Govt. announces six forest-based projects in Naxalite-affected areas

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The Government today announced the launch of six Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP) projects covering about 60 Naxalite-affected districts of the country.

 

The projects, which will be executed in the public-private partnership (PPP) mode, will cover States like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

 

Addressing a national conference on NTFP here, Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said the projects in lac, gum, medicinal plants, tasar, bamboo and non-edible oil seeds like neem and mahua would maximise returns for tribals engaged in collection of these forest products. 

 

He said that expansion of market and regeneration of NTFP in a sustainable manner were among the major challenges facing this sector. 

 

Ramesh said the projects would be part of the National Rural Livelihood Mission and focus primarily on livelihood generation and value addition in the non-timber forest products in Naxalite-affected areas and called for cooperative arrangement between forest departments and the local self-help groups and other such organizations. 

 

He underlined the need for involvement of Panchayats in the execution of projects and stressed the need for large-scale intervention to improve the livelihood security of the people depending on the collection of NTFP. 

 

Ramesh said his Ministry would also explore whether the projects could be converged with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

 

He said the National Rural Livelihoods Mission, Ministry of Rural Development was planning a special intervention to promote NTFP collectives to increase the income of tribal NTFP collectors through sustainable harvest and scientific post-harvest practices for higher returns, negotiate better with market forces while also taking up various value-addition activities at appropriate levels. 

 

The intervention envisages strengthening the NTFP value chain on end-to-end basis and creating strategic public-private partnerships for the benefit of all stakeholders, he added.

 

NNN

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