Mining enclaves inhabited by Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in Odisha display the dynamic of exclusionary development that creates spaces of relentless accumulation alongside precarity. There is a need to make sense of the mineral-based development strategy, which is constituted by and constitutive of spatialisation of tribal precarity. It is also essential to examine how the mining-affected PVTGs exercise their agency to deal with precarity. Extant Indian literature does not specify how spatialisation of precarity takes shape through mining industrialisation for PVTGs. Based on multi-site case studies in four mining enclaves inhabited by PVTGs and utilising ethnographic data, the study explores the intersectionality between mining, precarity, and PVTG agency. The PVTGs, who are recognised as &lsquoin&rsquo but not &lsquoof&rsquo the mining society, are precariously hanging onto casual labour in mining industries. They are subject to the conditions and demands set by the employers. Mining companies encroach upon the territories of PVTGs, disrupting their traditional livelihoods, yet exhibit minimal effort to integrate them into the mining industry. Despite their diverse locations, mining industrialisation has aggravated the development and democratic challenges faced by PVTGs.

Keywords: Mining, PVTG, Precarity, Agency, Space, Odisha.