To identify the tribal livelihood problems in various States having low human development index and also to ensure their socioeconomic development, the Centre on Thursday launched ‘Vanjeevan’, National Resource Centre (NRC) on Tribal livelihood.
It would serve as an apex Central institution within the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to act as research and technical hub to further socioeconomic development of tribal communities through employment, employability and entrepreneurship. The resource centre would cater to development and promotion of sustainable livelihood avenues in the tribal areas through entrepreneurship and skill upgradation.
Union Minister for State for Tribal Affairs Jaswantsinh Sumanbhai Bhabhor launched the programme which would be implemented in selected districts in six States, Odisha, Assam, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana, in the first phase. later, it would be extended to Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Meghalaya and Tripura.
The Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs in collaboration with the UNDP and the National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC) has initiated the ‘Vanjeevan’, the National Resource Centre (NRC) for tribal livelihood issues. Bhabhor also launched the NRC website and e-knowledge platform on tribal livelihood.
In Odisha, 17 districts would come under the programme.
“Vanjeevan will focus on the identification of local resources, keeping in view the existing skill level. The programme will facilitate utilisation of funds under various Government programmes while the NRC will serve as a platform for livelihood mapping, skill gap analysis and knowledge hub where consolidation of best livelihood and entrepreneurship models will be accessible for tribal entrepreneurship development,” said the Union Minister.
He said entrepreneurs can play a key role in generating employment, eradicating poverty and exploitation of natural resources for the economic development of tribal people.