BHUBANESWAR: In a significant move ahead of the elections, the Odisha government on Monday announced a state-funded minimum support price (MSP) scheme for minor forest produce (MFP) and the establishment of a commission for preservation of tribal languages.
The state cabinet, presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, said the decisions will empower one crore tribals of the state.
Under the fully state-funded scheme LABHA (Laghu Bana Jatya Drabya Kraya) Yojana, the minimum support price for MFPs will be fixed by the government every year. Tribals who constitute 99 per cent of primary collectors of MFPs will be able to sell the produce at collection centres of Tribal Development Cooperative Corporation of Odisha Limited (TDCCOL).
ST and ST Development minister Jagannath Saraka, Revenue and Disaster Management minister Sudam Marndi and chief secretary PK Jena told mediapersons that LABHA Yojana will be synchronised with Mission Shakti’s women SHGs .
The procurement centres will be managed by SHGs or other notified agency assisted by TDCCOL. The SHGs and other agencies will receive a commission of two per cent. The procurement automation system will capture the total collection of MFP, details of primary collector and the procurement points. This will ensure transparency for the benefit of the tribals, they said.
To further benefit the tribals, the state government will set up a `25 crore tamarind processing plant at Rayagada which will use tamarind procured through LABHA Yojana for value addition. The scheme will eliminate distress sale to middlemen. The cabinet also approved a proposal for establishment of a commission for the preservation and promotion of tribal languages.
Power to tribals
LABHA Yojana:
MSP for MFPs by the government every year
Tribals can sell produce at TDCCOL collection centres
Procurement automation system in place
Tribal land transfer plan rescinded
Since the government plans to preserve 21 tribal languages, the new commission will encourage multi-lingual education, document and preserve the languages, promote their use and protect linguistic rights. All the 21 tribal languages have been included in the multilingual education (MLE) programme run by the state government.
The cabinet also decided to rescind the contentious decision taken on November 14 last year to amend the Odisha Scheduled Areas Transfer of Immovable Property (By Scheduled Tribe) Regulation, 1956. Facing severe backlash, the government on November 24 had recommended the matter to the Tribes Advisory Council (TAC) for reconsideration of its proposal to amend the regulation.
The cabinet also passed a unanimous resolution reiterating the demand for inclusion of 169 communities in the ST list of Odisha. Besides, inclusion of Ho, Mundari, Kui and Saora languages in the eighth schedule of the constitution was demanded.