Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups

Nine of Jharkhand's tribes are classed as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups. These are communities with very small or declining numbers, pre-agricultural technology and very low literacy, and they receive separately targeted programmes.

PVTGs in Jharkhand — 9 | Criteria — small or declining population, pre-agricultural technology, low literacy

What a PVTG is

• A category created for the most vulnerable communities within the Scheduled Tribes
• Earlier called Primitive Tribal Groups, renamed to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups
• Criteria — stagnant or declining population and pre-agricultural level of technology
• Further criteria — extremely low literacy and a subsistence economy
• The idea goes back to the Dhebar Commission and the fourth and fifth plan periods
• PVTGs receive separate central and state programmes and dedicated funds

The nine PVTGs of Jharkhand

Distinctive features

• Asur are traditionally associated with iron smeltingबार-बार पूछा जाता है
• Birhor are traditionally nomadic rope makers and forest collectors
• Sauria Paharia and Mal Paharia are the hill communities of Rajmahal
• Hill Kharia live on forest collection, distinct from the settled Kharia
• All nine depend heavily on forest produce and on shrinking common land
• Several of them are among the smallest communities in the entire state

Why they are vulnerable

• Loss of forest access removed the base of their traditional economy
• Displacement from mining and dams hit very small groups hardest
• Poor literacy makes it hard to claim entitlements and file records
• Health and nutrition indicators are the weakest among all tribal groups
• Small numbers mean little political weight in a competitive electoral system

What is done for them

• Central schemes for PVTG development, including housing, water and connectivity
• State programmes for PVTG household support and food security
• Forest rights recognition, including habitat rights under the Forest Rights Act
• Special education and residential school arrangements for their children
• Cooperatives and support for traditional crafts and forest produce collection

Terms tied to this category

• Dhebar Commission — the body whose work led to identifying the most vulnerable groups
• Habitat rights — recognition of a PVTG's traditional territory under the Forest Rights Act
• Subsistence economy — production for household use rather than for the market
• Pre-agricultural technology — livelihood based on collection and hunting rather than the plough
• In all, India has a large number of PVTGs and nine of them are in Jharkhand