rs 26.13 cr NABARD Assistance for tribal projects

Mumbai, Jan 25 (UNI) Under its Tribal Development Fund (TDF), National bank of agriculture and rural development, (NABARD) has sanctioned nine projects worth Rs. 26.13 crore, which will benefit 7538 poor tribal families in the states of Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, Orissa, Assam and Andhra Pradesh.

With this, the total sanction from NABARD under the fund has crossed Rs.100 crore, benefiting 30293 families spread over 13 states and Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, a press release issued here today said.

NABARD has set up the Tribal Development Fund (TDF) with a corpus of Rs. 50 crore and augmented during this year with an amount of Rs. 219 crore. The fund aims at integrated tribal development focussing on WADI (small fruit orchard) approach with peoples' participation.

With the objective of achieving sustainable development of the tribal poor, other components like livelihood support for landless, health, women development, capacity building are also supported in these projects. These projects are implemented through voluntary agencies with experience in Natural Resource Management and working in tribal areas.

Special focus is given for formation of people organisation in the project area. Formation of Self Help Groups (SHGs) of wadi participants and women in the project area and federating them into apex bodies, as envisaged in these projects, are expected to empower the participants, bring in transparency in operations, the release added.

In many of the project areas, people's organisations are planning to take up common activities such as processing and marketing of wadi products and other non timber forest produces and production of artifacts with local resources, the release added.

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