Union Minister Shri Arjun Munda and Chief Minister Shri Vishnudev Sai will participate in ‘Jungle Jatra 2024’
More than 1.25 lakh members of total 216 primary forest produce committees and 2000 joint forest management committees of Bastar division will be included.
Raipur, 10 March 2024
A division level conference ‘Jungle Jatra 2024’ of Primary Forest Produce Committees and Joint Forest Management Committees of Bastar division is being organized on March 12 under the joint aegis of Forest and Climate Change Department and District Administration Kondagaon. Union Minister Shri Arjun Munda, Chief Minister Shri Vishnudev Sai, Forest Minister Shri Kedar Kashyap and many public representatives will participate as special guests in the ‘Jungle Jatra 2024’ program organized at the Stadium Ground Vikas Nagar of Kondagaon District Headquarters. About one lakh twenty five thousand collectors, managers and committee members of total 216 primary forest produce committees and 2000 joint forest management committees of Bastar division will be present in Jungle Jatra. In the conference, along with inaugurating the tamarind collection work, the insurance money under the Social Security Insurance Scheme and the dividend amount of wood harvesting will be distributed by the guests. In the programme, collection processing equipment for Vandhan Vikas Kendras and equipment for tamarind collection for the year 2024 will also be distributed.
In the program, Chief Minister Shri Vishnudev Sai will directly discuss with the minor forest produce collectors and forest management committee members of Bastar division and other beneficiaries of the scheme. In the program, various committee members from Bastar division will be specially motivated by giving them training on quality collection, processing and value addition of minor forest produce. Dividend amount and insurance amount will also be distributed to forest committees in the program.
It is noteworthy that about 65 minor forest produce are being collected through self-help groups through the Haat Bazaar and Van Dhan Kendra of Van Dhan Yojana operated in the state at the minimum support price and the price fixed by the union. Due to this, on one hand local collectors have got freedom from middlemen and on the other hand collectors are getting reasonable prices.
52 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras and 317 Haat Bazar Kendras are implemented in Bastar division, 1180 collection villages are connected to them. Under Modi’s guarantee, the state government has increased the tendu leaf collection remuneration rate from Rs 4000 per standard bag to Rs 5500 per standard bag this year. About 12.50 lakh collectors will be directly benefited by the price increase in collection rate. To strengthen joint forest management, 8 lakh 23 thousand 910 hectares of forest area has been given by distributing about 1562 community forest resource rights certificates under the Forest Rights Act. This will enable local villagers to participate directly in forest management.
In the financial year 2024-25, an amount of about Rs. 44 crore has been provisioned for distribution of dividend amount in exchange of forest produce obtained from wood harvesting in the state, out of which an amount of about Rs. 2200.88 lakh has been distributed as dividend to a total of 130 forest management committees of Bastar division. Have to go. In the program, the Chief Minister will address the members of the committees related to fire rescue work and motivate them to ensure 100 percent participation.
In accordance with the sentiments of the local people, the conservation and promotion of Devguri, the center of faith in the local community, is a priority of the government and special efforts are being made for this. It is proposed to increase the compensation amount to the family of a person killed due to attacks by violent wild animals from Rs 6.00 lakh to Rs 10.00 lakh. Tree plantation is being promoted in the Forest Department in forest areas and non-forest areas. This year, a target of planting about 1.20 crore saplings has been set in the rainy season 2024. A total of 49 thousand 200 families of Baiga, Vihor, Kamar and Pahari Korwa, especially vulnerable tribal groups, reside in the state. Under the Pradhan Mantri Janman Yojana, to accelerate their welfare and development, the Sangh has approved 02 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras in Narayanpur along with 09 new centres. Efforts are being made to accelerate the welfare and development of 4875 families of Kamar and Abujhmaadi, a particularly vulnerable tribal group residing in Kanker, Kondagaon and Narayanpur districts.
Important schemes like social security insurance, meritorious scholarship, talented scholarship and scholarship for professional and non-professional courses are being run by Chhattisgarh State Minor Forest Produce Association Limited, Raipur. In the program, the Chief Minister will encourage them by providing guidance to work towards value addition through destruction-free collection and primary processing of nationalized and non-nationalized minor forest produce.
As special guests in the program, Kanker MP Mr. Mohan Mandavi, Bastar MP Mr. Deepak Baij, MLA Mr. Kiran Singh Dev, Ms. Lata Usendi, Mr. Vikram Usendi, Mr. Neelkanth Tekam, Mr. Asharam Netam, Mr. Vinayak Goyal, Mr. Chaitram Atami, Mr. Kawasi Lakhma, Mrs. Savitri Manoj Mandavi, Mr. Vikram Mandavi, Mr. Lakheshwar Baghel, state officers of Chhattisgarh State Minor Forest Produce Association Maryadit Raipur, executive members, divisions, district panchayat officers and public representatives will be present.
