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

• Source: ^[11]

Sl. No.	Name of PVTG	Notified State	Population (2011)
1	Chenchu	Andhra Pradesh and Telangana	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 Jharkhand	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
22	Kolgha	Gujarat	67119
23	Kathodi		13632
24	Kotwalia		24249
25	Padhar		30932
26	Siddi		8661
27	Jenu Kuruba	Karnataka	36076
28	Koraga		14794
29	Cholanaikayan	Kerala	124
30	Kadar		2949
31	Kattunayakan		18199
32	Koraga		1582
33	Kurumba		2586
34	Abujh Maria	Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh	5093124
35	Baiga		414526
36	Bharia		193230
37	Birhor		52
38	Hill Korwa		-
39	Kamar		666
40	Sahariya		165
41	Katkari/ Kathodi		285334
42	Kolam		194671
43	Maria Gond		1618090
44	Maram Naga	Manipur	27524
45	Chuktia Bhunjia	Odisha	2378
46	Birhor		596
47	Bondo		12231
48	Didayi		8890
49	Dongria Khond		6306
50	Juang		47095
51	Kharia		222844
52	Kutia Khond		7232
53	Lanjia Saura		5960
54	Lodha		9785
55	Mankirdia		2222
56	Paudi Bhuya		5788
57	Saura		534751
58	Saharia	Rajasthan	111377
59	Irular	Tamil Nadu	189661
60	Kattunayakan		46672
61	Kota		308
62	Korumba		6823
63	Paniyan		10134
64	Toda		2002
65	Raing	Tripura	188220
66	Buksa	Uttar Pradesh and Uttrakhand	4710
67	Raji		2241
68	Birhor	West Bengal	2241
69	Lodha		108707
70	Toto		66627
71	Great Andamanese	Andaman & Nico- bar Islands	44
72	Jarawa		380
73	Onge		101
74	Sentinelese		15
75	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. Archived from the original on 2021-05-06. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
11. "Welfare of particularly vulnerable Tribal groups". www.pib.gov.in. Archived from the original on 2024-12-09. Retrieved 2025-05-19.