UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — At Chintan Shivir, DNT enumeration in Census discussed

Q1. Which one of the following colonial-era laws was the first to formally brand certain Indian communities as 'criminal tribes', predisposed by birth to crime?

  • A. Criminal Tribes Act, 1871
  • B. Habitual Offenders Act, 1952
  • C. Indian Penal Code, 1860
  • D. Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898

Q2. In the expression 'Denotified Tribes', the term 'denotified' precisely refers to which one of the following?

  • A. Communities removed from the list of 'criminal tribes' following the repeal of the Criminal Tribes Act in 1952
  • B. Tribes that were formally notified as Scheduled Tribes under the Constitution
  • C. Nomadic groups that lack any permanent place of settlement
  • D. Communities de-listed from the central Other Backward Classes list

Q3. DNT communities are frequently described as 'statistically invisible' in India's decennial Census. This description is best explained by which one of the following?

  • A. They are subsumed within the SC/ST/OBC/General counts, with no distinct DNT category in the Census
  • B. They are legally exempted from being counted in the Census
  • C. They are covered only through a sample socio-economic survey, not the full Census
  • D. They have been enumerated under a separate Census schedule since 2011

Q4. With reference to the enumeration of Denotified Tribes (DNTs) and castes in the Census, consider the following statements: 1. No Census in independent India has ever enumerated DNTs as a separate, distinct category. 2. Census 2027 will, for the first time, undertake enumeration of castes. 3. DNTs have had a dedicated Census schedule on par with the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes lists since 1951. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. No Census in independent India has ever enumerated DNTs as a separate, distinct category.
  2. Census 2027 will, for the first time, undertake enumeration of castes.
  3. DNTs have had a dedicated Census schedule on par with the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes lists since 1951.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q5. The National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (Idate Commission) identified how many communities as DNTs in its report submitted in 2018?

  • A. 1,235
  • B. 1,262
  • C. 1,526
  • D. 698

Q6. With reference to the two major commissions on Denotified and Nomadic Tribes, consider the following statements: 1. The Renke Commission, which submitted its report in 2008, was chaired by Balkrishna Sidram Renke. 2. The Idate Commission, which submitted its report in 2018, was constituted under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. 3. The Renke Commission estimated the DNT population at roughly 10 to 12 crore. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Renke Commission, which submitted its report in 2008, was chaired by Balkrishna Sidram Renke.
  2. The Idate Commission, which submitted its report in 2018, was constituted under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
  3. The Renke Commission estimated the DNT population at roughly 10 to 12 crore.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q7. The 'Chintan Shivir' organised by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in April 2026 is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. A review-and-deliberation conclave of Centre and State/UT officials on last-mile delivery of social justice schemes
  • B. A statutory tribunal adjudicating disputes over the classification of DNT communities
  • C. A fund-allocation summit that distributes SEED grants directly to States
  • D. A parliamentary standing committee constituted to review tribal welfare