Tribals constitute the poorest among the poor. The production and sale of minor forest produce provides sustenance for them. Formerly they were subjected to exploitation by the village merchant and moneylender. The corporations were set-up by State Governments to help the tribals to get a better price for their produce. The GCC in Andhra Pradesh and TDCC in Orissa are entrusted with the task. It is known that the tribals in Orissa are much poorer than the tribals in Andhra Pradesh. This study seeks to evaluate the outcomes of the efforts of GCC in Andhra Pradesh and TDCC in Orissa. Both these organisations undertake the tasks of improving credit performance, supplying domestic requirements of tribals at reasonable prices and enhancing value addition of the MFP by processing. This is a comparative study of GCC and TDCC. The study is based on secondary data drawn from the documents of TDCC and GCC, and field studies of eight tribal villages in GCC area and four in TDCC area.
The focus of the study is an evaluation of the performance of the four functions namely: (i) obtaining a better price for the tribal producer; (ii) improving credit; (iii) supplying domestic requirements at reasonable and fair prices and (iv) enhancing the value of the tribal product by undertaking processing. The evaluation of all these functions highlights that GCC in Andhra Pradesh performed better than TDCC in Orissa. Thus, the evaluation provides insights into the more serious poverty problems of tribals in Orissa.
The book will be of immense use for policy makers, researchers and common readers who are interested in working with tribals. |
