Category Archives: Particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG)

“Are there any privileges or special rights for Scheduled Tribes? ‘Scheduled Tribes being backward and isolated from the rest of the population are not able to exercise their rights. In order to empower them to be able to exercise their rights special provisions have been made in the Constitution […] so that Scheduled Tribes can avail the opportunities and exercise their rights and safeguards.'” – National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (Frequently Asked Questions)
www.ncst.gov.in
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?page_id=22496

“While the Constitution is silent about the criteria for specification of a community as a Scheduled Tribe. The words and the phrase ‘tribes or tribal communities or part of or groups within tribes or tribal communities” in Article 342 have to be understood in terms of their historical background of backwardness. Primitiveness, geographical isolation, shyness and social, educational & economic backwardness due to these reasons are the traits that distinguish Scheduled Tribe communities of our country from other communities. It takes into account the definitions of tribal Communities adopted in the 1931 Census. These facts are the basis for the provision in Article 342(1) which mandates to specify the tribes or tribal communities or part of or groups within tribes or tribal communities as Scheduled Tribe in relation to that State or Union Territory as the case may be. Thus the list of Scheduled Tribes is State/UT specific and a community declared as a Scheduled Tribe in a State need not be so in another State..” – National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (Frequently Asked Questions)
https://www.ncst.gov.in/content/frequently-asked-questions
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=21438

“Updates crucial: The book points out that the PVTG list requires revising and refinement to avoid overlapping and repetition. For instance, the list contains synonyms of the same group such as the Mankidia and the Birhor in Odisha, both of which refer to the same group. Some of the PVTGs are distributed in more than one State. The Birhor are recognised as a PVTG in four States, while 10 other group are PVTG in two States, namely the Sahariya, Kurumba, Koraga, Korwa, JenuKuruba, Kattunayakan, Katkari/Kathodi, Kharia, Kolam, and Lodha. Thus, the number of the PVTGs at the national level would be 63, the book states.” – “The Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups of India — Privileges and Predicaments” (published by the Anthropological Survey of India AnSI)), reviewed by Shiv Sahay Singh in “Vulnerable tribes: lost in a classification trap” (The Hindu, 8 April 2017)
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/vulnerable-tribes-lost-in-a-classification-trap/article17894997.ece
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?page_id=22029

“The Dhebar commission (1960) and the Shilu Ao (1969) team recommended the Government of India that primitive tribal communities should be taken as a special category for which special programmes would have to be initiated as quickly as possible for their all-round development. [S]eventy five tribal groups have been categorised as ‘Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups’ (PVTG) in India. The main criteria adopted for identification of such tribe are: (i) Pre- agricultural level of technology, (ii) Very low level of literacy, and (iii) Stagnant or declining population. As these tribes are in a very poor state of economy, a separate special Central assistance is provided to the state for their development. Total primitive tribal population in India is 27, 68322 and in Kerala is 20,186 (2001 Census).” – Sujeesh in PhD thesis “Role of gender and social capital in sustainable livelihood promotion of Kadar tribe in Kerala” (M.K. The Gandhigram Rural Institute, 2014, Introduction, p. 4)
http://hdl.handle.net/10603/186310
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=30463