5(c) Article 371A of the Indian Constitution.
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > Constitutional Safeguards > Special provisions > Article 371A
Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups of the Islands — 2026 Paper II
Question · 2026 · Paper II · 10 Marks
Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) of the islands.
Model Answer
VAID ICS| Approach
• Demand of Question: Identify the PVTGs of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and explain the distinctive demographic, epidemiological, ecological and ethical issues involved in their protection. • Structuring the Response: Name all five PVTGs and distinguish them from the Nicobarese; give one diagnostic feature for each; then analyze contact, disease, habitat pressure and policy ethics, emphasizing differentiated protection rather than a uniform development package. • Key Dimensions to Cover: Great Andamanese, Jarawa, Onge, Sentinelese, Shompen; Nicobarese not PVTG; contact-related disease risk; habitat security; Jarawa Policy 2004; minimum intervention; autonomy and differentiated policy. |
Model Answer
Introduction: The Ministry of Tribal Affairs lists five PVTGs in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands - Great Andamanese, Jarawa, Onge, Sentinelese and Shompen. The Nicobarese are a Scheduled Tribe but are not classified as a PVTG. Their vulnerabilities differ sharply, so “one policy for all five” is anthropologically unsound.
| PVTG | Location / adaptive profile | Key concern |
| Great Andamanese | Strait Island; highly acculturated survivors | Demographic collapse and dependency |
| Jarawa | South/Middle Andaman; forest foragers | Contact, road intrusion and disease exposure |
| Onge | Little Andaman; hunter-gatherers | Small population and habitat contraction |
| Sentinelese | North Sentinel Island; autonomous foragers | Protection through non-intrusion |
| Shompen | Interior Great Nicobar; forest-based, mobile economy | Habitat disturbance and limited-contact health risk |
Anthropological priorities
- Epidemiological security: Small, relatively isolated populations may be highly vulnerable to introduced infections; contact must therefore be medically and ethically controlled.
- Habitat as culture: Foraging territories are simultaneously food landscapes, kinship spaces and repositories of ecological knowledge; displacement cannot be reduced to loss of acreage.
- Differentiated autonomy: The Jarawa Policy, 2004 restricts tourist interaction and stresses health/habitat protection. For the Sentinelese, the strongest protection is non-contact; other groups require carefully requested services without forced assimilation.
Conclusion: Island PVTG policy must replace the old isolation-versus-assimilation binary with graded, rights-based protection: secure habitat, prevent intrusive contact, provide culturally appropriate care where accepted, and make community survival and agency - not administrative “mainstreaming” - the criterion of success.
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UPSC Anthropology Optional 2026 — Paper II
28 questions5(a) Buddhist tribes of India.
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > Tribal Situation in India > Religion among tribes > Buddhist tribes
Syllabus: Paper II > Caste System > Caste among non-Hindus > Comparative examples
Syllabus: Paper II > Growth of Anthropology in India > Colonial ethnography > North-East India
Syllabus: Paper II > Ethnoarchaeology in India > Method > General comparative analogy
Syllabus: Paper II > Constitutional Safeguards > Scheduled Castes > Provisions
Syllabus: Paper II > Traditional Indian Social System > Jajmani system > Debates
Syllabus: Paper II > Tribe and Polity > Democratic institutions > Impact on tribes
Syllabus: Paper II > Tribal Development > Planning > DAPST
Syllabus: Paper II > Tribal Development Programmes > Government schemes > DAJGUA and SDGs
1(a) Dravidian language family and its tribal speakers.
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > Tribal Situation in India > Linguistic classification > Dravidian family
Syllabus: Paper II > Village Studies > Caste, politics and change > Bailey's Bisipara
Syllabus: Paper II > Impact of Religion on Tribes > Christianity > Tribes of Jharkhand
Syllabus: Paper II > Evolution of Indian Culture > Indus Valley Civilization > Subsistence and script
1(e) Kumar Suresh Singh's contribution in studying tribal movements.
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > Tribal Movements > Typologies > Kumar Suresh Singh
5(e) Contribution of L. K. Ananthakrishna Iyer in Anthropology.
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > Growth of Anthropology in India > Pioneers > L. K. Ananthakrishna Iyer
Syllabus: Paper II > Problems of Tribal Communities > Contemporary challenges > Overview
Syllabus: Paper II > Prehistoric India > Mesolithic > Ganga basin sites
5(d) Nature-Man-Spirit-Complex.
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > Tribal Situation in India > Ecology and religion > Nature-Man-Spirit complex
Syllabus: Paper II > Development and Displacement > Movements > Niyamgiri
1(d) Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) of the islands.
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > PVTGs > Island tribes > Andaman and Nicobar PVTGs
5(b) Debate regarding the phylogenetic position of Narmada Man.
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > Palaeo-anthropological evidence in India > Narmada Man > Phylogenetic debate
1(b) Seed Eaters Model of hominid differentiation.
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > Palaeo-anthropology > Hominid differentiation > Seed Eaters model
Syllabus: Paper II > Tribal Health > Genetic disorders > Sickle cell disease
Syllabus: Paper II > Indian Population > Racial classification > Somatometric and somatoscopic characters
Syllabus: Paper II > Tribe-Caste Continuum > Great tradition > Surajit Sinha
1(c) Tana Bhagat movement.
10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper II > Tribal Movements > Reform and political movements > Tana Bhagat movement
Syllabus: Paper II > Tribal Policy > Approaches > Verrier Elwin and Panchsheel