Context

• Recently, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has called for expanding implementation of the Van Dhan Vikas Yojana in the Union Territory of Ladakh.

Key Details

• The National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) is the implementing agency for the UT of Ladakh.
• It was agreed to formulate and implement the five-step plan for each Van Dhan Vikas Kendra Clusters (VDVKCs).
  1. It involves the identification of items for Procurement of MFPS in each VDVKC and strengthening it with a planned development of infrastructure including Procurement Sheds and godowns.
  2. It entails the appointment of Local NGOs or NRLM Officials as Mentors for each Cluster as per guidelines issued.
  3. It will require the preparation of a Business Plan for each cluster for taking up Value addition and other formalities including opening of bank account and setting up of signages and Boards for identification of each VDVK Cluster and VDVK.
  4. It envisages the Planning and facilitating of each Cluster into Production, Branding, Packaging and Sale of its selected products as per the Business Plan.
  5. The ESDP, SFURTI (Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries) and TRIFOOD schemes will be converged with respective clusters gradually to expand the scope of programme.

Back to Basics

About Van Dhan Tribal Startup

• It is an initiative implemented by TRIFED towards income and livelihood generation of the tribal population.
• It is a programme for value addition, branding & marketing of Minor Forest Produces.
• It aims to provide remunerative and fair prices to tribal gatherers of forest produces, almost three times higher than would be available to them from middle men, trebling their incomes.

About Van Dhan Vikas Yojana

• It is an initiative of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
• The TRIFED (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India) is the nodal agency at National level.
• Under the scheme, a large number of tribal community owned Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) have been set up in predominantly forested tribal districts.
• It is a Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP) & Development of Value Chain.
  • The MSP For MFP Scheme aims to provide remunerative and fair prices to tribal gatherers of forest produces, almost three times higher than would be available to them from middle men, trebling their incomes.

Objectives of Van Dhan Vikas Yojana

• It aims to tap into traditional knowledge & skill sets of tribals by adding technology & IT to upgrade it at each stage and to convert the tribal wisdom into a viable economic activity.
• It is aimed at the economic development of tribals by helping them in optimum utilisation of natural resources.
• The Van Dhan Vikas Kendras are providing skill up-gradation and capacity building training, and set up primary processing and value addition facilities in the tribal regions.

Significance of Van Dhan Vikas Yojana

• It is an initiative targeting livelihood generation for tribals by harnessing the wealth of forest.
• It has proved to be successful within a year of its implementation, with the establishment of 1,205 tribal enterprises.

• It has provided employment opportunities to 3.6 lakh tribal gatherers and 18,000 self-help groups in 22 States.

Source: PIB

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