Consider the following statements about Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in India:1.PVTGs reside in 18 States and one Union Territory.2.A stagnant or declining population is one of the criteria for determining PVTG status.3.There are 95 PVTGs officially notified in the country so far.4.Irular and Konda Reddi tribes are included in the list of PVTGs.Which of the statements given above are correct?

1. A

   1, 2 and 3

   (a) 1, 2 and 3. Statement 3 is wrong: the Union list of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups has 75 groups, not 95. A code that keeps 95 therefore cannot be the key.

2. B

   2,3 and 4

   (b) 2, 3 and 4. It keeps the false count of 95 PVTGs and drops statement 1, which is right: the groups live in 18 States and one Union Territory (the Andaman and Nicobar Islands). That mix is not the key.

3. C

   1,2 and 4

   (c) 1, 2 and 4. PVTGs are notified in 18 States and one UT. A stagnant or declining population is one of the Dhebar/Ministry criteria used to identify them. Irular (Tamil Nadu) and Konda Reddi (Andhra Pradesh/Telangana) are on the list. The official tally is 75 groups, so statement 3 is false. That combination is the official key.

4. D

   1,3 and 4

   (d) 1, 3 and 4. It restores the wrong figure of 95 and drops the population-criterion statement, which is true. It is not the key.

Summary. Official key is (c). Statements 1, 2 and 4 are correct and 3 is not. PVTGs live in 18 States and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Identification uses a stagnant or declining population among other Dhebar criteria. Seventy-five groups are notified — 95 is a trap — and Irular and Konda Reddi are on that list. Codes that keep 95 fail.