The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED), functioning under the aegis of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, has initiated “Sankalp se Siddhi” – Village and Digital Connect Drive. The primary objective of this drive is to activate Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) in villages across the nation.
Characteristics of the Sankalp se Siddhi Drive
The Sankalp se Siddhi Drive will deploy 150 teams, each hailing from different regions and comprising TRIFED members and representatives from State Implementation Agencies, Mentoring Agencies, and Partners. Each team targets to visit ten villages, totalling 1,000 villages per region and 1,500 villages nationwide.
The teams’ responsibilities also include identifying locations feasible for developing potential Van Dhan Vikas Kendras into TRIFOOD and SFURTI units as larger enterprises. The SFURTI scheme, an initiative of the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), aims at the regeneration of traditional industries.
A significance of this initiative lies in its projected target sales of Rs. 200 crore during the ensuing 12 months, once the VDVKs become operational in the targeted 1500 villages.
Further, the teams will identify tribal artisans and groups, enlist them as suppliers, thereby granting them access to larger markets through the Tribes India network, both physical outlets and online via TribesIndia.com.
Overview of TRIFED’s Other Schemes
TRIFED has been actively implementing several initiatives to ensure that existing schemes reach the tribal population effectively.
Village and Digital Connect Initiative
TRIFED’s regional officials have been visiting identified villages with significant tribal populations under the umbrella of the Village and Digital Connect Initiative.
Schemes for Ensuring Fair Prices to Tribals
Schemes such as Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) Through Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Development of Value Chain for MFP have been launched which provide MSP to gatherers of forest produces. These schemes strive to secure the sustainability of resources while also dealing with challenges faced by tribal communities, including perishable nature of the produce, lack of holding capacity, inadequate marketing infrastructure and exploitation by middlemen.
Tech for Tribals
The Tech for Tribals program intends to transform five crore tribal entrepreneurs, building their capacity and imparting them with entrepreneurship skills. It trains tribal forest produce gatherers enrolled under the Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana (PMVDY).
The Van Dhan Vikas Yojana, a joint initiative by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and TRIFED, cultivates tribal incomes through the value addition of tribal products. The program ensures higher success rates of tribal entrepreneurs by enabling them to make marketable products with quality certifications.
Van Dhan Vikas Kendras
Provided by Van Dhan Vikas Yojana, VDVKs focus on skill enhancement and capacity building for tribals, establishing primary processing and value addition facilities. They train tribals and furnish them with necessary working capital to add value to the products that they collect from the jungle.
The TRIFOOD Scheme
The TRIFOOD scheme, a collaboration of the Ministry of Food Processing Industry, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, and TRIFED, promotes value addition to Minor Forest Produce (MFP).
