Bondas

• • Bondas are a particularly vulnerable tribal group, known for their secluded lives away from the mainstream.

• They are primarily forest dwellers.

• Matriarchal society- The women prefer to marry men who are younger.
• Unique dressing style– Women are semi clad and wear various types of rings and necklaces around their bodies, while the men carry lethal bows and arrows.
• Language- Remo, which comes under the Austroasiatic language belonging to the Mundari group.

Why in News?

• Odisha’s Bonda tribe sees rise in distress migration due to Covid.

PVTG

• • In India, tribal population makes up for 8.6% of the total population. Tribal people live in about 15% of the geographical area of the country. 
  • Among them some groups are declared as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) based on the following criteria.

• A pre-agriculture level of technology;

• A stagnant or declining population; 

• Extremely low literacy; and

• A subsistence level of economy.
• In 1973, the Dhebar Commission created Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs) as a separate category, who are less developed among the tribal groups. 
• In 2006, the Government of India renamed the PTGs as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups. 
• 75 tribal groups have been categorized by the Ministry of Home Affairs as PVTGs. 
• PVTGs reside in 18 States and UT of A&N Islands. 
• Among the 75 listed PVTG’s the highest number are found in Odisha (13), followed by Andhra Pradesh (12).
• The Ministry of Tribal Affairs implements the Scheme of “Development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)” exclusively for them.
• PVTGs depend on various livelihoods such as food gathering, Non Timber Forest Produce (NTFP), hunting, livestock rearing, shifting cultivation and artisan works. Most of their livelihoods depend on the forest. 

Odisha is home to 62 tribal communities — the largest diverse groups of tribal population in India. Thirteen of them are PVTGs— Bonda, Birhor, Chuktia Bhunjia, Didayi, Dungaria Kandha, Hill Kharia, Juang, Kutia Kondh, Lanjia Saora, Lodha, Mankirdia, Paudi Bhuyan and Saora.