Context: Recently, the report of Covid-19 cases among the members of the Great Andamanese tribe is a matter of concern as the total population of the tribe is already low.

Great Andaman Tribe

• The Great An­damanese are one of five PVTGs that reside in the An­damans archipelago.
• The Great Andamanese tribe is settled presently on the Strait Island by the Andaman & Nicobar Administration.
• It is one of the endangered PVTGs of the region.
• The Great Andamanese speak Jeru among themselves.
• The five PVTGS residing in Andamans are Great Andama­nese, Jarawas, Onges, Shom­pens and North Sentinelese.

Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)

• PVTGs are centrally recognized special category from among the Scheduled Tribes and were constituted during the 4th five-year plan on the basis of the report of the Dhebar Commission (1960-61).
• There are 75 centrally recognized PVTGs in the country.
• Odisha houses for 13 PVTGs which is the highest among all the states.

Features to identify such groups

• Existence of pre-agricultural practices,
• Practice of hunting and gathering,
• Zero or negative population growth and relatively low level of literacy as compared to other tribal groups.
• Note: The communities were identified based on the recommendations of Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs) of the respective state governments.

Other Tribes of the land

• Onges: Onges are one of the most primitive tribes in India, they are inhabiting the Little Andaman Island.
• Jarawas: The Jarawas inhabit presently the Western coast of Middle Andaman and South Andaman Islands. 
• Sentinelese: The Sentinelese tribe inhabits the small North Sentinel Island.
• Shompen Tribe: One of the least known particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.