Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs): Policy Responses, Implementation Challenges, and Pathways to Inclusive Development

Abstract

India’s Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) represent the most marginalized segment of the Scheduled Tribes, characterized by extreme socio-economic deprivation, fragile livelihoods, limited political inclusion, and weak access to essential services. This study is required because despite decades of tribal development policies, PVTGs continue to face persistent structural barriers—landlessness, low literacy, poor health, cultural erosion, market exclusion, and inadequate implementation of rights-based laws such as the Forest Rights Act (FRA) and the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA). The Government of India’s recent launch of the Pradhan Mantri PVTG Development Mission (2023), PM JANMAN, and targeted interventions under PMAY-G marks a historic policy moment, creating an urgent need to evaluate existing challenges and identify practical, culturally grounded strategies for effective implementation.