The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) has asked the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RGI) to include Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in the upcoming Census.

• 2011 Census: About 40 PVTGs are currently counted under the broader Scheduled Tribes (STs), while the remaining sub-groups within ST communities are not distinctly enumerated

About Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)

• Definition: Most vulnerable among the tribal communities in India.
• Origin:
  • 1973: Dhebar Commission classified Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs) as a separate category for less developed tribes.
  • 2006: PTGs renamed Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) by the Government of India.
  • Currently, 75 PVTGs exist out of 705 Scheduled Tribes.
• Funding Needs: Require additional development funds as more advanced tribal groups often utilize the majority of resources.
• Population (2011 Census): 2.8 million PVTGs belonging to 75 tribes, across 22,544 villages in 220 districts of 18 states and UTs.
• Largest populations: Odisha has the highest PVTG population; Followed by Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh/Telangana
• Key Characteristics:
  • Pre-agricultural level of technology,
  • Low level of literacy,
  • Economic backwardness,
  • A declining or stagnant population.

Initiatives for the Development of PVTGS

PM-PVTG Development Mission

• Aim: Improve socio-economic status of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
• Budget: Rs 24,000 crore allocated for Scheduled Tribes in the Union Budget.
• Key Interventions:
  • Provision of safe housing, clean water, and sanitation
  • Access to education, healthcare, and nutrition
  • Better road connectivity and basic infrastructure in remote settlements

Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra

• Focus: Outreach, awareness creation, and delivery of welfare schemes to tribal populations.
• Key Services Covered: Sanitation and clean drinking water, Electricity and LPG connections, Housing and food security, Nutrition and healthcare, Access to financial services
• Implementation: Enrollment of beneficiaries based on Yatra surveys.

PM Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN)

• Aim: Focuses on protecting and nurturing tribal groups, particularly those at risk of extinction, by providing support, development, and access to mainstream services.
• Coverage: Targets 75 PVTGs across 18 states and union territories, spread over 22,544 villages in 220 districts; benefits approximately 28 lakh people.

About Registrar General of India (RGI)

• Establishment: 1949 under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Head: Registrar General and Ex-Officio Census Commissioner of India, typically a civil servant of Joint Secretary rank.
• Primary Role: Systematic collection of statistics on population size, growth, and distribution.
• Legal Responsibility: Implements the Registration of Births and Deaths (RBD) Act, 1969.
• Additional Functions: Conducts demographic and linguistic surveys alongside the decennial Census.

Key Functions of RGI

• Census of India: Provides detailed data on demographics, socio-economic status, and geographic distribution; conducted every 10 years.
• Linguistic Survey of India: Conducted along with the Census to document India’s linguistic diversity; First completed by George Abraham Grierson in 1928.
• Civil Registration System (CRS):
• • Mandatory registration of all births and deaths in India.
  • Functions as a real-time, continuous population data collection mechanism.
  • Birth certificates issued under Section 12 of the RBD Act, 1969.

DOWNLOAD PDF