Government Policies and PVTGs Community Participation in India: A Descriptive Literature Review

There are 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) with a population of more than 44 Lakhs in 18 states and one Union Territory (UT) residing in India. Based on the recommendations of different Indian state governments the Government of India began emphasizing the development of PVTGs by including different policies in the fifth five-year plan. The government of India has been deliberately trying to promote community participation, development, and empowerment of the PVTGs since 1975 through a wide range of government projects and programs. Though several government policies have been brought by the Government of India over the decades still the PVTGs in India are facing different social, economic, infrastructural, and health issues that need to be critically addressed. In the research paper, a descriptive literature review method is followed to thoroughly analyze the present state of PVTGs and various factors responsible for less PVTG community participation in India. A total of 58 articles were chosen for the descriptive literature review, and the articles were categorized and sub-categorized into three topics and their respective sub-topics. The focus would be mainly on bringing insights into the challenges and opportunities of PVTGs in India and the moderating role of government policies, projects, and programs to ensure sustainable heritage and economic, social, and healthcare development of the PVTGs in the country. In this regard, the effectiveness and gaps in the government policies for developing PVTGs would be briefed in support of qualitative data.