Role of Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED) in Socio-Economic Development of Tribals in Central India

Abstract

The Government of India established Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED) a national level cooperative body under the administrative control of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. Its primary goal is to institutionalize the trade of Minor Forest Produce and Surplus Agricultural Produce. India is home to the world's second-largest tribal population. There are 700 hundred schedule tribes spread over different states and union territories of the country. The population of scheduled tribes in the country as per census 2011 is 10.45 crore and thus Scheduled tribes constitute 8.6 % of the country’s total population. As per census 2011, total population of Chhattisgarh state is 2,55,45,198 out of which ST population is 78,22,902 which is 30.60% and total population of Madhya Pradesh is 7,26,26,809, out of which 1,53,16,784 is scheduled tribes’ population which constitute 21.1 %. The purpose of study is to explore the main role of TRIFED in economic development of tribals in central India and to assess the role of TRIFED in central India. This study is descriptive and analytical in nature based on secondary data for those various secondary sources is used. Data analysis was carried out using qualitative techniques such as content analysis. TRIFED has become an important institutional of promoting inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development of tribal people in Central India. Through merging the old knowledge and the new marketing, processing and value-chain building, TRIFED has managed to change the livelihoods of tribal populations relying on the minor forest produce and tribal crafts.