The Biju Janata Dal government in Odisha on Monday announced a ₹100-crore state-funded scheme to buy 60-odd minor forest produce (MFP), including tamarind, mahua seeds and sal seeds, from around 1 lakh tribals at a minimum support price (MSP) fixed by the state.
The state cabinet, headed by chief minister Naveen Patnaik, met on Monday to announce the ‘Laghu Bana Jatya Drabya Kraya’ scheme, under which SHGs would make the procurements. State-owned TDCCOL would then buy the MFP from the SHGs at a 2% commission. Tribal development department officials said after the collection of the MFPs, the money will be transferred as direct benefit transfers (DBT) to the beneficiaries and SHGs.
“From the new financial year, the procurement system will be automated like the ones in paddy procurement,” a senior official said. The state government will also set up a ₹25-crore tamarind processing plant in Rayagada district.
Though central agency TRIFED used to fix the MSP for minor forest produces in the state, following which state agency TDCCOL procured from the tribals, officials said the process was hampered due to lack of central funding for about a decade. Currently, the state procures MFPs from around 30,000 tribals in the state at the MSP fixed by TRIFED.
“From now on, we will decide the MSP of the 64 notified minor forest products, which will be higher than what TRIFED offered. The MSP will keep changing every year. We expect at least 1 lakh tribals in the state to benefit from this. The new scheme will eliminate the possibility of distress sale of the produce to any middlemen,” another official said.
{{/usCountry}}“From now on, we will decide the MSP of the 64 notified minor forest products, which will be higher than what TRIFED offered. The MSP will keep changing every year. We expect at least 1 lakh tribals in the state to benefit from this. The new scheme will eliminate the possibility of distress sale of the produce to any middlemen,” another official said.
{{/usCountry}}Some of the popular minor forest produce in Odisha are tamarind, mahua seed, sal seed, karanja seed, sal leaves, harida, chironjee seed, lac, honey, gum karya, neem sseeds, kusum seeds, puwad seeds, bahada, hill brooms, shikakai, guggle, bael, nagarmotha, satabari, madhunashini and kalmegh.
Retail sales of these products are currently being carried out under the brand name ‘Adisha’.
Meanwhile, the state cabinet also decided to establish the Commission for Preservation and Promotion of Tribal Languages of Scheduled Tribes of Odisha and passed a resolution reiterating the demand for inclusion of 169 communities in the ST list of the state.
“There are 21 tribal languages in Odisha which the government wants to preserve, promote, develop, disseminate and safeguard of the tribal languages. The commission will encourage multilingual education, documenting and preserving tribal languages, promoting the use of those languages, protecting linguistic rights among several enriching activities for the development of the tribal languages. The commission will also work towards including tribal languages such as Ho, Mundari, Kui and Saora in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution by pursuing with the Centre,” the official added.
In the state education system under the Multilingual Education (MLE) programme, all 21 recognised tribal languages by the state have been included.
The cabinet also decided to rescind the proposal to amend the Orissa Scheduled Areas Transfer of Immovable Property (by Scheduled Tribes) Regulations, 1956 that would have allowed tribals to sell land to non-tribals. Following opposition by the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress, and tribal groups who last year threatened to take to streets claiming that the amendment could lead to exploitation of tribals, the state had kept the amendment on hold.