New Delhi: Niti Aayog and TRIFED (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited) have joined hands for successful implementation of ‘Van Dhan Yojana’ in tribal clusters of aspirational districts of the country. The collaboration and partnership is aimed at a complete transformation of the tribal ecosystem across the country.
As a follow-up for the implementation of the Van Dhan Yojana in the Tribal Aspirational Districts, TRIFED team briefed about the Van Dhan Yojana to the District Magistrates and District Collectors of these districts in a meeting chaired by CEO, Niti Aayog, Amitabh Kant.
The Van Dhan, tribal start-ups and the mechanism for marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP) and development of value chain for MFP’, Scheme that provides MSP to gatherers of forest produces and introduce value addition and marketing through tribal groups and clusters are among the many initiatives of TRIFED, Ministry of Tribal Affairs that have proved helpful by generating employment and income for the tribal population.
As per TRIFED, 37,904 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs), subsumed into 2,275 Van Dhan Vikas Kendra Clusters (VDVKCs) of 300 forest dwellers each have been sanctioned by it as of date.
A typical Van Dhan Vikas Kendra includes 20 tribal members — 15 such Van Dhan Vikas Kendras form one Van Dhan Vikas Kendra Cluster.
The Van Dhan Vikas Kendra Clusters will provide economies of scale, livelihood and market-linkages, as well as entrepreneurship opportunities to nearly 6.77 lakh tribal forest gatherers in 27 states and 2 UTs. A total of 50 lakh tribals have been impacted by the Van Dhan start-ups programme until now. This plan has proved to be a boon during the pandemic times with dwindling livelihoods for the marginalised.
With good planning and implementation, TRIFED and its State Agency partners in 27 states, have brought about a paradigm shift in the program outcomes. TRIFED’s Van Dhan Yojana is in different stages of implementation in the 124 districts which have been declared as Aspirational Districts. This can be extended to all tribal clusters of Aspirational districts.
