Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) of Chhattisgarh
The five PVTGs of Chhattisgarh (Abujhmaria, Baiga, Birhor, Kamar, Hill Korwa), the state-declared Bhunjia and Pando, habitat rights and PM-JANMAN for CGPSC.
Prerequisites
- Major Tribes and Their Distribution: where each PVTG sits on the state’s tribal map
- Forest Policy and Forest Laws: the Forest Rights Act, 2006, under which habitat rights are granted
- Welfare Programmes: the wider set of central schemes PM-JANMAN belongs to
The Hook: A Kitchen Nobody Else May Enter
In the Chuktia Bhunjia villages of Gariaband, each household cooks in a small red-mud hut called the Lal Bangla (लाल बंगला). If an outsider so much as steps inside, the family breaks it down and builds a new one. A few hundred kilometres north, in the hills of Jashpur, Pahadi Korwa families still clear forest patches for a season’s crop before moving on.
These are among the smallest and most isolated communities in India. Who counts as a “Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group”, which ones live in Chhattisgarh, and what is the state doing for them?
Why it matters: “Which of the following is not a PVTG of Chhattisgarh?” is a classic Prelims question, and PM-JANMAN (2023) keeps the topic in current affairs. Mains GS-IV asks why these groups lag behind even other tribes.
What Is a PVTG?
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin of the idea | The Dhebar Commission (1960–61), set up under Article 339, noted that some tribes lagged far behind others |
| Category created | 1973 (Fifth Five-Year Plan period) as Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs) |
| Renamed | Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (विशेष रूप से कमजोर जनजातीय समूह) in 2006 |
| Who identifies them | The Union Government (Ministry of Tribal Affairs); it is an administrative category, not a separate constitutional list |
| Criteria | (1) pre-agricultural level of technology, (2) low literacy, (3) stagnant or declining population, (4) subsistence economy |
| Number in India | 75 PVTGs in 18 states and one UT (Andaman and Nicobar Islands) |
The PVTGs of Chhattisgarh
The Government of India recognises five PVTGs in Chhattisgarh. The state government additionally treats two more communities, Bhunjia and Pando, as special backward tribes (विशेष पिछड़ी जनजाति) for state schemes. That is why state sources often speak of seven PVTGs, spread over about 17 of the 33 districts.
The five central PVTGs
| PVTG | Main districts | What to remember |
|---|---|---|
| Abujhmaria (अबूझमाड़िया) | Narayanpur (Abujhmarh), parts of Bijapur and Dantewada | A Gond (Maria) group of the Abujhmarh hills; shifting cultivation called penda (पेंदा); the hills long had almost no road access |
| Baiga (बैगा) | Kabirdham (Kawardha), Mungeli, Bilaspur, Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi | Bewar (बेवर) shifting cultivation, women’s godna (गोदना) tattoos, traditional healers; the same tribe lives across the border in Madhya Pradesh |
| Birhor (बिरहोर) | Raigarh, Jashpur, Korba, Bilaspur | Name read as “forest people”; traditionally semi-nomadic, making rope from forest fibre and hunting small game; Munda-speaking |
| Kamar (कमार) | Gariaband, Dhamtari, Mahasamund | Forest gatherers and bamboo craftsmen (baskets, mats) of the south-east |
| Pahadi Korwa / Hill Korwa (पहाड़ी कोरवा) | Jashpur, Surguja, Balrampur, Korba | Hill-dwelling section of the Korwa; shifting cultivation and hunting; Munda-speaking |
The two state-declared groups
| Group | Main districts | What to remember |
|---|---|---|
| Bhunjia (भुंजिया) | Gariaband (towards the Odisha border) | Two sections, Chuktia and Chinda Bhunjia; the Chuktia’s sacred kitchen Lal Bangla |
| Pando (पंडो) | Surguja, Balrampur, Surajpur, Koriya | Northern tribe that traditionally claims descent from the Pandavas |
Habitat Rights under the Forest Rights Act
Section 3(1)(e) of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 (वन अधिकार अधिनियम) lets PVTGs and pre-agricultural communities claim habitat rights: community tenure over their customary habitat and habitation, including sacred sites, forest and grazing land. It is the strongest protection the law offers a PVTG, because it recognises the whole landscape a group depends on, not just a house plot or field.
| When | Chhattisgarh |
|---|---|
| 2023 | The Kamar received habitat rights |
| October 2023 | The Baiga received habitat rights. Chhattisgarh was reported as the second state after Madhya Pradesh to recognise Baiga habitat rights |
PM-JANMAN: The Central Mission for PVTGs
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (प्रधानमंत्री जनजाति आदिवासी न्याय महा अभियान) |
| Launched | 15 November 2023, Janjatiya Gaurav Divas (Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary), at Khunti, Jharkhand |
| Target | All 75 PVTGs |
| Outlay | ₹24,104 crore for 2023-24 to 2025-26 |
| Design | 11 critical interventions through 9 ministries, including pucca houses, road connectivity, piped water, household electricity, mobile medical units, hostels, Anganwadi centres, multipurpose centres, Van Dhan Vikas Kendras, mobile towers and vocational skilling |
| Approach | Saturation: every PVTG habitation to get the basic package, with Aadhaar, ration cards, Ayushman cards and other documents delivered through camps |
Analysis for Mains: Why PVTGs Lag Behind
- Isolation: small habitations deep in hills (Abujhmarh, the Maikal range, Jashpur hills) are costly to reach with roads, schools and clinics.
- Livelihood squeeze: shifting cultivation (penda, bewar) and hunting were restricted by forest and wildlife laws, but the alternatives (settled farming, wage labour) came slowly.
- Health and nutrition: high malnutrition and disease, and small populations, make each loss significant. A “stagnant or declining population” is part of the definition.
- Benefit capture: general ST schemes are taken up first by larger, more settled tribes such as the Gond, Kanwar or Oraon.
- Data gaps: Census tables do not list PVTGs separately everywhere, so planning relies on state surveys.
- Conflict zones: in parts of Bastar, Left-Wing Extremism disrupted services for years.
Way forward: habitat-rights recognition, culturally suited schooling (mother-tongue primers, residential schools near home), mobile health units, value addition for minor forest produce, and implementation through traditional village bodies, with the community’s consent rather than resettlement.
Memory Tricks
Don’t Confuse
| This | vs | That |
|---|---|---|
| Kamar: PVTG, Gariaband–Dhamtari | Kanwar: large non-PVTG tribe, Korba–Jashpur | |
| Pahadi Korwa: central PVTG | Korwa (general): the wider tribe, not all PVTG | |
| Abujhmaria: PVTG, hill Maria of Abujhmarh | Bison-horn Maria: Maria of Dantewada–Bijapur, not a PVTG | |
| Bhunjia, Pando: state-declared | Abujhmaria, Baiga, Birhor, Kamar, Pahadi Korwa: central list | |
| PTG (1973) | PVTG (renamed 2006) | |
| PM-JANMAN (2023): only PVTGs | Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (2024): tribal-majority villages generally |
Common Mistakes
Practice
These are original practice questions written in CGPSC style. They are not previous-year questions.
Level 1: Foundation
- The Government of India recognises ________ PVTGs in Chhattisgarh.
- The Baiga practise a form of shifting cultivation called ________.
- PM-JANMAN was launched on ________ at Khunti.
Answers
- Five (Abujhmaria, Baiga, Birhor, Kamar, Pahadi Korwa)
- Bewar
- 15 November 2023 (Janjatiya Gaurav Divas)
Level 2: Prelims MCQs
Q1. Which of the following is not among the PVTGs of Chhattisgarh recognised by the Government of India?
(a) Kamar (b) Birhor (c) Bhunjia (d) Abujhmaria
Answer and explanation
Q2. Consider the following statements about PVTGs:
- The category was first created as “Primitive Tribal Groups” and renamed PVTGs in 2006.
- A stagnant or declining population is one of the criteria for identifying a PVTG.
- PVTGs are listed in a separate Schedule of the Constitution.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 2 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer and explanation
Q3. Match List-I (PVTG) with List-II (Main district):
| List-I | List-II |
|---|---|
| A. Abujhmaria | 1. Jashpur |
| B. Baiga | 2. Gariaband |
| C. Kamar | 3. Narayanpur |
| D. Pahadi Korwa | 4. Kabirdham |
(a) A-3, B-2, C-4, D-1 (b) A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1 (c) A-1, B-4, C-2, D-3 (d) A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2
Answer and explanation
Q4. Habitat rights for PVTGs are recognised under which law?
(a) PESA Act, 1996 (b) Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (c) Forest Rights Act, 2006 (d) SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989
Answer and explanation
Q5. With reference to PM-JANMAN, which of the following is correct?
(a) It was launched in Raipur on 1 November 2023. (b) It covers all Scheduled Tribes in Fifth Schedule areas. (c) It targets 75 PVTGs with an outlay of about ₹24,104 crore. (d) It is implemented solely by the Ministry of Rural Development.
Answer and explanation
Level 3: Mains Answer Writing
Q1. Who are the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups of Chhattisgarh? Mention any two features of each. (150 words)
Intro: PVTGs are the most vulnerable STs, identified by pre-agricultural technology, low literacy, stagnant population and subsistence economy. Chhattisgarh has five central PVTGs and two state-declared groups.
Body:
- Abujhmaria: Abujhmarh (Narayanpur); penda cultivation, long isolation.
- Baiga: Kabirdham; bewar cultivation, godna tattoos, habitat rights 2023.
- Birhor: Raigarh, Jashpur; semi-nomadic rope-makers, Munda-speaking.
- Kamar: Gariaband; bamboo craft, habitat rights 2023.
- Pahadi Korwa: Jashpur, Surguja; hill shifting cultivation, popularly “President’s adopted sons”.
- State-declared: Bhunjia (Lal Bangla, Gariaband) and Pando (Surguja).
Conclusion: Their needs differ from other tribes, which is why PM-JANMAN and habitat rights take a group-specific approach.
Q2. Critically examine the role of habitat rights and PM-JANMAN in securing the future of PVTGs in Chhattisgarh. (250 words)
Intro: PVTGs face isolation, livelihood loss and poor health. Two tools, one legal and one developmental, now target them.
Habitat rights (FRA Sec. 3(1)(e)):
- Recognise the customary landscape, sacred sites and resource use; Kamar and Baiga in 2023.
- Give the community a voice against diversion of forest land.
- Limits: slow recognition, weak mapping, conflicts with protected-area and mining plans.
PM-JANMAN (2023):
- Saturation approach: housing, roads, water, power, health, hostels, Anganwadis, Van Dhan.
- Convergence of 9 ministries; camps to deliver Aadhaar, ration and Ayushman cards.
- Limits: risk of a construction-first approach; houses and roads may not suit nomadic or hill livelihoods; dependence on a time-bound budget (to 2025-26).
Chhattisgarh angle: isolated habitations in Abujhmarh and the Jashpur hills, LWE-affected areas, and the importance of minor forest produce.
Conclusion: Rights and services must go together, planned with the community and through its Gram Sabha, so that development does not erode the identity it is meant to protect.
Quick Revision Table
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| PVTG criteria | Pre-agricultural technology, low literacy, stagnant/declining population, subsistence economy |
| History | Dhebar Commission 1960–61 → PTG 1973 → PVTG 2006 |
| India | 75 PVTGs, 18 states + A&N Islands |
| CG central PVTGs (5) | Abujhmaria, Baiga, Birhor, Kamar, Pahadi Korwa |
| CG state-declared (2) | Bhunjia, Pando |
| Abujhmaria | Narayanpur (Abujhmarh); penda |
| Baiga | Kabirdham; bewar; godna; habitat rights Oct 2023 |
| Birhor | Raigarh, Jashpur; rope-making |
| Kamar | Gariaband; bamboo craft; habitat rights 2023 |
| Pahadi Korwa | Jashpur, Surguja; “President’s adopted sons” (popular title) |
| Bhunjia | Gariaband; Lal Bangla kitchen |
| Habitat rights | FRA 2006, Section 3(1)(e) |
| PM-JANMAN | 15 Nov 2023, Khunti; 75 PVTGs; ₹24,104 crore; 11 interventions, 9 ministries |
Key Takeaways
- PVTGs are an administrative sub-category of STs, identified by four criteria; renamed from PTGs in 2006.
- Chhattisgarh has 5 central PVTGs (Abujhmaria, Baiga, Birhor, Kamar, Pahadi Korwa) and 2 state-declared (Bhunjia, Pando).
- Habitat rights under FRA Section 3(1)(e) were recognised for the Kamar and Baiga in 2023.
- PM-JANMAN (15 Nov 2023, Khunti) targets all 75 PVTGs with ₹24,104 crore.
- PVTGs need tribe-specific plans because general ST schemes are captured first by larger tribes.
What’s Next
- Tribal Social Organisation and Ghotul: clans, marriage forms, village councils and the Ghotul
- Tribal Development and Constitutional Safeguards: Fifth Schedule, Article 164 minister, NCST, schemes
- Minor Forest Produce: the forest economy PVTG households depend on