Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, through Development and Welfare Board for De‑notified, Nomadic and Semi‑Nomadic Communities (DWBDNC), has reported a landmark performance under the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED) during 2025–26. DWBDNC adopts a holistic approach to uplift DNT, NT, and SNT communities through education, livelihood development, housing, and health coverage.
About Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED)
It is an umbrella welfare programme for upliftment of De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNT/NT/SNT), historically marginalised groups
| Objectives | To provide coaching of good quality for DNT candidates to enable them to appear in competitive examinations. To provide health insurance to DNT Communities. To facilitate livelihoods initiative at community level to build and strengthen small clusters of DNT/NT/SNT Communities institutions. To provide financial assistance for construction of houses to members of the DNT Communities |
| Launch Year | 2023 |
| Nodal Ministry | Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment |
Financial Outlay | ~₹200 crore over 5 years (2021–22 to 2025–26) |
| Components: | |
| Educational Empowerment (Free Coaching) | Coaching for Civil Services, NEET, JEE, Banking, SSC; fee support up to ₹1,20,000 Stipend ₹1,500 (local) and ₹3,000 (outstation) per month |
| Health Insurance | Coverage of ₹5 lakh per family per year Implemented via Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY with National Health Authority |
| Livelihood Initiatives | Strengthens community-level clusters and Self Help Groups (SHGs) to enhance productivity and income generation. Implemented through the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM). |
| Housing Assistance | Provides financial aid for constructing houses to those not covered under regular PMAY/IAY schemes. Assistance is ₹1.20 lakh in plains and ₹1.30 lakh in hilly areas per unit. |
| Eligibility Criteria: | |
| Target Group | Members of De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes |
| Income Criteria | Annual income up to ₹2.5 lakh (some educational components up to ₹8 lakh) |
| Eligibility Condition | Applicants should not be availing similar benefits from other Central/State schemes |
Implementation: | |
| Implementation Agency | Development and Welfare Board for DNTs (DWBDNC) |
| Application Process | Registration via SEED Portal using Aadhaar and family details; Unique ID (UID) generated for accessing benefits |
SEED Scheme Performance (FY 2025–26)
| Livelihood Component | ₹16.00 crore disbursed; growth of over 220% YoY; 64,701 individuals empowered; 5,623 SHGs formed across 8 states |
| Educational Empowerment Component | ₹26.75 crore disbursed; growth of 402.8% over previous year 4,485 beneficiaries covered; outreach increased by 714% |
| Health Component | 73,569 Ayushman Bharat cards issued; growth of over 419% compared to previous year; significantly improved healthcare access for underserved communities |