SANKALP SE SIDDHI

• The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED), under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, has launched “Sankalp se Siddhi” – Village and Digital Connect Drive.
• The main aim of this drive is to activate the Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) in the villages.

Sankalp se Siddhi Drive:

• The drive will entail 150 teams (10 in each region from TRIFED and State Implementation Agencies/Mentoring Agencies/Partners) visiting ten villages each.
• Thus, 100 villages in each region and 1500 villages in the country will be covered.
• The visiting teams will also identify locations and shortlist potential Van Dhan Vikas Kendras for clustering as TRIFOOD, and SFURTI units as larger enterprises.
• Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI) is a scheme of the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME).
• Rs. 200 crore Sales during the next 12 months is targeted as a result of this initiative once the VDVKs are activated in these 1500 villages.
• The teams will also identify tribal artisans and other groups and empanel them as suppliers so that they can have access to larger markets through the Tribes India network – both physical outlets and TribesIndia.com.
• To ensure that existing schemes and initiatives reach the tribals, TRIFED’s regional officials across the country have been visiting identified villages with a significant tribal population.
• Schemes such as Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) Through Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Development of Value Chain for MFP provide MSP to gatherers of forest produces.
• The schemes ensure sustainability of the resource base by addressing the problems that tribals face such as perishable nature of the produce, lack of holding capacity, lack of marketing infrastructure, exploitation by middlemen, etc.

Tech For Tribals:

• Tech For Tribals program aims to transform 5 crore Tribal Entrepreneurs by capacity building and imparting entrepreneurship skills to tribal forest produce gatherers enrolled under the Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana (PMVDY).
• The Van Dhan Vikas Yojana is an initiative of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and TRIFED. It was launched to improve tribal incomes through value addition of tribal products.
• The program will ensure higher success rate of the Tribal Entrepreneurs by enabling and empowering them to run their business with marketable products with quality certifications.
• Van Dhan Vikas Kendras have been provided by Van Dhan Vikas Yojana.
• Van Dhan Vikas Kendra (VDVKs) are for providing skill upgradation and capacity building training to tribals and setting up of primary processing and value addition facilities.
• Tribals are trained here and then provided with working capital to add value to the products, which they collect from the jungle.
• It is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Food Processing Industry, Ministry of Tribal Affairs and TRIFED and it promotes value addition to MFP.

SOURCE:THE HINDU,THE ECONOMIC TIMES,MINT