Exclusive | Count particularly vulnerable tribal groups in Census, Ministry asks RGI to take first-ever step

About 40 PVTGs have been scheduled as ‘single entry’ and get counted under the broader Scheduled Tribes (STs) category in the Census. For instance, in the previous 2011 census, these 40 groups got counted as they were part of notified STs.

The MoTA is learnt to have written to the RGI last month, requesting to make arrangements to capture the number of PVTGs households and individuals, and their distinctive demographic, cultural and socio-economic features.

The Ministry said PVTGs are one of the most marginalised and socio-economically backward vulnerable sections of the population, and thus it was imperative to have a “consolidated database” on their population and socio-economic indicators, it was gathered.

Professor A B Ota, a retired IAS officer and former director of Tribal Research Institute and Odisha State Tribal Museum, said 40 out of 75 PVTGs are included in the ST list under the Presidential Order, and hence covered under the Census.

“However, the remaining PVTGs, often sub-groups within larger ST communities, are not distinctly enumerated in the Census, leading to a lack of specific data on key demographic indicators,” he said. “This data gap poses significant challenges for policymakers and planners in designing targeted, need-based programmes,” he said.

Ota said although recent initiatives like the PM-JANMAN (Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan) scheme have begun collecting some data, there is a “growing consensus on the necessity of institutionalising the enumeration of PVTGs in the national Census”.

In November 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the PM-JANMAN in Jharkhand to improve the socio-economic conditions of PVTGs in over 200 districts. The scheme’s chief aim is to saturate delivery of basic facilities ranging from road construction, health centres to electrification in PVTG habitations and households in three years. It is being implemented through nine line ministries.

When the scheme was launched, the Centre had said the estimated population of PVTG’s is 28 lakh. The MoTA and states undertook habitation-level data collection, using PM Gati Shakti mobile application, to estimate PVTG population and identify gaps in amenities and infrastructure.

Based on that survey, PVTG population is estimated to be 45.56 lakh, as per MoTA’s response in Lok Sabha this month. Madhya Pradesh (12.28 lakh), Maharashtra (6.2 lakh) and Andhra Pradesh (4.9 lakh) are the top three in terms of PVTG population.

Professor Kamal K Misra, former director of the Anthropological Survey of India, said that before enumeration of PVTGs, an expert committee should perhaps look at the revision of criteria for inclusion of communities in the PVTG category.

“There are overlaps across states due to nomenclature, and in some cases, omission of certain groups. Currently, there are 75 groups identified in PVTGs and this number could have increased or decreased. Thus, only a revision of criteria can help update the information,” he said.

Misra said once PVTGs are enumerated, a development index should be created to classify which groups among PVTGs are in need of more urgent development action, as not all are at par.

In June this year, the Centre notified the 2027 population Census and announced that it will be conducted in two phases, along with caste enumeration. The first phase of house listing and housing Census will start from April 2026 and will be followed by the second phase, population enumeration.