The Odisha government has added 888 more villages and hamlets inhabited by Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) to micro-project agencies, removing the decades-old deprivation endured by a sizeable population of primitive tribals in the State.
The government was previously recognising PVTGs only among those residing in the geographical jurisdiction of 17 micro-projects launched in the 1970s and 1980s. Union and State governments have also been implementing special development initiatives for PVTGs only within the notified micro-project areas.
At present, the PVTG population in Odisha numbers 1.06 lakh. They reside in 541 villages under 160 gram panchayats of 29 blocks in 11 districts. With the addition of 888 new villages and hamlets, the State’s PVTG population has increased to about 2.5 lakh.
“Odisha is probably the first among a few Indian States which has visited all PVTG habitations. Now, the addition of new villages will help them [PVTGs] find coverage under both Central and State schemes,” said A. B. Ota, Director of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribe Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI).
The Naveen Patnaik Government, which earned notoriety over child malnutrition deaths in Nagada village in Jajpur district in 2016, has also approved the setting up of three new micro-project agencies for three PVTG communities — Birhor, Juang and Paudi Bhuiyan — in Jajpur, Keonjhar and Dhenkanal districts. The three micro-projects will cover 250 villages in the three districts.
‘Finally undone’
“The historical injustice has finally been undone. The Odisha government was not recognising primitive tribes staying outside micro-project areas. Now, thousands of primitive tribes left behind in development process due to the bizarre recognition definition will get special focus,” said Y. Giri Rao, director of Vasundhara, city-based NGO which works on tribal rights issues.
Odisha has among the largest and most diverse tribal populations in the country. Of the 62 tribal groups residing in Odisha, 13 are recognised as PVTGS.
According to the 2011 Census, Odisha’s share of the country’s total tribal population was 9%. Tribals constitute 22.85% of State’s population. In terms of numbers of its tribal population, Odisha occupies the third position in India.
The PVTGs of the State — Bonda, Birhor, Chuktia Bhunjia, Didayi, Dungaria Kandha, Hill Kharia, Juang, Kutia Kondh, Lanjia Saora, Lodha, Mankirdia, Paudi Bhuyan and Saora — have been identified on the basis of stagnant or diminishing populations, subsistence level of economy associated with pre-agricultural stages of hunting, food gathering and shifting cultivation, and relative physical isolation.