By Nageshwar Patnaik in Bhubaneswar, January 27, 2015###

Forest dwellers have finally something to smile with Odisha government deciding to brand the products prepared by Self Help Groups [SHGs] under one name “ASAL” [PURE].

SHGs are preparing many items from non-timber forest product [NTFP], agricultural or non-agricultural products. The state government’s move will boost up some the 7200 SHGs in 10 districts backed by Odisha Forestry Sector Development Project [OFSDP], officials said.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency [JICA] has been assisting the OFSDP to provide the livelihood support to the forest dependent communities. Under the aegis of this initiative, women SHGs are supported to adopt livelihood activities. Women have been empowered to manufacture and make good organic products, which can fetch a good profit to earn a better life for their family.

Odisha Forestry Sector Development Project is supporting 4500 SHGs from 10 districts of the state. Project emphasizes on two objectives that is restoration of degraded forest and livelihood improvement of forest dependent communities.

The Project has provided Rs one lakh as revolving fund to each Vana Surakhya Samiti [VSS] i.e Forest Protection Committee  to extend soft loan to SHGs to initiate any type of enterprise to improve the livelihood of the stakeholders of the project area.

“The Project had an aim to link two SHGs under each (VSS) through this loan, which has been over achieved. Further to encourage the SHGs to fetch more profit by doing the business again and again additional revolving fund has been provided to those VSS, whose revolving fund has been revolved more and more. There are SHGs who have taken loan for 11 times from VSS in the project period”, says OFSDP project director, Ajit Pattnaik.

Besides, the project has also ensured capacity building to improve their skill, book keeping, packaging, value addition to many products and market linkage.

Now the project aims to sell all the products prepared by the SHGs under the brand “ASAL” (pure), which was formally launched on Monday at Adivasi Mela here by minister, scheduled tribe and scheduled caste development, minorities and backward classes welfare, Lal Bihari Himirika.

“Adequate care has been taken to train them in packaging and processing of the products adopting standard protocol. Now you will find the neatly packaged product from the forest under the brand ASAL”, says Patnaik.