New Delhi:
The government is taking steps to improve the production and marketing of forest products from tribal communities and is working with e-commerce players such as Amazon and Flipkart to boost their sales, union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said today.
He also said the tribal community will be the main beneficiary of the national education policy’s emphasis on the use of native or local language as the medium.
The minister briefed the media on the steps the government is taking for tribal welfare and said financial allocations under centrally sponsored programs have been significantly increased.
It was increased to Rs 91,000 crore in 2022-23 from Rs 19,437 crore in 2014-15, he said, adding that money is being pumped to open Eklavya Vidyalaya in the country to strengthen the education ecosystem for them.
He added that about 10 lakh tribal beneficiaries are connected to Van Dhan Vikas Kendras through 55,000 self-help groups.
The purpose of these centers is to ensure the availability of primary processing and value addition for forest products, provide employment to tribal populations and increase their income.
The government is taking steps “to increase production of their products, improve packaging, branding and marketing,” he said, adding, “we also use platforms like Amazon and Flipkart for native products.”
He further said that a National Tribal Research Institute (NTRI) had been established. In addition, all basic services are provided in villages with more than 50 percent tribal population.
The tribal people will also benefit from the promotion of millet in the context of the 2023 International Year of Millet, Pradhan added.
“The government is committed to the overall empowerment of India’s tribes,” he said.
Tribal community accounts for about 9 percent of the country’s total population.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is being published from a syndicated feed.)
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