The Odisha cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday approved the LABHA scheme-(Laghu Bana Jatya Drabya Kraya) to ensure MSP for MFP (minimum support price for minor forest produce).
Briefing the media on the cabinet decision, the Chief Secretary said the steps taken will lead to empowerment of about one crore tribal people in the state. Under this scheme which is 100 percent state-funded, the MSP will be determined by the government every year. A primary collector (tribal) will be able to sell the minor forest produce at the Minimum Support Price collected at the procurement centres by TDCCOL.
It is said that the LABHA yojana will eliminate the possibility of distress-sale of the produce to any middlemen.
Similarly, the state government also approved the proposal for the establishment of the Commission for Preservation and Promotion of Tribal Languages of Scheduled Tribes of Odisha. This Commission will encourage multilingual education, document and preserve tribal languages, promote the use of those languages, and protect linguistic rights.
Under the Multilingual Education (MLE) programme, all 21 recognized tribal languages by the State are included. The Commission will also work towards the inclusion of tribal languages like Ho, Mundari, Kui and Saora in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution by pursuing the matter with the Centre, informed sources.