Replying to an un-starred question today in Rajya Sabha the Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Shri Durgadas Uikey informed that the Ministry of Tribal Affairs implements the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM) scheme through Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED) for socio-economic development and to promote entrepreneurship among tribals including tribal women across the country. Under the scheme, funds are provided for setting up Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) which are primarily clusters of tribal SHGs formed to reap economies of scale through value addition and marketing of Minor Forest Produces (MFPs) and non-MFPs. Each VDVK consists of around 15 Van Dhan SHGs and has up to 300 members, majority of which are tribal women. A total of 4105 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) have been sanctioned associating 12,27,231 members. Additionally, under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) initiative, a total of 539 VDVKs have been sanctioned associating 45,924 members.

Under the Retail Marketing Activities of PMJVM scheme, TRIFED has taken the following steps for expanding reach of handicraft, handloom and natural products made by tribal artisans in international markets:

• TRIFED has expanded its retail network and now has around 110 outlets across the country. These include TRIFED’s own stores called Tribes India stores and also outlets on consignment and franchisee basis. In addition to this, TRIFED has recently developed a new e-commerce portal tribesindia.com with better UI and UX which has been made live recently.
• For brand promotion and market expansion of tribal products globally, TRIFED has been participating in various international exhibitions. In line with this objective, TRIFED participated in international exhibitions recently at Melbourne-Australia, Frankfurt-Germany and Birmingham-UK, besides putting up kiosks of tribal products in 8 Indian Embassies abroad.
• Details of sales made in countries abroad from the year 2021 to 2025 are mentioned as below:

 

Sl. No.	Financial Year	Country placing order	Value of sales made (in lakhs)	Products ordered
1	2021-22	USA, Chile, Croatia, Philippines, Hungary, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia	22.36	Arakku Coffee, Spices, Tea, Honey, Art & Craft, Textile, Painting, Blue Pottery
2	2022-23	Myanmar	2.71	Gifting products
3	2024-25	Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, Israel, UAE, Qatar, Sri Lanka, UK, Japan, Kazakhastan, Canada, Hungary	24.84	Gifting products, Coffee, Longpi pottery, Paintings, Blue Pottery, Organic products, cane & bamboo, Dokra, Arakku Coffee, Woollens
	Total Sales value (in lakh):		49.91

Additionally, National Scheduled Tribes Finance & Development Corporation (NSTFDC), a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under Ministry of Tribal Affairs, provides concessional loans to the eligible Scheduled Tribe persons for undertaking income generation, self-employment and livelihood activities. The loan assistance is given under the schemes like Term Loan Scheme, Adivasi Mahila Sashaktikaran Yojana (AMSY), Micro Credit Scheme for Self Help Groups (MCF) and Adivasi Shiksha Rrinn Yojana (ASRY). The details of number of beneficiaries including women under NSTFDC scheme during the last three years is given below:

Financial Year	Total Number of Beneficiaries	Women Beneficiaries
2022-23	72,992	54,461
2023-24	95,142	65,377
2024-25	88,758	58,679

 

Acknowledging the National Education Policy 2020, the Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSE&L), Ministry of Education (MoE) has launched a National Mission called “National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat)” on 5th July, 2021 for ensuring that every child in the country necessarily attains foundational literacy and numeracy by the end of Grade 2. This Mission has been set up under the aegis of the centrally sponsored scheme of Samagra Shiksha- an integrated scheme for School Education.Moreover, the implementation of the provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) ensures participation of Scheduled Tribes, including women, in decision making in Gram Sabhas and local self-governance in Scheduled Areas, particularly in matters relating to management of minor forest produce, water, land and other community resources.

The steps taken regarding the monitoring mechanisms and future roadmap for mentorship, technology adoption, market access and climate-resilient livelihoods by Ministry of Tribal Affairs are as under:

1. Integration of scheme activities with MIS platform/portal with real-time dashboards.
2. Continuous handholding through trained master trainers, resource agencies, and sector experts.
3. Gradual introduction of improved processing, packaging, renewable-energy-based systems, and quality certification support.
4. Strengthening linkages with government procurement, retail networks, and e-commerce platforms, along with branding and packaging improvements.
5. Encouraging sustainable harvesting, low-energy technologies, diversified products, and convergence with relevant national missions.

RN/

*****

(रिलीज़ आईडी: 2205275) आगंतुक पटल : 140