Concept:
Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), formerly known as Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs), were created on the recommendation of the Dhebar Commission (1973).
PVTGs are characterized by pre-agricultural level of technology, stagnant or declining population, extremely low literacy, and subsistence-level economic existence (75 designated groups in India).
This question requires identifying which of the listed tribal groups are classified as PVTGs.
Step 1: Evaluating the Listed Tribal Groups:
1. Birhor (B): A nomadic hunter-gatherer and rope-making tribe of Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal; officially classified as a PVTG.
2. Chenchu (C): A food-gathering and hunting tribe inhabiting the Nallamala hills of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana; officially classified as a PVTG.
3. Shompen (D): An isolated hunter-gatherer group inhabiting the interior tropical rainforests of Great Nicobar Island; officially classified as a PVTG.
4. Apatani (A): Inhabiting the Ziro Valley of Arunachal Pradesh, the Apatani are renowned for highly advanced, prosperous wet-rice cultivation and integrated pisciculture. They are a Scheduled Tribe (ST) but are not classified as a PVTG.
Step 2: Selecting the Correct Combination:
The PVTGs in the list are Birhor (B), Chenchu (C), and Shompen (D).
Step 3: Final Answer:
Therefore, Option (D) containing (B), (C), and (D) only is the correct answer.