Free, Prior, Informed Consent of PVTGs is the litmus test of inclusive development. Evaluate in the context of the Shompen community.

Q. Free, Prior, Informed Consent of PVTGs is the litmus test of inclusive development. Evaluate in the context of the Shompen community. (15 marks, 250 words)

Free, Prior, Informed Consent (FPIC) treats indigenous consent as a precondition of development, not an afterthought. For the ~237-strong Shompen—a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG)—it is the real test of whether the ₹72,000-crore Great Nicobar Project [2] is genuinely inclusive.

Why FPIC is the litmus test - The Shompen are pre-agricultural, forest-dependent hunter-gatherers with a small, fragile population; even limited disruption imperils survival [1]. - Inclusive development demands agency, not top-down welfare—consent operationalises tribal dignity and the principle that PVTGs must grow "at their own pace" [5].

Consent safeguards in the project - Government asserts no displacement of Shompen/Nicobarese and a net increase in notified tribal reserve via re-notification, aligned with the Shompen Policy 2015 [1]. - A regulated framework with 42 EC conditions and forest diversion capped at 1.82% of A&N cover [4].

Where the FPIC test is strained - The Social Impact Assessment and public hearing reportedly proceeded without meaningful Shompen participation; an isolated PVTG cannot give truly informed consent on a mega-project [3]. - Portions of the tribal reserve were de-notified—an asymmetry of power the FPIC standard is meant to correct [3].

Measured against FPIC, the project delivers safeguards but not genuine consent. Making consultation precede clearances—through PM-JANMAN and faithful Shompen Policy implementation—can reconcile strategic imperatives with tribal dignity, advancing SDG-10's pledge to leave no one behind [5].

(~250 words)

Sources: 1. Great Nicobar Project — Strategic Importance, Sustainable Development (PIB) — Shompen/Nicobarese profile, no-displacement claim, net increase in tribal reserve, Shompen Policy 2015 alignment 2. Great Nicobar Project: FAQs (PIB) — ~₹72,000-crore project outlay 3. Parliament Question: Great Nicobar Island Project (PIB) — consultation/SIA process and tribal-reserve changes 4. Environmental impact assessment of the Great Nicobar Island Project (PIB) — 42 EC conditions, 1.82% forest diversion, regulated clearance framework 5. Let PVTGs of A&N Islands grow at their own pace — Lt. Governor (PIB) — PVTG autonomy principle underpinning FPIC and inclusive development