Utkal University’s landmark study uncovers Odisha PVTGs’ cultural strengths amid deep health and nutrition challenges

THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

BHUBANESWAR, JULY 20, 2026

In one of the most comprehensive field-based studies ever conducted on Odisha’s Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), the Centre of Excellence in Studies on Tribal and Marginalized Communities (CoE-STMC), Utkal University, has released a landmark Technical Report mapping the socio-cultural, demographic and nutritional health status of these communities.

The report, released by the Governor of Odisha and Chancellor of Utkal University, Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati, at Lok Bhavan, presents an evidence-based assessment of both the resilience and pressing developmental challenges faced by the state’s most marginalised tribal populations, while recommending that the research model be expanded across Eastern India and eventually to all 75 PVTGs in the country.

The interdisciplinary study covered 10 of Odisha’s 13 PVTGs — the Bonda, Didayi, Dongria Kandha, Kutia Kandha, Juang, Paudi Bhuiya, Hill Kharia, Mankidia, Lodha and Lanjia Saora communities — across the tribal-dominated districts of Malkangiri, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Deogarh, Mayurbhanj and Gajapati. Researchers surveyed 9,222 individuals from 2,041 households using a combination of ethnographic fieldwork, structured household surveys, anthropometric assessments and documentation of tribal languages, oral traditions and socio-economic profiles.

The report highlights encouraging signs of cultural continuity and demographic potential. It notes that family planning awareness has reached 68 percent, with the Juang and Dongria Kandha communities demonstrating particularly strong antenatal care coverage. Nutritional indicators have also shown partial improvement in several groups. Importantly, the study points to a significant demographic advantage, with nearly half of the PVTG population below the age of 19, presenting a major opportunity for long-term social and economic development.

Despite these positive trends, the findings reveal persistent health and nutrition concerns requiring urgent policy attention. Non-literacy remains at 39 percent, while access to housing, sanitation and electricity continues to be uneven across communities. Maternal and menstrual health indicators remain weak, with only 19 percent of women reporting the use of sanitary napkins. Chronic undernutrition continues to affect children, with height-for-age and weight-for-age measurements remaining below World Health Organization standards. At the same time, the study identifies an emerging dual burden of adult metabolic risk, with anaemia affecting 37 percent of adult men alongside early signs of hypertension and prediabetes. The report also notes that more than half of adult women suffer from anaemia and that 59 percent of childbirths still take place at home.

Emphasising the need for community-specific interventions, Dr. Subhendu Kumar Acharya, Scientist at ICMR–Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC), Bhubaneswar, and Co-Lead of the study, said, “Considering the high cultural diversity among the communities, although many of the difficulties and needs of the tribal people are largely similar, a single, one-size-fits-all solution is not useful. Therefore, there is a need for PVTG-specific and culturally sensitive development plans to address their issues around education, livelihood diversification, housing and basic amenity development, language revitalisation, digital preservation of oral literature, strengthening of maternal and child health services, institutional delivery, universal iron-folic acid distribution, non-communicable disease (NCD) screening, universal access to safe and clean drinking water, sanitation, electricity facilities, and the problem of school dropouts. Along with this, continuous monitoring, intervention, and impact evaluation, based on disaggregated data are essential.”

The report also recommends migration-sensitive policies, youth capacity-building initiatives, expansion of land rights, support for agroforestry, non-timber forest produce value chains and micro-enterprises, adolescent-friendly reproductive health services, stronger antenatal and postnatal care, community-based growth monitoring, early NCD screening and surveillance, anti-tobacco and anti-alcohol behaviour-change programmes, and long-term research on nutrition transitions, reproductive health, traditional food systems and ethnomedicine.

Reflecting on the findings, Prof. Prasanna Kumar Patra, Coordinator of CoE-STMC, Utkal University, said, “What stands out most in this study is the sheer resilience of these communities — their oral traditions, governance systems and ecological knowledge have survived intact and are now finding new life within the Panchayati Raj framework, and with nearly half the PVTG population under 19, Odisha has a genuine demographic dividend within its tribal areas. But that resilience should not obscure how serious the health situation remains: anaemia in more than half of adult women, high childhood stunting, and a home-delivery rate of 59 percent tell us that basic maternal and nutritional care is still not reaching these communities consistently. These are solvable problems, but they need sustained interventions.”

The findings are expected to serve as an important evidence base for the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in shaping future policies on PVTG welfare, healthcare, education and livelihoods. Highlighting the wider significance of the research, Utkal University has proposed that similar interdisciplinary studies be undertaken in PVTG-concentrated states such as Jharkhand, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh before being progressively extended to cover all 75 PVTGs across India, thereby creating a comprehensive national evidence base for informed policymaking.

Describing the study as a model for policy-oriented academic research, Prof. Chandi Prasad Nanda, Vice Chancellor of Utkal University, said, “This report is exactly the kind of evidence-based, field-rooted research a university should be producing in service of the state and the nation. It gives policymakers a clear, current picture of where our PVTG communities stand - their strengths as well as their vulnerabilities - and Utkal University stands ready to extend this model across Eastern India and, eventually, to all 75 PVTGs of the country.”

A digital copy of the technical report has also been made available, providing policymakers, researchers and development practitioners with an updated and comprehensive reference on the socio-cultural, demographic and health status of Odisha’s Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups.