Current Context : The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has asked the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RGI) to consider separately enumerating PVTGs in the upcoming Census.

ABOUT PVTGs

• Category: Sub-group of Scheduled Tribes (STs)
• Identified By: Dhebar Commission (1960–61) under U. N. Dhebar
• Criteria for Identification:
  • Declining or stagnant population
  • Geographical isolation
  • Pre-agrarian level of technology (hunting, gathering, shifting cultivation)
  • Economic backwardness and low literacy

Distribution

• Total Groups: 75
• Spread Across: 18 States + Andaman and Nicobar Islands
• Population:5 lakh (as per recent survey)
• Largest Population: Madhya Pradesh, followed by Maharashtra (6.7 lakh) and Andhra Pradesh

 Livelihoods : Depend on forest produce, hunting, livestock rearing, shifting cultivation, artisan works.

Welfare Measures

• PM JANMAN Scheme (2023):
  • Outlay: ₹24,104 crore
  • Aim: Improve socio-economic status, health, education, livelihoods, and amenities of PVTGs in 200+ districts.