Forest Resources of Jharkhand, Eastern India …
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the revival of the domestic economy and the rapid expansion of middle and upperincome groups (International Tropical Timber Organization 2003). Generally, the
auctions held by the Forest Department report an annual increase in the minimum
price (Indiastat 2015). To improve the community livelihoods through timber market systems more space requires engaging in direct timber marketing. The laborious
permitting system to remove privately grown high-value trees, such as teak, provides
a strong disincentive to the private commercial growing of trees. Alternative policy
interpolation through rationalization of transit laws for forest produce is also proposed in order to make it conducive. This scheme aims to boost the growing stock
in the despoiled forests by raising quick growing species to meet the future household/industrial/profitable demand of timber by raising plantations of woody species,
such as D. pseudo-sissoo Miq., G. arborea, T. grandis, S. robusta etc. Besides this,
higher efforts are made to plant fruit trees and other energy wood species (http://
www.jharkhand.gov.in/New_Depts/ap201011/Forest201011.pdf).
5.4 Kendu Leaves Based Industry
Kendu (D. melanoxylon Roxb.) is one of the most valuable NTFPs found in many
parts of India, largely distributed in central peninsular India such as Madhya Pradesh,
Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, part of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh whose
leaves are dried and is used for wrapping bidis (a tobacco product know as Indian
cheap smoke). Many tribal in Eastern India depend on kendu leaf collection for
subsistence and financial lifeline of forests tribal. The tribal collect the kendu leaf
as part of their right defined under Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest
Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA). Kendu leaf collection is
being associated with rural livelihood and revenue generation for the state. Kendu
leaves being an economic resource and livelihood source for the poor, particularly
the tribal; it is largely collected and sold for income. Bidi manufacturing is labour
intensive, and bidi rolling, which employs the majority of the workforce, is done in
almost all major states of India (International Labour Organization 2001). The industry produces between 750 billion and 1.2 trillion bidi sticks per year (Sunley 2008).
It is estimated that kendu leaf plucking alone generates about six weeks employment
for about 7.5 million people particularly during off-peak agricultural season (Arnold
1995) while rolling bidis engages nearly 4.4 million women and children (Ministry
of Labour 2000) resulting in production of 600 billion to one trillion bidis every year
in the country (Lal and Wilson 2012). World Bank (2006) reported that kendu leave
provides 106 million person-days of employment in collecting activities and 675 million person-days in secondary processing. A study by Voluntary Health Association
of India, VHAI (2010) on working condition of people employed in the tobaccorelated industry in Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh found that
tobacco collection is very seasonal and over 2 lakh kendu collectors in India are
devoid of any alternative means of livelihood for the rest of the year. Jharkhand State
Forest Development Corporation (JSFDC) has been nominated as the sole agency
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the revival of the domestic economy and the rapid expansion of middle and upperincome groups (International Tropical Timber Organization 2003). Generally, the
auctions held by the Forest Department report an annual increase in the minimum
price (Indiastat 2015). To improve the community livelihoods through timber market systems more space requires engaging in direct timber marketing. The laborious
permitting system to remove privately grown high-value trees, such as teak, provides
a strong disincentive to the private commercial growing of trees. Alternative policy
interpolation through rationalization of transit laws for forest produce is also proposed in order to make it conducive. This scheme aims to boost the growing stock
in the despoiled forests by raising quick growing species to meet the future household/industrial/profitable demand of timber by raising plantations of woody species,
such as D. pseudo-sissoo Miq., G. arborea, T. grandis, S. robusta etc. Besides this,
higher efforts are made to plant fruit trees and other energy wood species (http://
www.jharkhand.gov.in/New_Depts/ap201011/Forest201011.pdf).
5.4 Kendu Leaves Based Industry
Kendu (D. melanoxylon Roxb.) is one of the most valuable NTFPs found in many
parts of India, largely distributed in central peninsular India such as Madhya Pradesh,
Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, part of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh whose
leaves are dried and is used for wrapping bidis (a tobacco product know as Indian
cheap smoke). Many tribal in Eastern India depend on kendu leaf collection for
subsistence and financial lifeline of forests tribal. The tribal collect the kendu leaf
as part of their right defined under Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest
Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA). Kendu leaf collection is
being associated with rural livelihood and revenue generation for the state. Kendu
leaves being an economic resource and livelihood source for the poor, particularly
the tribal; it is largely collected and sold for income. Bidi manufacturing is labour
intensive, and bidi rolling, which employs the majority of the workforce, is done in
almost all major states of India (International Labour Organization 2001). The industry produces between 750 billion and 1.2 trillion bidi sticks per year (Sunley 2008).
It is estimated that kendu leaf plucking alone generates about six weeks employment
for about 7.5 million people particularly during off-peak agricultural season (Arnold
1995) while rolling bidis engages nearly 4.4 million women and children (Ministry
of Labour 2000) resulting in production of 600 billion to one trillion bidis every year
in the country (Lal and Wilson 2012). World Bank (2006) reported that kendu leave
provides 106 million person-days of employment in collecting activities and 675 million person-days in secondary processing. A study by Voluntary Health Association
of India, VHAI (2010) on working condition of people employed in the tobaccorelated industry in Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh found that
tobacco collection is very seasonal and over 2 lakh kendu collectors in India are
devoid of any alternative means of livelihood for the rest of the year. Jharkhand State
Forest Development Corporation (JSFDC) has been nominated as the sole agency