Porja, Bagata, Goud and Konda Dora are indigenous tribes. , UPSC.

Description

Porja, Bagata, Goud and Konda Dora

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Context: In the 1970s, members of four tribes—Porja (a PVTG), Bagata, Goud and Konda Dora—of Odisha migrated to Andhra Pradesh to work for Lower Sileru Hydro-Electric Project construction, themselves faces lack of electricity.

Details

Porja Tribe

Tribe Name	Porja Tribe, the word Porja is derived from the Oriya word ‘Pursu’ which means ‘Sakti’ or Power.
Population	16,479 (Census, 1991).
Inhabitants	Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh. Adjoining hilly areas of Orissa state.
Sub-groups	Bondo Porja, Khond Porja, and Parangi Porja.
Language/ Dialect	They converse in a corrupt form of Oriya language known as the ‘Parji’ dialect. Porja males can speak the regional language, Telugu.
Occupation	Shifting cultivators; raising the crops in the Podu plots.
Socio-Cultural features	They belong to the Naga (snake) and Surya (sun) clans. They do not have any title or suffix after the name of the individual to identify the tribe. Both clan and lineage (surname) exogamy are strictly observed. Some Porjas observe village exogamy. Cross-cousin marriage, especially with a father's sister’s daughter, is preferred. Maternal uncle-niece marriage is rohibited. Polygyny is permitted.
Constitutional/Legal Recognition	The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2024, passed by the Parliament, includes tribal group Porja (sub-groups: Bondo Porja, Khond Porja, and Parangi Porja).
Historical exploitation.	Porjas are industrious and hard-working people. The former rulers of Jeypore and other Zamindars used to employ them as Doli or Palanquine bearers (Boi Porjas).
Threat	Language and cultural extinction.

Bagata Tribe

Tribe Name	Bagata Tribe
Population	168,000
Inhabitants	Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh.
Other names	Bagatha, Bagat, Bagodi, Bogad, or Bhakta
Language/ Dialect	Odia (Indo-Aryan), Telugu (Dravidian), Adivasi Odia.
Occupation	Freshwater fishing, Cultivation & Agricultural Labour.
Society /Marriage	The community is divided into several exogamous clans (bansa) like, Hatiyar (elephant), Belhar (monkey), Samudia, Bamia, Tiruar (bird), Sarnia (flute), Chuniar and Kuardar. They use clan names as their surnames. Lineage exogamy (marrying outside one's clan, or kinship). Marriage is by negotiation and elopement. Divorce and remarriage are permitted.
Constitutional/Legal Recognition	As per the Indian constitution, they are designated as Scheduled Tribe for affirmative action.
Beliefs	They are segmented in to two sects i.e., Vaishnavites and Saivites.
Socio-Cultural features	Dhimsa dance, Worshipping of Fishing Basket and trident, Karma folk dance and songs.

Konda Dora Tribe

Tribe Name	Konda Dora Tribe, The name 'Kondadora' is derived from 'Konda' (hill) and 'Dora' (lord), meaning the 'Lords of the Hill'.
Population	20,802
Inhabitants	In and around the Konda Kamberu ranges of the Eastern Ghats spread across south Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
Other names	'Konda Kapu', 'Oja', 'Pandava Raju', 'Pandava Dora', and 'Kubing'.
Language/ Dialect	Kubi / Konda, a non-literary central Dravidian language closely akin to 'Kui'and 'Kuvi'. Now, they have forgotten Kubi and are speaking 'Telugu', mixed with broken 'Odia'.
Occupation	Mainly agriculturists who supplement their livelihood by allied pursuits such as wage earning, livestock rearing, forest collection, seasonal hunting and fishing, sharecropping, and small business. By performing a folk art called ghungunadia and then collecting money or grains from door to door.
Society /Marriage	They prefix their clan names before their first name to identify themselves.
Constitutional/Legal Recognition	Scheduled Tribe of Odisha.
Beliefs	They identify themselves as the offspring of the great mythological heroes, the Pandavas, and consider it dignified to refer to themselves as 'Pandava Raju' or 'Pandava Dora'. Their tutelary deity goddess Ammatali resides in the sacred grove on the village outskirts.
Socio-Cultural features	Folk art called ghungunadia, Makar, Dhan Nuakhai, Dussera, Ammora, Panduga, and Ugadi.

Goud

Tribe Name	Goud tribe.
Population	779,854.
Inhabitants	Both sides of the Godavari River are in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.
Other names	Koya tribe.
Language/ Dialect	Koyi is a Dravidian language.
Occupation	Pastoralists and shifting cultivators settled cultivation, supplemented by animal husbandry and seasonal forest collections.
Society /Marriage	Five sub-divisions are called gotrams. Every Koya is born into a clan, and he cannot leave it. The Koyas have a patrilineal and patrilocal family. The family is called "Kutum." The nuclear family is the predominant type. Monogamy is prevalent among the Koyas.
Constitutional/Legal Recognition	Scheduled Tribes.
Beliefs	Koya deities are female, the most important being "mother earth.". Lord Bhima, Korra Rajulu, Mamili, and Potaraju are the important deities to Koyas.
Socio-Cultural features	A dance called Permakok (Bison Horn Dance) during festivals and marriage ceremonies. Vijji Pandum (seeds charming festival) and KondalaKolupu (festival to appease hill deities).

Initiatives associated with Tribal Development in India

Introduction

Unity in diversity is one of the most spectacular features of the population of India. India has the second-largest tribal population in the world. As per the Census 2011, the tribal population constitutes about 8.9% of the total population in India. The tribal people throughout the country have rich traditions, cultures, and heritage with unique lifestyles and customs.

Historical aspects

Tribal movements like the Khasi-Garo movement, the Mizo movement, the Kol movement, etc. are integral chapters in India’s history and struggle for independence.
The bravery of Gond Maharani Veer Durgavatior the sacrifice of Rani Kamalapati—the country cannot forget the same.
The struggle of Veer Maharana Pratapcannot be imagined without the brave Bhils who fought shoulder to shoulder and made sacrifices. There are many Adivasi heroes who have sacrificed their lives in the struggle for the country’s freedom.
The Union Government decided to observe the birth anniversary of one of the great freedom fighters, Bhagwan Birsa Munda, as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas.

Empowering the Tribal Communities

On November 15, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first Prime Minister to visit Ulihatu Village, the birthplace of Bhagwan Birsa, and launched the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN), with a budget of around Rs 24,000 crore for the overall development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).

Constitutional safeguards

The makers of the Constitution of India made special provisions for the protection of tribal culture and the development of scheduled tribes. These include the conservation of their language, script, and other cultural elements; ensuring their educational interests; providing economic safeguards; and taking steps for political empowerment.

Separate Ministry

Apart from the above constitutional safeguards, a separate ministry named the Ministry of Tribal Affairs was set up in 1999 with the objective of providing a more focused approach to the integrated socio-economic development of the Scheduled Tribes (STs).

Forest rights

For tribal empowerment, the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (in short, FRA)was enacted by the Parliament to recognize and vest forest rights in the Forest Dwelling Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers who have been residing in forest land for generations.

Educational Empowerment

Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS)have been set up to provide quality education to ST students (Class VI–XII) in remote areas through residential schooling facilities.
A number of fellowship and scholarship programs have also been launched to provide financial assistance to ST students for studies ranging from pre-matric and post-matric levels to the pursuit of higher education and studies abroad.

Economic Empowerment

Prioritizing the welfare of tribal communities, the budget allocation of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has substantially increased from Rs. 4295.94 crore in 2013–14 to Rs. 12461.88 crore in 2023–24, i.e., an increase of around 190.01%.
Funds are released to states under Article 275(1) of the Constitutionto enable them to meet the cost of such schemes of development as may be undertaken by the state for the purpose of promoting tribal welfare.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Vanbandhu Vikas Yojana, a venture capital fund has been set up to promote entrepreneurship and start-up projects by ST youth.
Minimum Support Price (MSP)is ensured for Minor Forest Produce, and marketing support for tribal products is provided through the Pradhan Mantri Jan Jatiya Vikas Mission. Under this mission, Van Dhan Vikas Kendra (VDVK) sanctioned 3958, while an amount of Rs. 398.49 crore has been disbursed.
TRIFED(Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India) supports retail marketing for livelihood development among tribal communities in India.
Under TRIFED, a Central Sector Scheme ‘Marketing and Logistics Development for Promotion of Tribal Products from the North-Eastern Region (PTP-NER)’, was launched for the benefit of Scheduled Tribes of the Northeastern Region.

Improved Infrastructure and Livelihood Opportunities

The Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAAGY)aims to provide basic infrastructure in villages with a significant tribal population.

Initiatives for Better Health Outcomes

Under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the National Health Mission has prepared a comprehensive guideline to control and prevent hemoglobinopathies,including sickle cell disease, and has disseminated the same to the states.
The government has worked to ensure the near-totaleradication of sickle cell disease, which is a genetic blood disorder affecting the tribal population in Central, Western, and Southern India.
Other health-related schemes, such as Mission Indradhanush, aimed at ensuring full immunization with all available vaccines for children up to two years of age and pregnant women and the provision of free vaccines against COVID-19, have laid stress on Adivasi
Another important scheme with special reference to tribal groups is the Nikshay Mitra initiativeto ensure additional diagnostic, nutritional, and vocational support for those on tuberculosis treatment.
In addition to the above, the Support to Tribal Research Institute (TRI) scheme aims to strengthen TRIs to carry out research, documentation, training, and capacity-building activities and serve as a knowledge hub catering to overall tribal development.

Other Initiatives for the Holistic Welfare of Tribal Communities

From housing and road connectivity under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, respectively, to financial empowerment through Jan Dhan accounts, the formation of self-help groups, and MUDRA Yojana, various government programs have greatly benefited the tribal communities.

Honoring and Celebrating India’s Tribal Communities

10 Tribal Freedom Fighters’ Museums have been sanctioned in states where tribals lived, struggled against the British, and refused to bow down.
The government is preparing a roadmap to develop Mangarh Dhamin Rajasthan’s Banswara district. The Mangarh Dham will be developed as a joint project of the governments of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra as a national memorial showcasing tribal legacy and their rich cultural heritage.

Sources:

https://www.itdaeturnagaram.com/koya.php

https://www.scstrti.in/index.php/communities/tribes/91-tribes/182-kondadora

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/17229/in

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/16286/IN

http://intangibleheritage.intach.org/documenting-the-ethno-cultural-practices-of-porja-tribe-of-andhra-pradesh/

https://repository.tribal.gov.in/handle/123456789/74008?viewItem=browse

https://repository.tribal.gov.in/handle/123456789/73800?viewItem=browse

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Consider the following statements.

1.Dhebar Commission created Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs) as a separate category among the tribal groups.

2.The highest number of PVTG are found in Andhra Pradesh.