India’s tribal population at 10.43 crore (Census 2011) includes 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups concentrated in 18 states. Examine the constitutional framework — Fifth Schedule, Sixth Schedule, PESA and the FRA — and the gap in PVTG implementation.
Subtopic: Indian Society · Diversity — Scheduled Tribes
How to structure your answer
Introduction: Scheduled Tribes are 8.6% of population (10.43 crore, Census 2011). 75 PVTGs identified across 18 states/UTs (originally Dhebar Commission 1960; renamed PVTG in 2006).
Body — three dimensions: (1) Constitutional architecture — Articles 342, 244; Fifth Schedule (10 states) and Sixth Schedule (4 NE states); PESA Act, 1996 extending Panchayati Raj to scheduled areas; FRA, 2006 recognising individual and community forest rights. (2) PVTG situation — Jarawas, Onges, Great Andamanese, Birhor, Bonda, Sahariya, Saharia, Cholanaikkans — pre-agricultural, low literacy, stagnant population. (3) Implementation gap — FRA recognises only ~50% of community forest rights claims; PM JANMAN ₹24,104 crore mission for PVTGs (November 2023) covers housing, road, water, mobile connectivity.
Conclusion: Replace welfare-as-substitution with rights-as-recognition under the FRA and PESA, and let Gram Sabhas drive PM JANMAN delivery for PVTGs.
Written within the word limit
212 words · target 250 words · 14 min
Introduction:
Scheduled Tribes form 8.6% of India's population — 10.43 crore per Census 2011 — with 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) spread across 18 states and Union Territories, originally identified through the Dhebar Commission (1960) and renamed PVTG in 2006.
Constitutional architecture: Articles 342, 244, 275(1) and 339 anchor tribal welfare. The Fifth Schedule covers Scheduled Areas in 10 states; the Sixth Schedule grants autonomous councils in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. The PESA Act (24 December 1996) extends Panchayati Raj to Scheduled Areas with Gram Sabha primacy. The Forest Rights Act, 2006 recognises Individual Forest Rights and Community Forest Rights — the basis of the Niyamgiri Gram Sabha veto on Vedanta in 2013.
PVTG situation: The Jarawas (Andaman Trunk Road dispute), Sentinelese (uncontacted), Birhor (Jharkhand), Sahariya (MP-Rajasthan), Bonda (Odisha) and Cholanaikkans (Kerala) represent pre-agricultural, low-literacy groups with stagnant or declining populations. The Xaxa Committee (2014) documented health, education and land-alienation gaps. FRA implementation recognises only about half of community forest claims, and PESA's Gram Sabha consent is routinely diluted in linear-project clearances.
PM JANMAN: Launched on 15 November 2023 with Rs 24,104 crore over three years, PM JANMAN targets PVTG-specific gaps — pucca housing, road, water, mobile connectivity, electricity and Anganwadi coverage — through a mission-mode convergence approach across line ministries.
Conclusion:
Replace welfare-as-substitution with rights-as-recognition; let Gram Sabhas drive PM JANMAN delivery, and FRA-PESA enforcement determine whether constitutional protections become lived rights for PVTGs.
What an examiner expects to see
- ST population 10.43 crore, 8.6% (Census 2011)
- 75 PVTGs across 18 states/UTs (MoTA list)
- Articles 342, 244, 275(1), 339
- Fifth Schedule — 10 states; Sixth Schedule — Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram
- PESA Act, 24 December 1996
- Forest Rights Act, 2006 — Individual Forest Rights and Community Forest Rights
- Xaxa Committee Report 2014 — tribal welfare review
- PM JANMAN launched 15 November 2023, ₹24,104 crore over 3 years
- Dhebar Commission 1960 — original PVTG identification basis
Concrete cases, schemes and judgments
- Jarawas of Andaman — Andaman Trunk Road controversy
- Sentinelese — uncontacted PVTG, North Sentinel Island
- Birhor of Jharkhand — semi-nomadic
- Sahariya of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan
- Cholanaikkans of Kerala — cave-dwelling PVTG
- Niyamgiri Bauxite case 2013 — FRA-Gram Sabha veto