Centre's cap on financial aid impedes setting up processing units in tribal areas

Hyderabad: The works for the construction of 73 multi-purpose centres (MPC) under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN), which are aimed at offering socio-economic support to the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) are in various stages of progress.

These MPCs are being constructed in the PVTG hamlets, so that toolkits/equipment can be provided to these tribes, where they can set up food processing units and make value-added products, which would help them sustain their livelihoods in the agency areas.

In Telangana, among the total 73 MPCs, there are 35 sanctioned for Adilabad, 23 for Kumram Bheem Asifabad, 2 for Mancherial, 2 for Nagarkurnool, 1 for Rangareddy, 4 for Mahabubnagar and 6 for Vikarabad districts.

Among these, 6 at the plinth level, 27 at roof level, 9 at finishing level, 24 still in the tendering level, and 4 for which work orders have been issued.

These MPCs can realise their intended purpose only if the PVTG tribes are empowered to establish their units. For this, the Centre has envisaged the setting up of Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVK) under the Pradhan Mantri Janjayita Vikas Mission (PMJVM) as processing and value-addition centres in the minor forest produce supply-chain from the forests, to the stores operated by TRIFED (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India), Telangana Girijan Cooperative Corporation Limited (in Telangana), or in the open market.

In Telangana, demand is coming from the tribal areas for the establishment of units for making leaf plates, chikkis, and dal processing, among many others.

There were 25 VDVKs sanctioned for Telangana to cover 6,719 beneficiaries, for which Rs 3.29 crore has been released by the Centre. However, none of the VDVKs have been formed yet. These VDVKs could be trained under the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA) scheme.

The Hyderabad Cohort Workshop was held in Hyderabad, which was attended by the tribal welfare officials from all south-east zone states, including Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal and Jharkhand on Friday, May 30. The Additional Secretary of the Union Ministry of tribal affairs, Manish Thakur presided over the workshop.

During the discussions, the Telangana officials were directed to constitute the VDVKs by June 30, and to make the sanctioned VDVKs operational, and to submit the utilisation certificates for the funds released earlier, so that more funds could be released.

There was an important concern raised by the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) Utnoor project officer, Khushoo Gupta.

She said that in ITDA Utnoor, with much difficulty she was she was able to distribute tool-kits (machinery) for setting up VDVKs at a cost of Rs 2.5 lakh per unit.

She brought to the notice of the chair that the one thing that was acting as an impediment was the cap of Rs 5,000 per beneficiary in the VDVKs. For instance, if 100 beneficiaries want to run the unit in a VDVK, they would get Rs 5 lakh under the scheme.

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“In most of the PVTG hamlets, there are less than 50 beneficiaries, and even if we want to combine a group of hamlets to come under one VDVK and run the unit, none of the hamlets want the unit to be established elsewhere, and they don’t want the people from another hamlet involved in their business,” she said.

She opined that unless Rs 10 lakh is given per unit, it wouldn’t be possible to meet the budget required, keeping in mind the high cost of equipment and operating costs.

A similar concern was raised by the representative from Odisha as well.

In view of this, the representatives from the union ministry, who understood the issue, gave a few suggestions.

They suggested utilising the training assistance for the VDVKs from an agency engaged by the ministry for the purpose, and to utilise multiple sources for funding like the corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds, funds from the state government’s tribal cooperative societies, and from the scheduled banks for the purpose.

Wherever possible, the union ministry has suggested a convergence of multiple VDVKs to form a business enterprise, for which funds amounting to Rs 60 lakh could be given by the Centre.

During the workshop, the progress of PM-JANMAN and DAJGUA schemes in these states was discussed. Pakka houses, telecommunications, off-grid and on-grid electrification, Anganwadi schools, bank accounts, road connectivity, mobile medical units, tap water supply, hostels and other facilities and initiatives were discussed.

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