The Mankidia community has become the sixth Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) in Odisha to receive habitat rights over forests, making it the second PVTG to be formally recognized in the state.

This recognition, sanctioned under the Forest Rights Act of 2006, highlights the approval of district-level committees for four other communities seeking similar rights.

Mankidia Community

• They are classified as a Scheduled Tribe by the Indian government.

• The Mankidia are an ethnic offshoot of the Birhor Tribe.

• They specialize in catching monkeys (called Mankada in Odia), hence their name was derived from the name that neighbouring tribes called them.

• People believe that their origin is from Chota Nagpur Plateau.

• They might have migrated to different parts of Odisha and finally settled in the hilly areas.

• Lives in Simlipal Tiger Reserve