931 census with caste-wise data on tribes and the 2001 census with SC/ST break-up on tribes to extrapolate figures before arriving at the final number. There are communities that figure in the government list but are not reflected in the census. We could not therefore count them,” Balakrishna Renke, commission chairperson, today told The Tribune, saying it would be a huge challenge for the government to provide constitutional protection to these people, who still endure the stigma of criminality and nomadism.

The commission’s research has further thrown up 200 new communities, which have never been listed in either the SC/ST or OBC category despite being virtually landless. These communities are being treated as general though they live under the sky and have nothing to their name.

More than 90 per cent of the population of tribes listed by the commission is such as can’t prove their Indian identity. They have no home, no ration card, no mention in BPL list, no caste certificates. Naturally, they are invisible, with none of the government’s flagship programmes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan reaching them.

The commission favours a massive campaign to house these people and secure their right to adult franchise. Its most critical recommendation will be the inclusion of matters related to de-notified and nomadic tribes in the central list as against the state list presently. The commission is seeking changes in the forest and wildlife protection laws to protect traditional livelihoods of tribes till they are absorbed in alternative professions.

For this, a special development plan would be needed and a special authority to implement that plan, feels the commission.