Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission

Source:  PIB
GS II: Social Justice- Welfare Schemes for vulnerable sections

Why in the News?

The Press Information Bureau (PIB) highlighted how the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM) is transforming the tribal forest economy by organizing tribal communities into Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs), promoting value addition to Minor Forest Produce (MFP), providing MSP-based procurement and improving access to markets.

News in Brief

• MFP remains an important livelihood base for forest-dependent tribal communities, making its effective collection and marketing crucial for tribal income security.
• The tribal MFP ecosystem has evolved through PESA (1996), Forest Rights Act (2006), MSP support and Van Dhan initiatives, strengthening community rights and economic participation.
• VDVKs bring together tribal SHGs and provide a local platform for processing, storage, finance and business development, helping create community-based enterprises.
• Tribal women play a major role in collection and sales, with VDVKs enabling them to participate as joint owners and entrepreneurs, rather than only as workers.

About PMJVM

• The Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM) is a government initiative aimed at improving tribal livelihoods
  • Through MFP procurement at MSP, value addition, skill development, technology and infrastructure, market linkages, branding and promotion, and community-owned enterprises.

Minor Forest Produce (MFP)

• It provides a systematic approach to enhancing the value of MFP by equipping tribal communities with improved technologies and practices, while connecting them to national and digital markets.
• The Mission also supports direct procurement of MFP at MSP, helping tribal producers reduce dependence on intermediaries and gain better market opportunities.

Significance of Minor Forest Produce (MFP)

• Minor Forest Produce (MFP) provides 20% to 40% of annual income for millions of forest-dependent tribal families.
• MFP provides income to tribal families, especially during the agricultural off-season. It also provides food, medicines and household materials. Women are actively involved in its collection and processing, supporting their economic empowerment.
• Major problem
  • Despite collecting valuable forest products, tribal gatherers often receive only a small share of their final market value because they sell to intermediaries at low/distress prices.
• The PM Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM) transforms the traditional supply chain:
  • Aggregation: Collects and organizes produce through tribal Self Help Groups (SHGs) and Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs).
  • Value Addition: Processes raw materials locally into branded, marketable goods (like pickles, jams, and powders).
  • Direct Market Access: Connects tribal producers directly to domestic, digital, and e-commerce platforms to increase earnings.

Minor Forest Produce – Legal Framework

• Forest Rights Act, 2006 and the PESA Act, 1996, which together secure community ownership, livelihood, and governance rights for forest dwellers.
• Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006
  • Recognizes that forest-dwelling communities have historically depended on forest products for sustenance and livelihood.
  • The Act gives tribals rights to procure and sell non-timber minor forest produce.
  • Definition of MFP: Includes all non-timber forest produce of plant and animal origin such as bamboo, cane, brush wood, cocoons, honey, wax, lac, tendu leaves, medicinal plants, roots, and tubers.
  • Management Rights: Empowers Gram Sabhas (village assemblies) to protect, regenerate, conserve, or manage community forest resources.
• PESA Act, 1996
  • Extension to Scheduled Areas: The Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act extends Panchayati Raj to tribal areas.
  • Ownership Rights: Explicitly vests tribal Gram Panchayats with ownership rights over Minor Forest Produce.
  • Support and Value Addition
    • TRIFED: Organizations like the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India assist with fair pricing, marketing development, and value chains.
    • Minimum Support Price: The government implements an MSP for specific MFP items to ensure financial safety nets for collectors.

MSP for Minor Forest Produce

• The government provides a fixed Minimum Support Price (MSP) for 87 Minor Forest Produce (MFP) items under the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM) to protect tribal gatherers from distress sales.
• Purpose: Ensures fair prices for forest-dwelling communities who derive 20–40% of their annual income from MFP.
• Role of TRIFED: The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India manages marketing, development, and procurement at pre-determined MSPs regardless of market fluctuations.
• Implementation: Carried out via state agencies like forest development corporations and tribal cooperatives using community hubs like Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs).

The MFP- Economic Value Chain

Major Interventions Under PMJVM

Beyond MSP procurement, the PVJM scheme also provides skilling, technological, marketing, and infrastructural support to tribals.

• The Mission mobilizes tribal gatherers into self-help groups (SHGs).
• A group of 15 SHGs, comprising about 300 tribals, are clustered together into one Van Dhan Vikas Kendra (VDVK).
• At least 60% of VDVK members must be from Scheduled Tribe communities.
• Skill Development
  • The Government organizes skilling and other training programmes for MFP gatherers, including trainings on scientific harvesting practices, at Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs).
• Infrastructure
  • VDVKs provide SHGs with infrastructure, primary processing equipment, training, working capital, storage and transportation support to improve MFP processing and value addition.
• Market and Businesses support
  • They also serve as market-linkage centres, connecting tribal producers with local and distant markets through Haat Bazaars, private partners and e-commerce platforms.
  • TRIFED provides market information, while PMJVM supports branding, promotion, GI-based recognition, geo-tagging, IT and e-commerce platforms, and research and development to improve the reach and value of tribal products.

VDVKs Help in Tribal Women Empowerment

• Women play a major role in the collection and sale of MFP, making VDVKs an important source of financial empowerment.
• Case Study- Arunachal Pradesh
• The Nyigamane, Ho Yorbe, Medumhagdum VDVK in Arunachal Pradesh’s Leparada district, established in 2021 with 300 women SHG members and farmers, converts local forest and agricultural produce into products such as pickles, powders, jams and squashes.
• It has recorded sales of around ₹11 lakh since 2022–23.
• The model provides women with year-round income and joint ownership of the enterprise and brand, rather than limiting them to the role of workers.

Significance and Challenges of PMJVM

• PMJVM strengthens tribal livelihoods and inclusive growth by reducing distress sales, improving market access and promoting value addition.
• It supports women-led enterprises, community ownership and rural entrepreneurship, while e-commerce and branding help tribal products reach wider markets.
• It also promotes a sustainable forest-based economy and preserves the identity of tribal products through branding and GI recognition.

Challenges

• Key challenges include limited processing, storage and transport facilities, weak market connectivity, inadequate business skills and access to finance, and uneven functioning of VDVKs.
• There is also a need to balance commercialization with sustainable forest use, improve product quality and branding, and address the digital divide affecting access to e-commerce.

Conclusion

PMJVM can strengthen the tribal economy by improving MFP-based livelihoods, promoting value addition and ensuring better market access.

By combining community ownership, women’s participation and sustainable use of forest resources, it can contribute to more inclusive tribal development and the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047.

UPSC Prelims and Mains Practice Question

Consider the following statements regarding Minor Forest Produce (MFP):

1. The Forest Rights Act, 2006 recognises the rights of forest-dwelling communities to procure and sell MFP.
2. PESA provides tribal Gram Panchayats ownership rights over MFP.
3. MSP has been notified for 87 MFP items under PMJVM.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A) 1 and 2 only

B) 2 and 3 only

C) 1 and 3 only

D) 1,2 and 3

Mains Practice Question

Q. “The Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission seeks to transform tribal communities from forest-produce gatherers into community-owned entrepreneurs.” Discuss the role of MFP procurement, Van Dhan Vikas Kendras and market linkages in achieving inclusive and sustainable tribal development. (250 words)

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