Raipur: Chief Minister Shri Bhupesh Baghel today announced the launch of Indira Van Mitan Yojana with the aim of making the forest dwellers in the state self-reliant, on the occasion of World Tribal Day. The Chief Minister said that under this scheme, groups of youth will be formed in ten thousand villages of tribal area of the state and all forest based economic activities will be conducted through these groups. New doors will open for self-employment and prosperity of the forest dwellers through these groups . Under this scheme, arrangements for procurement, processing and marketing of forest produce will be ensured through groups. The government has set a target of establishing forest produce processing centers in every tribal development block of the state.
The Chief Minister said that groups will be formed under this scheme in 10 thousand villages of scheduled areas, in which youth will be given priority. Each group will consist of 10 to 15 members. The Indira Van Mitan scheme aims to add 19 lakh families from scheduled areas. Through this scheme, groups will be empowered to manage trees, so that they can collect the forest produce from the trees of the forest areas and get economic benefits. The purchase of forest produce will be arranged through the group, so that the right price of forest produce can be obtained. New opportunities for self-employment will be created through the group. With the provision of marketing of forest produce, forest produce processing units will be set up in each block of scheduled areas. The estimated cost of a unit would be around Rs 10 lakh. An amount of Rs 8 crore 50 lakh will be made available for establishment of forest produce processing unit in 85 development blocks of scheduled areas. Instead of timber, fruit and vegetation plants will be planted in the forests, which can increase the income of forest dwellers.
The program of World Tribal Day was held at the Chief Minister’s residence office. In the presence of Chief Minister Shri Bhupesh Baghel, Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries, MLAs and people’s representatives and dignitaries of tribal society, the program started with the worship of Angadev, Budhadev and Maa Danteshwari by guests including Chief Minister Shri Bhupesh Baghel. Gaur dance was performed by tribal dancers on the occasion. On this occasion, Minister Dr. Premasai Singh Tekam, Shri Kawasi Lakhma, Shri Amarjeet Bhagat, Dr. Shiv Dahria, Mrs. Anila Bhendia and Mineral Development Corporation Chairman Mr. Girish Dewangan also danced with the dance parties on the beat of the mandar and reiterated the commitment of the Chhattisgarh government for furthering the tribal art culture and keeping it vibrant. The whole atmosphere of the Chief Minister’s residence office was filled with enthusiasm with the participation of ministers in the tribal Gaur dance.
Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel further said in his address that tribal society has been the biggest protector of nature and natural resources. Proximity to nature and balanced use of natural resources are essential for the better life of future generations. He said that on the occasion of World Tribal Day, we should consider all aspects of the interest of tribal society in a holistic manner. He appealed to every member and organization of tribal society to be vocal about their rights and opportunities for development. The Government of Chhattisgarh is always with you. The Chief Minister said that due to the work, policies and decisions of his government, the attitude of tribal areas is changing rapidly. A new chapter on the rights of tribals on water, forest and land is being written.
Referring to the Forest Rights Recognition Act on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that we have started a campaign to grant forest rights pattas to all eligible forest dwellers of the state. The state of Chhattisgarh ranks first in the country in terms of granting individual and community pattas to forest dwellers. So far, 4.50 lakh individual and 43 thousand community pattas have been given in the state. Four lakh 18 thousand hectare land has been allotted through forest rights pattas, which is the highest in the country. The Chief Minister said that we are trying to make the patta land a medium of prosperity and income of the forest dwellers by linking the forest rights pattas with several works like MGNREGA, irrigation, farming and food preservation. On this occasion, he appealed to all the forest land holders of the state to take full advantage of their rights and opportunities.
The Chief Minister while elaborating on various issues such as Shaheed Mahendra Karma Tendupatta Sangrahak Samajik Suraksha Yojana, purchase of minor forest produce in the state and increasing their support price, said that all the efforts of the Chhattisgarh government are being made to improve the economic condition of tribals and for bringing them into the mainstream of development. The Chief Minister said that in Chhattisgarh state earlier seven minor forest produce were procured, which has been increased to 31 by the government. He said that the increase in the value of minor forest produce including Mahua has directly benefited the families involved in the collection of forest produce.
The Chief Minister said that the area under irrigation in tribal areas, especially in Bastar, is very less. To increase this and to provide sufficient water for every need of the people of Bastar region, the Bodhghat project has been started. He said that the people of tribal society will decide the compensation and rehabilitation package of the land coming in the drowned area of this project. He said that it is his intention to make the rehabilitation policy of Bodhghat Irrigation Project the best policy in the world. He said that the Government of Chhattisgarh has entrusted not only the power of water, forest and land to tribal brothers and sisters but also the power of governance and administration. On this occasion, he appealed to the people of tribal society to move forward with full competence and participate in the development of the state.
On this occasion, Minister Mr. Kawasi Lakhma and Minister Dr. Premasai Singh Tekam also expressed their views. He said that Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel has taken care of the interests of tribals, and has enhanced their respect. The minister said that the Chief Minister has taken commendable initiative to preserve and promote the art and culture of Chhattisgarh and bring it to the world stage. He thanked him for the gifts given by the Chief Minister for the development of Vananchal region on the occasion of World Tribal Day. The program was also addressed by the President of Sarvadivasi Samaj, Shri B.P.S. Netam, he submitted a memorandum of demands related to tribal society.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Mr. Amarjeet Bhagat, Agriculture Minister Mr. Ravindra Choubey, Home Minister Mr. Tamradhwaj Sahu, Forest Minister Mr. Mohammad Akbar, Women and Child Development Minister, Mrs. Anila Bhendia, Revenue Minister Mr. Jaisingh Agrawal and Urban Development Minister Dr. Shiv Kumar Dahriya, Parliamentary Secretary Ms. Shakuntala Sahu, Shri Chintamani Maharaj, Jashpur MLA Shri Vinay Bhagat, President of State Mineral Development Corporation Mr. Girish Dewangan and Chief Secretary Mr. R.P. Mandal were present along with several public representatives and administrative officers.
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