Van Dhan Vikas Yojana

Scheduled Tribe (ST) individuals aged 18 years and above engaged in collection of forest products and forest dwellers in tribal areas are eligible. Priority is given to tribal gatherers organized into Self Help Groups (SHGs) or producer groups.

The scheme provides free training in modern processing and quality improvement techniques, establishment of Van Dhan Vikas Kendras for value addition, access to market linkages, and assistance in obtaining credit facilities for enterprise development.

Clusters of 20-30 forest product gatherers are organized into groups. A Van Dhan Vikas Kendra is established at village level with government support for infrastructure and equipment, where members learn processing and marketing of forest products.

The scheme covers various non-timber forest products like honey, fruits, herbs, mushrooms, spices, medicinal plants, bamboo products, and other region-specific NTFP items collected from forests.

The scheme is subsidy-based with government bearing most establishment costs. Community members contribute minimal costs for group formation and local mobilization as per state guidelines.