A year ahead of polls, Odisha comes up with Rs 500 crore scheme for tribals

The scheme, announced a year before the general and Assembly elections, is seen as an attempt by the BJD government to garner support of tribal communities, who comprise over 22% of the state population.

“More than 1.5 lakh tribal households will be supported by ensuring timely access to quality inputs, infrastructure support incidental to livelihood, introduction of better production practices, training and capacity building support and marketing assistance in a convergence mode,” said a Cabinet note issued by the Odisha government.

The state SC/ST development department, through the scheme, will enable the tribal households to venture into well planned farm-based and off-farm livelihood activities at the household level for enhancing their income and quality of life on a sustained basis.

Odisha SC/ST development secretary Roopa Roshan Sahu said tribal farmers will be provided with critical inputs such as quality seeds, planting materials and organic plant protection materials under the scheme. Each beneficiary shall be supported for 0.5 acre for horticulture crops, vegetables and similar cost intensive high-value crops. In case of field crops such as oil seed, pulses and cereals, the support unit is limited to one acre. The tribals will also be given support for livestock sector development.

Assistance will also be provided for development of marketing infrastructure for horticulture and agriculture commodities, strengthening existing markets, promotion of grading/sorting units at farm/market level to enable farmers to realise better prices. The government will train tribal youths and self help groups (SHGs) for adoption of high-yielding varieties of crops and farming system, farm mechanisation and value addition and processing, said Sahoo.

The state government will support them for creating water sources through construction of community tanks, farm ponds and check dams to ensure irrigation to farm clusters in the tribal areas. Assistance would also be provided to individuals to construct farm ponds, tube wells and dug wells.

“Agriculture entrepreneurs will be promoted in all farm-based clusters. The scheme will bring together services such as market linkage, access to high-quality input and crop advisory for a cluster of about 150-200 farmers,” said Sahoo.

Natural or organic farming in agriculture and horticulture clusters will be promoted under the scheme.

The Odisha government had already launched a livelihood programme in 2015 for financial empowerment of 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).

Among others, the Cabinet also gave its nod to enact a new legislation for regulation of apartment ownership of individuals.