New Delhi, Feb 3 (IANS) The Indian government Friday announced six projects in non-timber forest produce (NTFP) such as gum and medicinal plants to cover around 60 Maoist-affected districts in the country.
Addressing a national conference on NTFP here, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said the projects in “lac, gum, medicinal plants, tasar, bamboo and non-edible oil seeds like neem and mahua” will maximise return for tribals engaged in collection of these forest products.
He said the projects, to be executed in six months in the public-private partnership mode, will cover Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Ramesh said generation of NTFPs and expansion of its market in a sustainable manner were challenges that needed to be addressed.
The minister said projects will be part of the National Rural Livelihood Mission and focus primarily on livelihood generation and value addition.
