2600+ Institutions to Join Hands with TRIFED for Skilling Tribals for Livelihoods

Newdelhi:25/7/20: As one of the key organizations committed to the welfare and growth of the tribal people, TRIFED under Ministry of Tribal Affairs continues to forge ahead in its endeavour to bring the tribal people towards mainstream development. In addition to its ongoing initiatives and programme implementations, TRIFED has now entered into a partnership with IIT Delhi for the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA), a flagship national programme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.

To cement and formalise this partnership, a tripartite MOU was signed between TRIFED, IIT Delhi(on behalf of the UBA, as the National Coordinating Institute) and Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA, a Swadeshi Science Movement) at IIT, Delhi yesterday. Tribal entrepreneurs under TRIFED’s Van Dhan programme will now be able to get access to the expertise of the entire network of 2600 + academic and research institutions under Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA).

Together with IIT Delhi, the “National Coordinating Institute (NCI)” for Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA)” ,TRIFED envisages promoting Tribal Livelihoods and Income generating programmes through synergistic collaboration among the concerned Ministries, District Administration, local Panchayat Raj Institutes (PRIs), Voluntary Organisations, other stakeholders, as well as the other participating institutions. In particular, this partnership can help promote enhancing livelihoods through the Van Dhan Vikas Kendras established under the Van Dhan Yojana.

Speaking about the significance of this agreement and the pivotal role it will play in tribal development, Shri Pravir Krishna, Managing Director TRIFED said, “TRIFED was actively working on convergences with various ministries for “Skill development for Tribal Livelihoods”.It is important to ensure “round the year income earning opportunity” for tribals by engaging them in a variety of economic activities ranging from agriculture, horticulture, floriculture, Medicinal & Aromatic plants etc, going beyond Minor Forest Produces. The synergies with Institutions of National Importance like IIT Delhi will be crucial in our Mission to serve the Tribal cause, as we can leverage the huge network of academic and research institutions across the country under Unnat Bharat Abhyan, the MHRD flagship programme.”

With the partnership with IIT Delhi and Unnat Bharat Abhyan, these tribal forest dwellers engaged in Minor Forest Produces will get an exposure to newer processing technologies, product innovation, mentorship, transformational digital systems and handholding.  The MoU opens gates for the best of brains in the country to attend to the problems of sustainable tribal livelihoods,Under Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA), IIT Delhi has brought together a robust structural network with a large number of nodal institutions ( Academic and research institutions like IITs, NITs, DST, DBT, ICAR, ICMR, MGIRI CSIR laboratories, ISRO, DRDO and defence laboratories, and BARC etc), Community Organizations (NGOs, PRIs & ULBs and other community-based organisations), CSR conscious corporates.  Presently, the UBA network has 44 Regional Coordinating Institutes (RCIs) which are the solution facilitators, with 13 Subject Expert Groups (SEGs) & Specific Experts Advisors and 2600+ Participating Institutes (PIs) to build capacities and connect to the solution seekers i.e. the tribal communities.