The Van Dhan Scheme is an initiative of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and TRIFED launched in 2018. It seeks to ensure sustainable livelihood to the tribal community through value addition of tribal products. Livelihood opportunities would be created at the local level through collectivization of tribals into Self- Help groups. Self-help groups of 300 tribal beneficiaries would unite to form a Van Dhan Vikas Kendra (VDVK) at the village or block level.

A Van Dhan Vikas Kendra is expected to act as a focal point for empowerment of the neighboring tribal community. It will serve as a medium for increased tribal income, discourage and eventually stop migration of the tribal groups and their family, and ensure overall socio-economic well-being of our tribal community.

The scheme will be implemented through Ministry of Tribal Affairs as Nodal Department at the Central Level and TRIFED as Nodal Agency at the National Level. At State level, the State Nodal Agency for MFPs and the District collectors are envisaged to play a pivotal role in scheme implementation at grassroots level. Locally the Kendras are proposed to be managed by a Managing Committee (an SHG) consisting of representatives of Van Dhan SHGs in the cluster.

The SHGs would also undertake primary value addition of the MFPs using equipment such as small cutting and sieving tools, decorticator, dryer, packaging tool based on MFPs available in the area.

The Van Dhan Vikas Kendras will be important milestone in economic development of the tribal community involved in collection of MFPs by helping them in optimum utilization of natural resources and provide sustainable MFP-based livelihood in MFP-rich districts.