Consider the following Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs):

Question

Consider the following Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs):

i. Jarawa

ii. Sentinelese

iii. Onge

iv. Shom Pen

v. Chenchu

vi. Great Andamanies

How many of the above mentioned PVTGs belong to Andaman and Nicobar Island?

1. A. Only three
2. B. Only one
3. C. Only five (Correct answer)
4. D. Only four

Correct Answer

Option C — Only five

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Only five.

Key Points

• Of the six groups listed, five belong to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands:
  • Jarawa — western coasts of South and Middle Andaman.
  • Sentinelese — North Sentinel Island; the most isolated of all, with no sustained contact.
  • Onge — Little Andaman.
  • Shom Pen — the interior of Great Nicobar.
  • Great Andamanese — now settled largely on Strait Island.
• The Chenchu are the exception. They are a PVTG of the Nallamala forests, spread across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, with populations also reported in Karnataka and Odisha. They have nothing to do with the islands.

Additional Information

• Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) were identified on four criteria: a pre-agricultural level of technology, a stagnant or declining population, extremely low literacy, and a subsistence economy. There are 75 PVTGs across 18 states and the Union Territory of Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
• The category was created on the recommendation of the Dhebar Commission (1960–61) as "Primitive Tribal Groups", and renamed PVTGs in 2006.
• All six tribes of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are PVTGs — the five above plus the Nicobarese-related Shompen grouping is often counted with them; the Nicobarese themselves are the one numerically large island tribe and are not classed as a PVTG.
• Odisha has the most PVTGs (13), followed by Andhra Pradesh and Telangana together, Bihar and Jharkhand.
• PM-JANMAN (Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan), launched in November 2023, is the flagship scheme for PVTG habitations, covering housing, roads, piped water, electricity, mobile connectivity and education across 11 interventions.