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Dongria Kondh: a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group of Odisha

19 October 2026 · ⏱ 2 മിനിറ്റ് · GS-I/II: Tribal communities and welfare

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വാർത്തയിൽ എന്തുകൊണ്ട്?

Which hills do the Dongria Kondh call sacred? The PVTG and forest-rights link GS-I/II keeps testing

The Dongria Kondh of the Niyamgiri hills, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group, practise hill cultivation and are central to forest-rights debates.

Why it matters: factual, Prelims-type

Dongria Kondh: a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group of Odisha
Shiv's fotografia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
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What you need to know

2 മിനിറ്റ്

The Dongria Kondh are a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group living in the Niyamgiri hills of Odisha.

They are known for their hill-slope mixed and shifting cultivation and for the long campaign to protect Niyamgiri, which they hold sacred, from bauxite mining.

They are often cited in discussions of forest rights and tribal welfare.

ഉറവിടങ്ങൾ: Topper IAS editorial (PIB / The Hindu / Indian Express)

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പ്രധാന വസ്തുതകൾ

Remember these

  • The Dongria Kondh are a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) of Odisha
  • They live in the Niyamgiri hills, which they hold sacred
  • They practise hill-slope mixed and shifting cultivation
  • They campaigned for years to protect Niyamgiri from bauxite mining
  • The Supreme Court's 2013 Niyamgiri ruling let the Gram Sabhas decide under the Forest Rights Act, 2006
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പ്രിലിംസ് · മെയിൻസ്

How the exam will ask it

പ്രിലിംസ്

  • The Dongria Kondh are a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) found in the Niyamgiri hills of Odisha.
  • The Niyamgiri hills are sacred to the Dongria Kondh, who opposed bauxite mining there.
  • PVTGs are identified for special attention because of declining or stagnant population, pre-agricultural technology and low literacy.

മെയിൻസ്

GS-I/II: Tribal communities and welfare. The Niyamgiri case pits mining-led development against sacred landscapes and tribal livelihoods; the Forest Rights Act, 2006 gives Gram Sabhas a decisive voice, and the 2013 Supreme Court ruling upheld it. The way forward is genuine free, prior and informed consent, effective PVTG development plans and livelihood support that respects tribal culture.

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Quick recall

Answer before you reveal

The Dongria Kondh, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group of Odisha, live in and around which hill range, sacred to them?

  1. Mahendragiri
  2. Gandhamardan
  3. Deomali
  4. Niyamgiri
ഉത്തരം കാണിക്കൂ

ഉത്തരം: D — The correct answer is Niyamgiri, the hill range sacred to the Dongria Kondh in Odisha.

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