The civil society groups have said that the draft National Forest Policy 2018, despite some stated objectives, does not appear  to be for conservation and regeneration of forests but for capture of forests by private, corporate entities through PPPs, production forestry, increasing productivity of plantations, production of quality timber (and not fuelwood or fodder for communities), and facilitating forest-industry interface.

Reacting to the draft National Policy, 2018 that has been put up on the website for public  comments by the government, the civil society groups have sought an explanation from the Ministry on as to why a draft policy written in collaboration with civil society was retracted, why no reference to such a draft is being made anywhere and why it had to be revised.

The reference to Forest Policy 1988 is a tokenism since there is no reason why the core perspectives, principles and strategies of the current policy are being watered down, with the proposed policy moving in a different direction, which is mainly about industry and forest department take-over, without any recognition that people’s protection efforts contributed to forest cover improving, the civil society has said. 

Natural forests serve as a gene pool resource and help to maintain ecological balance. Such forests should not, therefore, be made available to industries for undertaking plantation and for any other activities. The total forest cover in 2017, even in a contested definition of “forest cover” is just 21.54% as against a target of 33% which makes it an absolute imperative that no diversion can take place.

Pointing out that for forest communities, forests are a source of their food, nutrition, livelihood, collective memory and a vital link between their past and present, the groups have said the draft Policy needs to recognize and lay adequate emphasis on the immense contribution of forests as food and nutrition producing habitats. Such a policy thrust will contribute to improve forest biodiversity, forest protection and also the indigenous forest-based economy and food cultures.. These foods are available round the year, equitably accessible to all and encompass the forest people’s life as a safety net, a source of vital nutrients, rare delicacies, cultural relatedness, and social rootedness. The prevalent market price of foods fails to fully capture its value as it saves lives during periods of food scarcity, prevents endemic malnutrition and provides important therapeutic solutions.

A recognition of women’s contribution is clearly spelt out in the 1988 policy. Years later, a new legal regime also got set up around forest rights, through the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, which is usually referred to as the Forest Rights Act or FRA. It is important that rights of indigenous communities and traditional forest dwellers as contained in FRA 2006 should be upheld to ensure that migrant encroachers in addition to corporate entities do not usurp these rights. 

Agriculture in and around forests should be sustainable, devoid of any chemicals or transgenics, and based on regenerative agro-ecological principles. This has to be an integral part of any forest policy in the country, to sustain the forest as well as the farming eco-systems and the communities, the civil society groups have said.

India, through the existing Forest Policy of 1988 and FRA 2006, has the required correct perspectives towards forest management by providing ownership and management to adivasis and other traditional forest dwellers, and in that sense, prioritized its forest policy thrust in a win-win approach for forests/wildlife and adivasis/traditional forest dwellers. State-managed forestry and revenue maximization by industry have already been relegated to a backseat and rightly so. In such a context, it is unclear why we need a new revised policy at all and why the forest department cannot work through the local institutions that FRA operates through, the CSOs have said in their response adding that they could speculate that this new policy draft is an exercise to provide a basis for CAF 2016, with the funding for implementation of the proposed policy coming from Compensatory Afforestation Funds.

“We would like to say that the challenge being faced by the Government, as articulated in this draft Forest Policy, cannot be defined as finding a way out of an ecological disaster but rather as motivating the citizens of the nation and collaborating with them/supporting them to take charge of their responsibility to future generations, leaving a greener, cleaner, cooler and purer environment than what we have inherited. This latter approach is certainly possible and should be the main thrust, “ they have said.

The United Nations refugee agency and the Government of Bangladesh on Friday signed a cooperation agreement on the safe, dignified return of Rohingya refugees to their homes in Myanmar, “once conditions there are conducive.”

Noting that such conditions are not present at the moment, the UN refugee agency urged Myanmar authorities to create them as well as to take concrete measures to address the root causes of displacement.

“The responsibility for creating such conditions remains with the Myanmar authorities, and these must go beyond the preparation of physical infrastructure to facilitate logistical arrangements,” the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stressed.

The agency also noted that in the absence of a UNHCR-Myanmar-Bangladesh agreement, it has continued to engage with both Governments in negotiations on two separate memoranda of understanding (MOUs), meant to ensure that any future returns are conducted in line with the international standards.

More than 670,000 members of the Muslim minority Rohingya community fled violence in Myanmar since August 2017, joining an estimated 200,000 Rohingya who have sought shelter in Bangladesh, arriving in waves over the past decades.

According to UNHCR, the refugees have said that before considering return to Myanmar, they would need to see concrete progress in relation to their legal status and citizenship, security, and their ability to enjoy basic rights at home in Rakhine state.

UNHCR also urged the Myanmar Government to immediately provide full and unhindered access to refugees’ places of origin in Rakhine, which would enable it to assess the situation and provide information to refugees about conditions in the places of origin, as well as to monitor any 

possible future return and reintegration of refugees.

“Another practical measure would be to ease restrictions on movement for the internally displaced persons encamped in the central townships of Rakhine state, which would also help to build confidence among refugees in Bangladesh,” it added.

“Such concrete measures would help demonstrate to refugees that the Government of Myanmar is committed to a sustainable solution.”

NEW DELHI : The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said the Government is promoting the emergence of India as a medical destination to the world. Addressing the 127th Founder’s Day Celebrations of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here today, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has taken several steps towards boosting medical tourism such as extending e-Visa to 161 countries. Besides, the MHA has extended the duration of stay on e-Visa from 30 to 60 days and also allowed triple entry in e-Medical Visa cases.

Speaking about the Health Sector, Rajnath Singh said in a country of 125 crore people, providing Healthcare to all is a huge challenge. We have very skewed doctor-patient ratio. If we see Health Sector spending, it constitutes just 1.16 percent of the GDP. But we are determined to increase it significantly, at least to 2.5 percent.

He said given the huge income disparity in India, the Prime Minister Narenda Modi introduced the Ayushman Bharat scheme to provide the best healthcare for the poor and needy. He said Ayushman Bharat is the National Health Protection Scheme, which will cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries), providing medical insurance cover up to Rupees 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.

The Union Home Minister said providing universal healthcare will not be possible without the participation of the private sector. “You will agree that whereas people should get affordable healthcare they should also get universal health cover. To ensure Care and Cover both, we need huge investment in health sector. This can happen only with active contribution of private sector,” said Rajnath Singh. “We see private sector in health sector as our strategic partner,” he added.

Rajnath Singh said the basic rule for good health is hygiene and the Swachh Bharat Mission has been launched by the Prime Minister as the first step towards achieving the goal of universal healthcare.

CHENNAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday declared that India’s commitment to peace was just as strong as its commitment to protecting its people and the country’s territory.

Inaugurating the Defexpo’s 10th edition on the East Coast Road near here in the historic region of Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Modi said the government was ready to take all necessary measures to equip the armed forces, including through the establishment of a strategically independent defence industrial complex.

In a veiled message to the neighbouring nations, particularly China with whom India’s border is yet to be settled and territorial disputes keep sprouting, Mr. Modi said India has never desired anyone’s territory. 

“India believes in winning hearts, message of peace and universal brotherhood has been spread since vedic times,’’ he said while referring to the spread of Buddhism to the world and Emperor Ashoka’s strength to protect highest ideals of humanity.

Stating that there was a time when the critical issue of defence preparedness was hampered by policy paralysis, he quipped:  Â“We have seen the damage such laziness, incompetence or perhaps some hidden motives, can cause to the nation. Not now, Not anymore, Never again.”

He said the government successfully resolved the issue of providing bullet proof jackets to Indian soldiers which was kept hanging for years. His oblique attack was directed at the Congress President Rahul Gandhi who has alleged scam in defence deals, particularly Rafale fighter aircraft deal with France.  

“We have brought the process to a successful conclusion with a contract that will provide a boost to defence manufacturing in India”, he said.  

Mr. Modi said the government has not only taken bold action to meet critical requirements of the forces, but also initiated a new process to procure 110 fighter aircrafts, adding the government would not wait for 10 years to procure arms for the forces.

The Prime Minister underlined a number of steps taken by his government over the last few years towards ease of doing business in India. “On defence manufacturing licenses, on defence offsets, on defence exports clearances, on Foreign Direct Investment in defence manufacturing, and on reforming our defence procurement, we have taken many steps,’’ he told the gathering.

Mr. Modi said the defence procurement procedure has been revised with many specific provisions for stimulating growth of domestic defence industry. 

Quoting figures to bolster his arguments, Mr. Modi said in May 2014, the total number of defence export permission granted stood at 118, for a total value of 577 million dollars. “In less than four years, we have issued 794 more export permissions, for a total value of over 1.3 billion dollars,” he said.

“We are committed to establishing two Defence industrial corridors – one in Tamil Nadu and another in Uttar Pradesh. These will utilize defence manufacturing ecosystems in the regions and further build upon it. The corridors will become engines of economic development and growth of 

defence industrial base,’’ he said.

The Prime Minister who formally launched the ‘Innovation for Defence Excellence’ (IDEX) scheme at Defexpo, said it will set up defence innovation hubs throughout the country to provide necessary incubation and infrastructure support to the start-ups in defence sector will be encouraged.  

His nearly half-an-hour speech laid down the government’s roadmap to take India to its goal of being one of key makers and exporters of defence equipment.

He reminded the people that Tamil Nadu is the land of the great Cholas who established India’s historical civilization links through trade and education. “India is a land of glorious maritime legacy, and Tamil Nadu has been at the forefront of that legacy. This is the land from where India Looked East and Acted East for thousands of years,’’ he added.

Noting that over 500 Indian companies and over 150 foreign companies are participating in the DefExpo 2018 and more than 40 countries have sent their official delegations, Mr. Modi said that it was for the first time that he was at the Defexpo.

Later, the Prime Minister also witnessed a live demonstration of fire-power, air display, and land warfare by Navy, Army and Air Force.

The F-35 program has accomplished the final developmental test flight of the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase of the program.

“Completing F-35 SDD flight test is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication from the joint government and industry team,” said Vice Adm. Mat Winter, F-35 Program Executive Officer. “Since the first flight of AA-1 in 2006, the developmental flight test program has operated for more than 11 years mishap-free, conducting more than 9,200 sorties, accumulating over 17,000 flight hours, and executing more than 65,000 test points to verify the design, durability, software, sensors, weapons capability and performance for all three F-35 variants. Congratulations to our F-35 Test Team and the broader F-35 Enterprise for delivering this new powerful and decisive capability to the warfighter.”

The final SDD flight occurred April 11 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland., when Navy test aircraft CF-2 completed a mission to collect loads data while carrying external 2,000-pound GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) and AIM-9X Sidewinder heat-seeking missiles.

From flight sciences to mission systems testing, the critical work completed by F-35 test teams cleared the way for the Block 3F capability to be delivered to the operational warfighter. More than 1,000 SDD flight test engineers, maintainers, pilots and support personnel took the three variants of the F-35 to their full flight envelope to test aircraft performance and flying qualities.  The test team conducted six at-sea detachments and performed more than 1,500 vertical landing tests on the F-35B variant.  The developmental flight test team completed 183 Weapon Separation Tests; 46 Weapons Delivery Accuracy tests; 33 Mission Effectiveness tests, which included numerous multi-ship missions of up to eight F-35s against advanced threats. 

“The F-35 flight test program represents the most comprehensive, rigorous and the safest developmental flight test program in aviation history,” said Greg Ulmer, Lockheed Martin’s vice president and general manager of the F-35 program. “The joint government and industry team demonstrated exceptional collaboration and expertise, and the results have given the men and women who fly the F-35 great confidence in its transformational capability.”

Developmental flight test is a key component of the F-35 program’s SDD phase, which will formally be completed following an Operational Test and Evaluation and a Department of Defense decision to go into full-rate aircraft production.

While SDD required flight test is now complete, F-35 flight testing continues in support of phased capability improvements and modernization of the F-35 air system. This effort is part of the Joint Program Office’s Continuous Capability Development and Delivery (C2D2) framework, which will provide timely, affordable incremental warfighting capability improvements to maintain joint air dominance against evolving threats to the United States and its allies.

With stealth technology, advanced sensors, weapons capacity and range, the F-35 is the most lethal, survivable and connected fighter aircraft ever built. More than a fighter jet, the F-35’s ability to collect, analyze and share data is a powerful force multiplier that enhances all airborne, surface and ground-based assets in the battlespace and enables men and women in uniform to execute their mission and return home safe.

NEW DELHI : 1.5 Million rural residents in State of Madhya Pradesh are going to directly benefit from improved livelihoods, education and mobility with the USD $ 140-Million loan approved by the Board of Directors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in a Meeting held recently in Beijing. The Project, co-financed with the World Bank, aims to improve the rural road connectivity and management for residents of about 5,640 villages who use the rural roads for daily activities.

Livelihoods of the rural population will be improved by expanding income earning opportunities through better farm-to-market road connections. Moreover, more children are expected to enroll in higher education programs and school attendance is expected to further improve. The road maintenance pilot under the Project will employ more women, contributing to gender equality and income generation.

“Promoting sustainable growth in India through investment in rural infrastructure will require substantial financing,” said AIIB Vice President and Chief Investment Officer D.J. Pandian. “I am glad that AIIB’s participation in this project will contribute to reducing this financing gap and enhance overall development in the region.”

In addition to the above, the Project also aims to improve durability and accessibility, and enhance resilience to climate change of the gravel surfaced rural road in State of Madhya Pradesh while building the capacity of the State to manage its rural road network and road safety.

The planned activities under the Project are:

· Upgrading the gravel surfaced roads to a sealed surface standard.

· Providing additional linkages to villages with potential for high growth.

· Enhancing institutional capacity through implementing/upgrading a rural road asset management system and strengthening design and research and quality assurance capacity of the implementation agency.

· Developing road safety management capacity with road accident data management system and piloting a comprehensive road safety program.

· Supporting design, implementation and management.

AIIB Director General of Investment Operations Supee Teravaninthorn said that this Project will provide sustainable and safe last-mile connectivity to small villages and improve mobility of the rural population of Madhya Pradesh. He said that the Project will stimulate economic development in the entire State of Madhya Pradesh and improve the livelihoods of the rural population, especially rural women and girls. It is a typical reflection of our priorities of enhancing economic growth and sustainability through infrastructure investment.

CHENNAI: With a strong pitch for the Modi government’s “Make In India” programme, the latest edition of Defexpo 2018 opens on the outskirts of Chennai on Wednesday, bringing together a large number of exhibitors involved in manufacturing of military inventory items. 

While Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will witness the inauguration and live demonstrations at the Defexpo 2018 on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the event on Thursday and formally inaugurate it.. On all the four days of the defence exhibition to be held at Thiruvidanthai, on the East Coast Road, will have live demonstrations of the naval, air and land systems. The theme of the exhibition will be “India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub”. 

The mega event will witness participation of 162 foreign companies and 539 Indian firms. The total cost of the exhibition is estimated to be around Rs. 800 crores with the Defence Ministry spending about Rs. 100 crores. The exhibition will be spread over 2.90 lakh square feet while the last one at Goa in 2016 was spread across 2.25 lakh square feet. On April 14, the last day of the exhibition, general visitors will be allowed free entry to the venue. 

The exhibition will witness participation from 47 countries, including the U.S., the U.K. Russia, Sweden and Vietnam. US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster will also be a star visitor to the exhibition as it will have 19 US companies displaying their military inventories. Maldives has declined India’s invitation to participate in the exhibition which is being seen as a snub to New Delhi as it was critical of imposition of emergency in the island. 

Indigenously developed land, air and naval systems will be displayed for the first time, including the Tejas fighter jet, advanced towed artillery gun systems, designed by the DRDO, Arjun Mark II tank and Dhanush artillery guns. 

Ms. Sitharaman has already indicated that several countries  have shown interest in India’s Brahmos missile system. The NDA government’s attempt is to showcase India’s capabilities as a credible defence manufacturing hub at the 10th edition of the Defence expo. 

CHENNAI : Indian Institute of Technology Madras will showcase its recent initiatives for further indigenization of critical Defence Technologies during the DEFEXPO 2018 being held in Chennai from 11th to 14th April 2018. The Institute has taken the lead to transfer knowhow and collaborate with the Armed Forces and the defence Sector and further the ‘Make in India’ concept in defence technology.

In a first-of-its kind initiative, IIT Madras has set up a stall in Hall No. 6 at the DEFEXPO 2018 to connect with the Defence Industry at the grassroot levels. IIT Madras has been open to partnerships with various sections of Defence Industry and assist them in developing cutting-edge technologies to help the Armed Forces.

Speaking about the participation of IIT Madras in DEFEXPO 2018, Prof Ravindra Gettu, Dean (Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research), IIT Madras, said, “We are ready and eager to work with companies in the Defence Sector and the Armed Forces to develop relevant solutions for enhancing the security of our nation.”

IIT Madras has joined hands with Bharat Shakti (a platform for defence industry) to conduct a seminar on 11^th April 2018 on “Technology Perspectives for the Armed Forces.”

Artificial Intelligence and Impact on Battle field, Infrastructure Technology for Border Areas, Energy for Armed Forces, Enhancing the Battle field space, Secure Communications for the Armed Forces and Space Based Surveillance were covered during the Seminar by experts of IIT Madras.

Elaborating on the participation of IIT Madras in the expo, Prof. P. A. Ramakrishna, Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Madras, said, “This gives the faculty of IIT Madras the opportunity to exhibit their contribution towards defense technology. I would like to thank Lt. Gen. (retd.) P R Shankar, who has joined our department as ‘Professor of Practice’, for having encouraged us to take part in this big event.”

About 100 MS/ M Tech / PhD students of various disciplines who are attending the newly introduced course on ‘Overview of Defence Technologies’ will be interacting with the defence industry to complete their field projects. They had a special session with the industry and senior officers of the Armed Forces for operational orientation on 11 April in the afternoon.           

The tenth edition of the Defence Expo is being held from 11th to 14th April 2018 at Thiruvidanthai in south Chennai. The expo will be formally inaugurated by Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, on 12th April 2018.

The four-day exhibition will showcase the strengths of India’s defence public sector and uncover the country’s growing private industry. It will see participation from 47 foreign countries including the US, the UK, Russia, Afghanistan and Sweden, Finland, Italy, Madagascar, Myanmar, Nepal, Portugal, Seychelles and Vietnam.

NEW DELHI: India and Nepal on Saturday resolved to take their bilateral relations to newer heights on the basis of equality, mutual trust, respect and benefit.

Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli who is on a three-day visit to India held detailed discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi where they comprehensively reviewed the entire spectrum of multifaceted ties between the two countries. 

They welcomed the growing partnership between the two governments, private sector and at the people’s level.

Recalling that the close and friendly India-Nepal relations are built on the strong foundation of shared historical and cultural links and close people to people contacts, the two Prime Ministers underscored the importance of regular high-level political exchanges in cementing bilateral ties.

Mr. Oli’s visit to India is the first after he assumed office as the Prime Minister following elections in the Himalayan state. He had also visited India during his earlier stint as the Prime Minister.

He stated that his government attaches high importance to further strengthening friendly relations with India. He expressed the desire of the Nepalese government to develop bilateral relations in a way so as to benefit from India’s progress and prosperity for economic transformation and development.

On his part, Prime Minister Modi assured his Nepalese counterpart that India remains committed to strengthening its partnership with Nepal as per the priorities of the Nepalese government.

Prime Minister Modi stated that his government’s vision of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’ is a guiding framework for India’s engagement with its neighbours for a shared vision of inclusive development and prosperity. 

Prime Minister Oli stated that after the landmark political transformation, his Government has given priority to economic transformation with the motto ‘Samriddha Nepal Sukhi Nepali’.  

Prime Minister Modi congratulated the people and the Nepalese government for successful conduct of local level, federal parliament and first-ever provincial elections in Nepal, lauding their vision for stability, and development.

Later, Foreign Secretary Vijay K. Gokhale told mediapersons that the two Prime Ministers inaugurated the Integrated Check Post at Birgunj in Nepal. Its early operationalization will enhance cross-border trade and transit of goods and movement of people bringing greater opportunities for shared growth and development.

The two leaders also witnessed the ground breaking ceremony of the Motihari-Amlekhgunj cross-border petroleum products pipeline at Motihari, India.

The two Prime Ministers underlined the need for expeditious implementation of bilateral projects in Nepal, and to reinvigorate the existing bilateral mechanisms to promote cooperative agenda across diverse spheres.

Mr. Gokhale pointed out besides business delegation and top ministers, the Nepalese premier was also accompanied by a delegation of MPs from all political parties of Nepal.

Three key areas of mutual interest were also identified during talks between the two sides:–  India-Nepal: New Partnership in Agriculture, expanding Rail Linkages: Connecting Raxaul in India to Kathmandu in Nepal and new Connectivity between India and Nepal through Inland Waterways

The two Prime Ministers agreed that the visit has imparted new dynamism to the multifaceted partnership between the two countries.

The Foreign Secretary said that Prime Minister Oli extended an invitation to Prime Minister Modi to pay an early visit to Nepal which was accepted by Mr. Modi. “Dates for the Prime Minister’s visit will be finalized through diplomatic channels. I hope that the visit will take place this year,’’ Mr. Gokhale said.

Prime Minister Modi said there is a long history of India’s contribution towards Nepal’s development and assured Mr. Oli that it would continue in future.  

On security and open borders,  Mr. Modi said: “We have strong relations when it comes to the aspect of security and are committed towards stopping misuse of our open borders.’’

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Tribal affairs has approved establishment of the first multipurpose “Van Dhan Vikas Kendra” on pilot basis in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh.

The Kendra will provide skill upgradation and capacity building training and setting up of primary processing and value addition facility for forest produce.

This first model Van Dhan Vikas Kendra is being implemented for training of 300 beneficiaries with a total outlay of Rs 43.38 lakhs for training, providing equipments and tools for primary level processing and infrastructure and building for the Kendra. This Kendra will start with processing facility for Tamarind brick making, Mahua flower storage facility and chironjee cleaning and packaging.

TRIFED has assigned the work for establishment of this pilot Vikas Kendra in Bijapur to Chhattisgarh Minor Forest Produce Federation and Collector, Bijapur would be the coordinating force. The selection of the tribal beneficiaries and formation of the SHGs has been undertaken by TRIFED and the training is scheduled to start from 10^th April, 2018.

To start with Van Dhan Vikas Kendra is being established in a Panchayat Building so that the primary processing can be commenced by the SHGs. The Kendra will be shifted to its own building once the same is ready.

Such centres will be an important milestone in economic development of tribal population involved in collection of minor forest produces (MFPs) by helping them in optimum utilization of natural resources and provide sustainable MFP-based livelihood in MFP-rich districts.

Minor Forest Produce (MFP) is a major source of livelihood for tribal people living in forest areas.  The importance of MFPs for this section of the society can be gauged from the fact that around 100 million forest dwellers depend on MFPs for food, shelter, medicines and cash income. It provides them critical subsistence during the lean seasons, particularly for primitive tribal groups such as hunter gatherers, and the landless. 

Tribal population derives 20-40% of their annual income from MFP on which they spend major portion of their time. This activity has strong linkage to women’s financial empowerment as most of the MFPs are collected and used/sold by women. MFP sector has the potential to create about 10 million workdays annually in the country.

Ministry of Tribal Affairs has taken a number of initiatives for socio economic development of tribal groups such as introduction Forest rights Act, PESA Act and has been implementing schemes for development of MFP by providing financial support to State TDCCs and TRIFED for market development of MFPs. 

Recognizing the critical importance which MFP hold for the indigenous groups and its potential to create large scale employment opportunity thereby, helping in reducing poverty and increasing empowerment of tribal population particularly women and poor people of the poorest and backward districts of the country, Govt. of India has introduced an ambitious scheme of“Mechanism for marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support price (MSP) and development of Value chain for MFP”.

The scheme was started with the objective of providing fair price to MFP gatherers, enhance their income level and ensure sustainable harvesting of MFPs. The MSP scheme seeks to establish  a framework to ensure fair prices for the produce collected by them, assurance of buying at a particular price, primary processing, storage, and transportation while ensuring sustainability of the resource base. It is a holistic scheme for development of MFP trade and covers 24 MFPs.

Value addition assumes critical importance in ensuring remunerative prices to these people in this approach. Three stage value addition would be the corner stone for enhancing incomes of the tribal people under the scheme. The grass root level procurement is proposed to be undertaken through SHGs associated with implementing agencies. Convergence and networking with other Govt. departments/scheme shall be undertaken to utilise the services of existing SHGs such as Ajeevika.  

These SHGs shall be appropriately trained on sustainable harvesting/collection, primary processing and value addition and be formed into clusters so as to aggregate their stock in tradable quantity and linking them with facility of primary processing in a Van Dhan Vikas Kendra. The stock after primary processing shall be supplied by these SHGs to the State Implementing Agencies or direct tie up for supply to corporate secondary processor. For creation of secondary level value addition facility at district level and tertiary level value addition facility at State level, corporates shall be involved under public private partnership (PPP) model. 

This PPP model will be based on utilising private entrepreneur skills in undertaking processing as well as marketing of the produce and Central/ State Govt. support in terms of creating infrastructure and providing enabling environment for undertaking value addition of systematic scientific lines.