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. 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. 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.