Lok Sabha Question No. 2939 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-03-12
Subject: Production of Herbs in Tribal Areas
Ministry: AYURVEDA,YOGA & NATUROPATHY,UNANI,SIDDHA AND HOMEOPATHY (AYUSH)
Asked by: Sudarshan Bhagat

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AYURVEDA, YOGA & NATUROPATHY, UNANI, SIDDHA AND HOMOEOPATHY (AYUSH)

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION NO. 2939 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12 TH March, 2021

## PRODUCTION OF HERBS IN TRIBAL AREAS

## 2939. SHRI SUDARSHAN BHAGAT:

Will  the  Minister  of AYURVEDA,  YOGA  AND NATUROPATHY,  UNANI, SIDDHA AND HOMOEOPATHY(AYUSH) be pleased to state:

(a) whether his Ministry and Tribal Cooperative Ma keting Development Federation of India Ltd. (TRIFED)  are  jointly  emphasising  the  cultivation/ production  of  herbs  in  tribal dominated rural areas across the country;

- (b) if so, the details thereof, State/UT - wise;
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF Y OUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS AND ADDITIONAL CHARGE OF MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF AYURVEDA, YOGA & NATUROPATHY, UNANI, SIDDHA AND HOMOEOPATHY (SHRI KIREN RIJIJU)

(a) to (c): TRIFED has executed MOU with National Medicinal Plants Board, Ministry of AYUSH for establishment of Van Dhan Vikas Kendras specially for Medicinal plants creation of Van Dhan SHGs clusters for undertaking primary value addition of the MFPs medicinal plants available in the areas, setting up of primary processing fac infrastructure support for medicinal MAPs, streamlining its supply chain and establishm herbal gardens, etc.

In order to provide 12 month activity to the Van Dhan beneficiaries, TRIFED has included  income  generating  activities  such  as,  'Floriculture,  Agriculture,  Medicinal  and Aromatic plants etc' for these Van Dhan Kendras, for which arrangements have been made with various Departments and Ministries like MSME, Mo RD, ICAR, CSIR, IIT, Delhi, etc., including  National  Medicinal  Plant  Board  (NMPB)  for  leveraging  their  schemes  for  t benefit of the Van Dhan beneficiaries.

TRIFED has been implementing MSP for MFP scheme and Van Dhan Yojana (VDY) across the country. VD Y is a composite program, meant for forest - based tribes, which aims to take the 'MSP for MFP program' to the next level through establishing tribal enterprises, generating livelihoods leading to income enhancement. It is a program for gathering, addi tion, processing, packaging, branding & retail - marketing of forest products through tribal entrepreneurs in the form of tribal owned SHGs. The idea is to optimize the tribal i locally, only through their existing skillsets and using non - timber  forest produces. This is done through establishment of common - use - facilities & infrastructures for value addition, t be called Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs).

Under  Van  Dhan  Yojana,  TRIFED  has  so  far  sanctioned  1770  Van  Dhan  Vikas Kendras (VDVKs), associated with 5.27 Lakhs beneficiaries in 22 States & 1 Union Territory for promotion of tribal entrepreneurship and livelihood generations.

The  State - wise  number  of  Van  Dhan  Kendras  sanctioned  and  beneficiaries  details under Van Dhan Yojana are given below:

| Sl. No.   | State          |   Number of VDVKs |   Number of beneficiaries |
|-----------|----------------|-------------------|---------------------------|
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh |               263 |                     78818 |
| 2         | Assam          |               128 |                     38530 |
| 3         | Bihar          |                 8 |                      1630 |
| 4         | Chhattisgarh   |               139 |                     41700 |
| 5         | Goa            |                10 |                      3000 |
| 6         | Gujarat        |               116 |                     34424 |
| 7         | Ladakh (UT)    |                10 |                      3000 |
| 8         | Jharkhand      |                39 |                     11601 |
| 9         | Karnataka      |                19 |                      5700 |
| 10        | Kerala         |                13 |                      3900 |
| 11        | Madhya Pradesh |                86 |                     25800 |
| 12        | Maharashtra    |               264 |                     79350 |
| 13        | Manipur        |               100 |                     30194 |
| 14        | Mizoram        |               159 |                     46168 |
| 15        | Nagaland       |                92 |                     27600 |
| 16        | Odisha         |               156 |                     45578 |
| 17        | Rajasthan      |                27 |                      8190 |
| 18        | Sikkim         |                80 |                     23800 |
| 19        | Tamil Nadu     |                 7 |                      2100 |
| 20        | Telangana      |                17 |                      5100 |
| 21        | Tripura        |                27 |                      7429 |
| 22        | Uttar Pradesh  |                 5 |                      1238 |
| 23        | Uttarakhand    |                 5 |                      1505 |
| Total     | Total          |              1770 |                    526355 |

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