MINISTER OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS ( SHRI P.R. KYNDIAH)
(a) The details are at Annexure-I
(b) & (c) Yes, Sir. TRIFED has sold the manufactured products of the tribal artisans through TRIBES Shop. The year-wise sales figures are given below: -
Financial Year Sales made (Rs. in lakhs)
2001-02 24.21
2002-03 27.59
2003-04 39.75
However, the State-wise figures are not maintained.
(d) As already stated above, TRIFED has shifted its focus from direct trading to market development as per its new Bye-Laws. However, procurement activities are continued to be looked after by TRIFED`s State level Member Organisations namely Tribal Development Cooperative Corporations and Forest Development Corporations as per their mandate who are supposed to ensure remunerative prices to the tribal people for their products.
Annexure -I
STATEMENT TO PART (a) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2125 FOR 14.12.2004 REGARDING TRIFED
As per the Bye-laws of TRIFED, the main objective of TRIFED is to serve the interest of its members in more than one State for the social and economic betterment of its members by conducting its affairs in professional, democratic and autonomous manner through self help and mutual cooperation for undertaking marketing development of the tribal products.
The State Government organisation(s) involved in the upliftment of the tribals of Jammu & Kashmir have neither approached TRIFED to become a member of TRIFED nor have they submitted any project related to upliftment of the tribals of Jammu & Kashmir. However, TRIFED has taken an initiative for sourcing handicrafts from the tribal artisans of Ladakh. Accordingly, 4 artisans have been empanelled as suppliers for handicrafts from the region.
The details of developmental activities being undertaken by TRIFED for tribals, in various States during the current financial year, which are at various stages of implementation, are as under:
i) Babasaheb Ambedkar Hasthshilp Vikas Yojana (AHVY) in the States of Assam, Gujarat, Karnataka and West Bengal
A handicraft development project in the tribal areas of 13 States was prepared and submitted to the Office of
Development Commissioner (Handicrafts). The idea was to create self-sustaining handicraft clusters of tribals in those
States so that the craft items made by them through the training and other inputs given by TRIFED and its associated
organisations find their way to the market and thus the tribals get additional employment through the pursuit of art
craft activity. Out of the above 13 States, 4 States namely, Assam, Gujarat, Karnataka and West Bengal were approved
for TRIFED`s intervention by the Office of Development Commissioner (Handicrafts). TRIFED has completed the baseline
survey for selection of handicraft artisans, mobilised them into Self Help Groups (SHGs), and opened the Bank Account
of those SHGs. As a result 225 SHGs have been formed comprising 2756 tribal artisans in the aforesaid 4 States.
The SHGs are doing thrift and credit practices and are b eing oriented with handicraft activity so that they can take
it as their occupation. Now a proposal to undertake the second phase of intervention through the skill upgradation
and design development of the crafts practised and pursued by the SHG members, has been submitted to the Office of
Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) for approval.
ii) A demonstration project on development of Medicinal Herbs by way of Cultivation and Marketing of Safed Musli
and Amla (as mixed cropping) at Jagdalpur has been put on ground under the financial assistance from National Medicinal
Plant Board. A quantity of 20 Qtls. of Safed Musli was procured and sown in an area of 4 acres. An approximate yield
of 100 Qtl. is expected from this cultivation. There has been regular activity of upkeep and growth monitoring of the
cultivated crop through the TRIFED`s staff members posted at the site. The crop of Safed Musli has come up well and it
would be ready for harvesting in February, 05. Some sample of this crop was displayed and demonstrated in Arogya Mela,
New Delhi in 2004 during which it was accorded good response. This project will go a long way in imparting training
to the tribals on cultivation, pre and post harvest management of the crop, processing and marketing and thus
disseminating the same agricultural practices in adjoining tribal areas as also in other States with similar agro
climatic conditions.
iii) Two tribal women SHGs of Narainpur District of Chhattisgarh were imparted training on making of Hill Broom
from raw Hill Grass so that marketable quality of Hill Grass could be produced through attainment of required skill
and competency by the tribal women. For this purpose a trainer from Delhi was deputed to Narainpur who imparted the
training. As raw material, around 240 quintals Hill Grass was purchased from a tribal society of Abhujmarh area of
Chhattisgarh. So far about 21000 brooms have been produced by the tribal women and the marketing of the same is
being done by TRIFED.
iv) TRIFED started a project in collaboration with IIT, Kharagpur for income and employment generation of the
tribals dwelling in forest and forest fringe areas through application of rural technology. Towards this end a
non-electrical machine was developed by IIT, Kharagpur to make moulded plates and bowls (Dona - Pattal) from Sal,
Siali and other such forest based leaves. These machines being run by Bio Mass fuel such as dried parts of plants
twigs, leaves, fibres, etc. can be used by the tribals by staying at their own places of habitat where there is no
electricity or irregular supply of electricity. TRIFED has got 213 tribals trained directly for operating these
machines through the resource person of IIT and TRIFED in the State of West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
Further in the State of Jharkhand the operation of this machine has been demonstrated through Paryavaran Melas,
exhibitions, etc. As many as 44 machines have been purchased by TRIFED and distributed to the tribals in the States
of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat Deployment of such machines in the
North Eastern States, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka is under active consideration.
V) A Vocational Training Center in the TRIFED`s Industrial Complex at Jagdalpur is under establishment wherein tribals of the country will be imparted training on scientific collection, pre and post harvest management, storage, packaging, value addition and marketing of Minor Forest Produce.
vi) A Duty Free Handicraft Shop in collaboration with ITDC and Office of Development Commissioner (Handicraft) has been established at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi for promoting tribal art and craft to the upmarkets through domestic and international tourists.
vii) TRIBES Shop an exclusive outlet for tribal products is being run by TRIFED at 9, Mahadev Road, New Delhi for showcasing and market development of various art, crafts and natural/organic products made by the tribals of the country.
viii) TRIFED Research and Development Centre and Testing Laboratory is also being run from 9 & 10, Sikka Complex, Preet Vihar, Delhi which is engaged in testing of tribal products, development of their quality standardisation, storage norms, etc. Further R&D activities for exploring new uses of tribal products through laboratory experiments, applied/adaptive research and their applications are also being undertaken through this initiative. In order to meet the increasing need for improved testing methods and applications, the upgradation of R&D Centre is underway.
ix) TRIFED is in the process of publishing a Trade Directory of tribal products, their users, buyers, sellers, traders, processors, associated developmental agencies and related stakeholders in an effort to facilitate marketing development of tribal products. Towards this initiative, as many as 16000 addresses (approx.) have been collected from the States which are under the stage of compilation.
x) A website of TRIFED is under preparation for which financial assistance has been received from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for getting the same done through NICSI, Govt. of India.
xi) To supplement the efforts of the State level and primary level Tribal Development Cooperatives in successfully marketing their products such as Honey, shikakai, Soapnuts, Treemoss, Rampatra and other MFPs TRIFED has facilitated the pooling of the stakeholders, such as representative of LAMPS Federation, Government Departments, buyers, users and industry professionals under a buyer seller meet. One such activity has been undertaken recently at Bangalore on 19.11.2004.
xii) To look after the health and nutritional aspect of tribals especially ladies and children, a project on production and distribution of energy/health food have been submitted for approval to the Ministry of Food Processing so that the issue of starvation death and malnutrition prevailing in tribal areas is addressed. Such projects are contemplated to be undertaken in the States of Jharkhand, Orissa, Maharashtra and Karnataka in the first phase
