The Odisha government on January 29 announced the launch of LABHA (‘Laghu Bana Jatya Drabya Kraya’) Yojana a 100% State-funded minimum support price (MSP) scheme for minor forest produce (MFP).
The decision, which the Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik termed historic, is likely to impact the State’s large tribal population, which numbers close to one crore or 23% of Odisha’s total population. The new scheme may help the ruling BJD make further inroads into tribal pockets and forest fringe areas.
From now on, the MSP of MFP will be determined every year by the State government. Under the scheme, a primary collector (a tribal person) will be able to sell the MFP, collected at the procurement centres by the Tribal Development Cooperative Corporation Limited of Odisha (TDCCOL), at the MSP.
Though the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Federation of India fixes the MSP for MFP, the benefits had not been reaching the beneficiaries in Odisha for several years.
“Since 99% of primary collectors are tribals and the majority of them are women, the LABHA Yojana will integrate the efforts with Mission Shakti’s Women SHGs (self help groups). These procurement centres will be managed by SHGs and any other notified agencies assisted by TDCCOL,” Roopa Roshan Sahoo, Secretary, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Development Department, said.
Ms. Sahoo said the State government had initially earmarked ₹100 crore and the SHG or any other agency would receive 2% commission. Upon collection, the amount would be transferred as Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to the beneficiary’s account. Though the State government hopes to bring 30,000 tribal beneficiaries under the scheme, it’s expected that the number will soon cross one lakh.
The procurement automation system will capture the total collection of MFPs, the details of the primary collectors, and the procurement point. In accordance with the State’s ‘Vision 5T’ framework (teamwork, technology, transparency and time, leading to transformation), the procurement automation system will be using technology to ensure transparency, and will bring about greater benefits for tribal people. Moreover, for further sales, the TDCCOL will take up e-tendering, and explore value addition and processing units.
“The State government, to further benefit the tribals, is setting up a tamarind processing plant in Rayagada at an estimated investment of ₹25 crore. The plant will use tamarind procured through the LABHA Yojana for value-addition,” the government said. The LABHA Yojana will also eliminate the possibility of distress sale of produce to middlemen, it said.
Odisha is home to 62 distinct tribes, including 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG), showcasing one of the most diverse tribal landscapes in the country. It ranks as the third largest concentration of a tribal population, trailing behind Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The Scheduled Tribes in Scheduled Areas constitute approximately 68.09% of the total tribal population in the State. Notably, 121 out of the 314 blocks in Odisha have been designated as Scheduled Areas. Furthermore, about 44.70% of the State’s geographical expanse falls under the Scheduled Areas classification.
In another important decision, the State Cabinet has approved the establishment of a Commission for the Preservation and Promotion of the Tribal Languages of the Scheduled Tribes of Odisha.
“There are 21 tribal languages in Odisha. The Naveen Patnaik Government wants to preserve, promote, develop, disseminate and safeguard of the tribal languages through this commission. It will encourage multilingual education, documenting and preserving tribal languages, promoting the use of those languages, protecting linguistic rights among several enriching activities for the development of the tribal languages,” the government said.
“In the education system under the Multilingual Education (MLE) programme, all 21 recognized tribal languages by the State are included. The Commission will make efforts for inclusion of tribal languages like Ho, Mundari, Kui and Saora in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution by pursuing with the Centre which have been not including these languages in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution despite several initiatives by the State government,” the Cabinet note said.
The State government also reiterated the demand for the inclusion of 169 communities in Odisha’s Scheduled Tribes list.
Faced with massive backlash over its decision to allow tribals to transfer their land to non-tribals by way of amending the Orissa Scheduled Areas Transfer of Immovable Property (by Scheduled Tribes) Regulation, 1956 (OSATIP), the government on Monday formally decided to take back the amendment proposal.
