Onge tribe of Little Andaman
Channel: Margaret Gangte
Date: 2023-02-12

Visit to Onge tribe settlement at  Gundong Creek, Little Andaman.

Her Excellency  Hon'ble President of  India- who is a Santhal tribe of Central India  directed Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India  to focus attention on  Particularly  Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) of India and to pay  site visits  for effective  delivery.

On the instruction  of Her Excellency - Hon'ble President of India , Ministry of  Tribal  Affairs  allocated to me the Onge tribe of Andamans for my field visit.

Courtesy  Tribal Affairs, Government of Andaman & Nicobar. Special thanks  to the Officials who arranged my  official tour comfortable and a memorable  learning experience .

Due to  very  tight schedule of journeys by  air, road and water transport across the islands  resulting in inadequate period  for study, a desired level of study  could not be conducted. Within  constrained  period, I have tried my best to produce the desired result  to sensitize  the Government  on the most needed area for attention.

 I hope that my documents  will open eyes  to give  special attention to  built  sustainable population for the   vanishing tribes; and not to misuse the islands for capitalist greed to launch military station, trade and tourism at the cost of human lives. 

India's naval station should be immediately  abandoned and  population of settlers should be restricted to  not more than  2 lakhs. Only original settlers of British  days should be allowed and the rest  to be screened  meticulously  for  eligibility of residence. Special permits for  immigrant  workers and labourers with allocated period of stay on the islands will help reduce overcrowding of towns & villages. Restricted zones are being trespassed  in the name of  tourism and infrastructure  development.  Incidentally, I have not seen any foreign tourists  during my visit. The absence of foreign tourists  infers that  despite the bountiful natural beauty,  Government  of India has failed to attract  foreign  tourists in  prized  tourist sites.  Instead, encroachment  by  settlers & poachings  by Indian visitors have reduced natural  habitation of  tribes leading to  reduced  forest produce and livelihood leading to  colossal   decline in  tribal population over the years. Unregulated  local  visits  &  migration  posed the single largest  problem for  survival of the tribes of Andaman. One tribe is already extinct. Government has not woken up to  tackle the problem seriously. Onges are below  hundred and the other tribes  are just about  hundreds. 

Government must  take note of the huge disproportionate numbers of  immigrants/ settlers  against declining population of indigenous tribes of Andamans. A balancing  approach should constitute the first immediate step  to  safeguard the interest of vanishing tribes of Andamans. Controlled reduction of human influx in the island habitation by outsiders   will allow  natural space for indigenous people. Constructed human tariff   will also  protect the most vulnerable tribes from modern diseases  creeping  through Government assisted foods, items and  people contact. 

A note of caution  for Government of India is not to use tribes of India as decoration pieces to built image  but to sincerely  empower  them with honest intention   for self support to give them a future of hope, life and security in their own homelands. Do not snatch away life, property and ownership of indigenous  people. 

Margaret Gangte 
Director(Policy Analysis & Policy)
Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Government of India.