NEW DELHI, Aug 26 – The Indian government said the country has seen a rise in the population of endangered tribal groups and state governments will prepare a comprehensive conservation plan to help boost numbers further.
The Onge tribe of Andaman and Nicobar islands has reported a marginal increase in population from 96 in 2001 to 101 in the 2011 census, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.
Another Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PTG) which recorded a rise in population is Birhor/ Mankirdia in Odisha with numbers increasing from 142 in 2001-2002 to 203 in 2011.
Other states of Jharkhand, Manipur and Uttarakhand also reported an increase in the population of PTGs in their states, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs said.
However, Thoti tribe in Andhra Pradesh was an exception, which has reported a decline in its population.
In 1991, the population of the tribe was 3,654 but declined to 2,074 in 2001.
The parliamentary committee on Welfare of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes had earlier expressed its apprehension about the decline of population of some of the PTGs, including Onge, Thoti in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Birhor in Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha and Raji in Uttarakhand.
The state governments will develop a Conservation-Cum-Development (CCD) plan for the 2012-2017 period to suit requirements of the PTGs residing there.
The plan will focus on the welfare and economic development of the PTGs.
– BERNAMA
