Particularly vulnerable tribal group

A particularly vulnerable tribal group or PVTG (previously known as a primitive tribal group), in the context of India, is a sub-classification of Scheduled Tribe or section of a Scheduled Tribe, that is considered more vulnerable than a regular Scheduled Tribe. The PVTG list was created by the Indian Government with the purpose of better improving the living standards of endangered tribal groups based on priority. PVTGs reside in 18 states and one union territory.[1][2]

Classification of tribes in India
A protest walk by Baigas, the particularly vulnerable tribe of Chhattisgarh.

Origin of the concept

The Dhebar Commission (1960-1961)[3] found that within the Scheduled Tribe classification an inequality existed in the rate of development of certain tribes over others. As a result in the fourth Five Year Plan the sub-category "Primitive tribal group" was created within the grouping of Scheduled Tribe to identify groups considered to be especially lacking in modern development. The features of such a group include a pre-agricultural system of existence, that is practice of hunting and gathering, zero or negative population growth, and extremely low levels of literacy in comparison with other tribal groups.[4][5]

Groups that satisfied any of the criteria were considered to be a Primitive Tribal Group. At the conclusion of the Fifth Five year plan, 52 communities were identified as being a "primitive tribal group" based on recommendations made by Indian state governments.[4][5] At the conclusion of the Sixth Five year plan 20 additional groups were added and 2 more were added in the Seventh Five year plan and finally one more group was added in the eighth five-year plan, for a total 75 groups were identified as Primitive Tribal Group.[6] The 75th group recognised as PTG were the Maram in Manipur in 1993-94. No new group was declared as PTG on the basis of the 2001 census.[7]

In 2006 the government of India changed the name of "Primitive tribal group" to "Particularly vulnerable tribal group"[8] PTG has since been renamed Particularly vulnerable tribal group by the government of India.[9]

Chenchu people, the PVTG of Andhra Pradesh hunting.

Other issues

Until 2018 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups were not allowed contraceptive use by the Indian Government because of their often declining or stagnant population growth. Based on the assumption that allowing them to use contraception would hamper efforts to increase the size of their populations. However in 2018 the High Court of Chhattisgarh in a Public Interest Litigation found this to be a violation of their right to privacy and ruled that they had the right to contraceptives. The PVTG of Chhattisgarh got these rights amidst concerns of family planning amongst many of them particularly the Baigas.[10]

List

Sl. No. Name of PVTG Notified State Population (2011)
1 Chenchu Andhra Pradesh 64227
2 Bodo Gadaba 38081
3 Gutob Gadaba
4 Dongria Khond 103290
5 Kultia Khond
6 Kolam 44912
7 Konda Reddi 107747
8 Kondasavara 139424
9 Bondo Porja -
10 Khond Porja -
11 Parengi Proja 36502
12 Thoti 4811
13 Asur Bihar 4129
14 Birhor 377
15 Birjia 208
16 Hill Kharia 11569
17 Korwa 452
18 Mal Paharia 2225
19 Parhaiya 647
20 Sauria Paharia 1932
21 Savar 80
29 Kolgha Gujarat 67119
30 Kathodi 13632
31 Kotwalia 24249
32 Padhar 30932
33 Siddi 8661
34 Asur Jharkhand 22459
35 Birhor 10726
36 Birjia 6276
37 Hill Kharia 196135
38 Korwa 35606
39 Mal Paharia 135797
40 Parhaiya 25585
41 Sauria Paharia 46222
42 Savar 9688
43 Jenu Kuruba Karnataka 36076
44 Koraga 14794
45 Cholanai- kayan Kerala 124
46 Kadar 2949
47 Kattunayakan 18199
48 Koraga 1582
49 Kurumba 2586
50 Abujh Maria Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh 5093124
51 Baiga 414526
52 Bharia 193230
53 Birhor 52
54 Hill Korwa -
55 Kamar 666
56 Sahariya 165
57 Katkari/ Kathodi 285334
58 Kolam 194671
59 Maria Gond 1618090
60 Maram Naga Manipur 27524
61 Chuktia Bhunjia Orisha 2378
62 Birhor 596
63 Bondo 12231
64 Didayi 8890
65 Dongria Khond 6306
66 Juang 47095
67 Kharia 222844
68 Kutia Khond 7232
69 Lanjia Saura 5960
70 Lodha 9785
71 Mankirdia 2222
72 Paudi Bhuyan 5788
73 Saura 534751
74 Saharia Rajasthan 1,11,377
75 Irular Tamil Nadu 189661
76 Kattunayakan 46672
77 Kota 308
78 Korumba 6823
79 Paniyan 10134
80 Toda 2002
81 Riang Tripura 1,88,220
82 Buksa Uttar Pradesh 4710
83 Raji 2241
84 Buksa Uttrakhand 4710
85 Raji 1295
86 Birhor West Bengal 2241
87 Lodha 1,08,707
88 Toto 66627
89 Great Andamanese Andaman & Nico- bar Islands 44
90 Jarawa 380
91 Onge 101
92 Sentinelese 15
93 Shompen 229

References

  1. ^ B. M. L. Patel (1 January 1998). Agrarian Transformation In Tribal India. M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd. pp. 313–. ISBN 978-81-7533-086-3. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  2. ^ "Revised scheme of "Development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups" - PVTGs" (PDF). tribal.nic.in. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 27 Jun 2022.
  3. ^ Ram Nath Sharma; Dr. Rajendra K. Sharma (2004). Problems Of Education In India. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. pp. 46–. ISBN 978-81-7156-612-9. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  4. ^ a b Jasodhara Bagchi; Sarmistha Dutta Gupta (2005). The Changing Status of Women in West Bengal, 1970-2000: The Challenge Ahead. SAGE Publications. p. 130. ISBN 978-0-7619-3242-0. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  5. ^ a b Sarit Kumar Chaudhuri; Sucheta Sen Chaudhuri (2005). Primitive Tribes in Contemporary India: Concept, Ethnography and Demography. Mittal Publications. p. 2. ISBN 978-81-8324-026-0. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  6. ^ Bhagyalaxmi Mahapatra (2011). Development of a Primitive Tribe: A Study of Didayis. Concept Publishing Company. pp. 47–49. ISBN 978-81-8069-782-1. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  7. ^ Komol Singha (2011). Economy of a Tribal Village. Concept Publishing Company. p. 21. ISBN 978-81-8069-745-6. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  8. ^ Laxmikanth. Governance In India. McGraw-Hill Education (India) Pvt Limited. pp. 14–. ISBN 978-0-07-107466-7. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  9. ^ "Misconstruing order, Chhattisgarh tribals denied sterilisation for three decades". 2012-10-31. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  10. ^ Bhuyan, Anoo. "Tribal Women in Chhattisgarh Win Right to Access Contraception". The wire. Retrieved 2020-09-01.