It is quite heartening to realize that the particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTG) have been given special focus by government of India through PM PVTG Development Mission, to be implemented over the next three years, within the overall ambit of tribal development as part of the Union Budget 2023-24.
The mission addresses the priority needs and challenges faced by PVTGs and aims to provide basic necessities such as housing, water, education, health, connectivity in the areas inhabited by 75 designated PVTGs spread across 17 states and one UT, with the highest number in Odisha. Considering the levels of vulnerability, the PVTGs require greater support in comparison to the relatively developed and assertive other tribal groups and hence special focus on PVTG is a welcome step.
Based on the Dhebar Commission report (1960-61), a sub-category called primitive tribal groups (PTG) was recognized within STs during the 5th Five Year Plan. The features of such a group are a pre-agricultural system of existence, stagnant or declining population, low level of literacy as compared with other tribal groups. By the end of the 5th FYP, 52 communities were identified as PTGs, 20 more added during the 6th Plan, 2 more during the 7th Plan and 1 more in the 8th Plan, making a total 75 PTGs in the whole of India. They were identified on the recommendations of respective state governments based on the criteria prescribed by the Central government. In 2009, Government of India (GoI) decided to re-designate PTG as PVTG considering the complaints that the term ‘primitive’ is value loaded.
Over the last six decades, several initiatives at the level of government of India and respective state governments have been taken towards holistic development of the PVTGs and thereby to narrow down the development disparities compared to other STs. The formation of microprojects, the PVTG educational complex, implementation of conservation cum development plans, increase in Central and state allocations for PVTG development have been some of the remarkable PVTG development initiatives.
Odisha with a majority in number of PVTGs (13 out of 75) has been striving to achieve development mandates for the groups coherent to the sustainable development goals. The state has pioneered and championed facilitating sectoral and holistic development through innovative, ingenious, strategic and bilateral programs. The time-tested and evidence-based efficient PVTG development models that Odisha has been implementing since 2015-16 on mission mode gives a feeling that Odisha has already pioneered in what has been envisaged in PM PVTG development mission.
For Odisha, the overall challenge for PVTG development lies in enabling the tribal communities to enhance their food security, increase their incomes and improve their overall quality of life through more efficient natural resource management and more productive environmentally sound agricultural practices, off-farm/non-farm enterprise development through promoting participatory processes, building community institutions, fostering self-reliance, and respecting the indigenous knowledge and values of tribals.
The Odisha PVTG empowerment and livelihood programme (OPELIP) supported by IFAD in convergence mode, a flexible, non-prescriptive, process-oriented approach, has become the torch-bearer for PVTG empowerment and development elsewhere in the country. Coherent parallel initiatives like Jiban Sampark (a government of Odisha and UNICEF joint initiative) addressing the health, nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene and social issues like child marriage; diagnostic interventions in PVTG educational attainments and achievements; many other convergent programs; flagship programs like Special Development Councils have proved feasible models destined to achieve holistic PVTG development.
The PM PVTG development mission is seen with ambitions and aspirations. It will not be unrealistic to say that Odisha has been the pathfinder for such a mission. No doubt, the mission will complement and contribute to Odisha’s initiatives towards PVTG development. However, counting on Odisha’s progress in this direction would provide ample insights in translating the mission objectives into action.
A B Ota
Former RDC (Central Division) & Director SCSTRTI (TRI Odisha)