Denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes (DNTs) are demanding a separate column in the caste enumeration planned for February 2027, the first since 1931, and constitutional recognition in a Schedule like SCs, STs and OBCs. The Social Justice Ministry has recommended their inclusion to the Registrar General of India. These groups were branded 'criminal' under the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871, amended in 1924 and repealed on 31 August 1952. The Idate Commission identified about 1,200 such tribes and, in its 2017 report, listed around 267 communities still unclassified. The SEED scheme supports their welfare.