Rural road connectivity is a necessary but not sufficient condition for inclusive growth among PVTGs. Discuss.

Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) are 75 communities in 18 States and one UT. They live in small, remote habitations and are the most deprived among Scheduled Tribes. PM-JANMAN (2023) plans 8,000 km of roads for them [1]. Access has to come first, but a road only opens the door. Inclusive growth depends on what reaches the village along it.

Why connectivity is necessary

• Livelihoods: All-weather roads cut travel time and transport costs. This lets PVTGs sell forest produce and take up non-farm work. The NRIDA–IIM Kolkata impact study tracks exactly these channels [2].
• Services: Roads bring schools, health centres and banks within reach. The same study measures education, healthcare and financial-service outcomes [2].
• Enabler for other schemes: PM-JANMAN's housing, water, electricity and telecom work all need physical access for materials and staff [1].
• Policy recognition: PMGSY-IV has lower population cut-offs: 250+ in Schedule V areas and 100+ in LWE districts [3].

Why it is not sufficient

• Exclusion by threshold: Hamlets below these cut-offs still get no road [3].
• Decaying assets: 41% of PMGSY roads are in poor condition because States have not given enough maintenance funds. Contractors' low-tendering also weakens quality [4]. Once the road wears out, the gains fade.
• Hard terrain: Only 56% of LWE-area road work (RCPLWEA) was complete by January 2023. Forest clearances and law-and-order problems slowed it down [4].
• Capability gaps: Without literacy, skills and good health, a road may bring middlemen and outside traders rather than income. It also carries risks of land alienation and cultural erosion.
• Outputs, not outcomes: Kilometres built do not show welfare gained. That is why a baseline–endline impact assessment has now been commissioned [2].

Way forward

• Converge roads with PM-JANMAN's health, education and livelihood components in the same habitations [1].
• Secure upkeep: Every State should adopt a maintenance policy, and e-MARG should be used to enforce the five-year maintenance contracts [5].
• Plan with the community: Involve Gram Sabhas in choosing road alignments, in the spirit of the Fifth Schedule.
• Use the study's PVTG-specific findings to design later phases.

Roads are the base of PVTG inclusion, but they need to be backed by capabilities, services and maintenance. Combining connectivity with community-led convergence can turn access into lasting well-being. That serves Article 46's mandate to promote the interests of Scheduled Tribes and SDG 10 on reducing inequality.