Odisha’s PVTGs under OPELIP, Centre’s mission to push growth

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha being home to the largest number of particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) in the country, stakeholders feel the Pradhan Mantri PVTG Development Mission announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget will further accelerate the development of the tribal groups in the state.

The PVTGs Mission aims to provide basic facilities like housing, water, road, telecom, education and health in PVTG areas across the country.

Commissioner-cum-secretary of ST and SC Development department Roopa Roshan Sahoo said the mission will definitely help the PVTGs but the Odisha government has already been implementing its own programme - Odisha PVTG Empowerment and Livelihoods Improvement Programme (OPELIP) - for their social, economic and overall development.

“Odisha has already shown the way when it comes to PVTG development and this new mission by the Centre will only further the cause,” said anthropologist and former director of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribe Research and Training Institute AB Ota.

“Earlier, schemes for PVTGs were implemented in bits and pieces but since so much money is being earmarked, the PVTG Mission will be monitored and result-oriented,” he said.

Odisha has the highest number of 13 PVTGs in the country. They are Birhor, Bonda, Didayi, Dongria-Kandha, Juangs, Kharias, Kutia Kandha,  Lanjia Sauras, Lodhas, Mankidias, Paudi Bhuyans, Soura and Chuktia Bhunjia. The PVTG population in the state at present stands at around 2.5 lakh. They reside in 541 villages under 160 gram panchayats of 29 blocks in 12 districts. Sources said the state government has already conducted a baseline survey and is planning to extend the OPELIP.