Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED) scheme

In News: The Parliamentary panel on Social Justice and Empowerment has pulled up the Union government over the “very slow” process to categorise over 260 denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes under either the SC/ST/OBC lists, which government officials have pointed to for the delay in the approval of benefits under the SEED (Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs) scheme.

• Department of Social Justice and Empowerment had submitted that the Anthropological Survey of India had submitted reports on categorisation of 48 DNT communities so far.

Aim – SEED scheme:

• providing free competitive exam coaching, health insurance, housing assistance, and livelihood initiatives.

About the scheme:

• The scheme was launched in 2022 by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

• An amount of ₹200 crore has been allocated for this scheme — to be spent over five years from FY2021-22 to FY2025-26.
• The scheme was launched along with a system for online applications and live status-tracking.

• More than 10 crore Indians from over 1,400 communities are either denotified, nomadic or semi-nomadic.

Anthropological Survey of India:

• Anthropological Survey of India is the only research organisation to pursue anthropological research in a Governmental setup.
• In 1945, Anthropology section of the Zoological Survey was carved out to become the Anthropological Survey of India (An.S.I)
• The head office is in Calcutta
• It comes under the Ministry of Culture.

Objectives of An.S.I:

• To study the tribes and other communities that form the population of India both from the biological and cultural point of view.
•  To study and preserve the human skeletal remains, both from ancient and contemporary period.
• To collect, preserve, maintain and document the bio-cultural heritage and the traditional art and craft of the people of India through Anthropological Museums.

Source: The Hindu