Since the inception of the Criminal Tribes Act in 1871, De-notified and Nomadic Tribes (DNTs) are treated like criminals. The research paper summerises major studies carried out by ‘Renke commission’ constituted by center to specify the economic interventions required for raising the living standards of DNTs; ‘NIRMAN’ an organisation started by youth to empower DNTs and bring about social transformation and participatory democracy through education and democratic mobilization; and ‘NAC Working Group’ formed by the government to give recommendations to lift DNTs out of their nearly sub-human existence; and explain the issues or problems of Denotified and Nomedic Tribes. Based on the study of these reports, it identifies the major issues of DNTs and suggests specific measures like, change in old definitions of ‘residence’ and ‘address’, carrying caste based census, providing free housing to dislocated DNTs, implementing urban poverty alleviation for DNTs, extending the provisions of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 to DNTs, abolishing the Habitual Offenders’ Act, 1959 and re-examining other related old laws, exempting DNTs for taking part in street entertainment, providing special package for DNTs to enable improved livelihoods, and relaxing the rule that requires DNTs a permanent address etc, to integrate DNTs into the mainstream.
