In News:

The Katkari tribe, one of India’s Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), continues to face structural marginalisation, landlessness, bonded labour, and livelihood precarity. To highlight these long-standing injustices, the Shramjeevi Organisation has announced a two-day protest titled ‘Aatmakalesh se Aatmanirdhar’ (From Anguish to Resolve), featuring silent fasts and symbolic lamp-lighting across villages in Maharashtra’s Thane district.

About the Katkari Tribe

Classification & Distribution

• A PVTG—one among the 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups of India.
• Primarily concentrated in Maharashtra (Pune, Raigad, Thane, and Palghar districts) and parts of Gujarat.
• Historically forest-dependent tribal community.

Cultural Features

• Also known as Kathodis, due to their traditional occupation of preparing Katha (Catechu) from the sap of Acacia catechu (Khair tree).
• Traditionally consumed rodents, a reflection of their unique food culture.
• Housing: Many still reside in bamboo huts and forest-based structures.
• Family Structure: Despite a patriarchal system, they largely follow nuclear family setups rather than joint families.

Language

• Bilingual community.
• Speak the Katkari language within the group and Marathi with others; some speak Hindi as well.

Livelihoods

• Dominated by agricultural labour, sale of firewood, fishing, coal making, and brick manufacturing.
• Seasonal migration is common due to limited livelihood options.
• Possess extensive knowledge of uncultivated foods — fish, crabs, small fauna, tubers, wild vegetables, nuts, fruits, etc.
• Landlessness is severe:
  • About 87% of Katkari households are landless (vs. 48% national rural average).
  • High landlessness → rampant migration, vulnerability to exploitation, and unstable incomes.

Contemporary Issues Faced by the Katkaris

• Bonded labour and trafficking continue to affect segments of the community.
• Unpaid wages and limited access to social protection schemes.
• Breakdown of education among children due to seasonal migration of families.
• Weak implementation of:
  • Forest Rights Act (FRA) land titles
  • Village rehabilitation schemes
  • Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA/MNREGA) payments
• Rising issues of alcohol abuse, livelihood insecurity, and lack of government follow-through on rehabilitation commitments.

Significance

• Highlights persistent vulnerability among India’s PVTGs despite decades of welfare schemes.
• Calls attention to landlessness and migration as structural issues aggravating poverty.
• Reaffirms the need for targeted tribal development, effective FRA implementation, and monitoring of labour rights.
• Aligns with the broader national effort to focus on PVTG development, especially under the government’s PVTG Mission and tribal empowerment initiatives.