NEW DELHI: In a bid to promote tribal commerce, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has decided to digitise information related to forest dwellers. The Tribal Co-operative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) in its digitisation drive will now promote tribal commerce.
The drive will map and link village-based tribal producers and artisans to national and international markets by setting up state of art e-platforms. The strategy is aimed to promote tribal commerce.
The TRIFED will digitise forest dwellers associated with the Van Dhan Yojana, village haats and their warehouses. In the digitisation effort, tribal clusters will be identified and mapped using GIS technology. Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, stocks by tribal artisans worth Rs 100 crore were lying unsold, according to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
The TRIFED has purchased more than 1 lakh items and launched a plan to market those unsold goods online, according to the ministry. The mechanism for marketing of minor forest produce (MFP) through minimum support price has boosted the tribal economy in 21 states by more than Rs 3,000 crore, according to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. Around 100 million forest dwellers depend on MFP for food, shelter, medicines and having cash with them, according to the Centre.
They derive 20-40 per cent of their annual income from MFP. Among the states, Chhattisgarh has procured 46654 metric tonnes of MFPs worth a Rs 105.96 crore, Odisha and Telangana procured of 14188 MTs of MFPs worth Rs 30.01 crore and 5323 MTs of MFPs worth Rs 2.35 crore respectively. The Centre had launched a programme in which 5,000 youth from the ST community would be given skills in tribal entrepreneurship through digital platforms. The programme aims to connect tribal youths to domestic and international markets.
States procurement of MFPs
Chhattisgarh has procured 46654 metric tonnes of MFPs worth Rs I105.96 crore, Odisha and Telangana procured of 14188 MTs of MFPs worth I30.01 crore and 5323 MTs of MFPs worth I2.35 crore
respectively.