Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s tribal regions are set to receive a major boost in medicinal plant conservation and livelihood generation, with the Centre launching a three-year initiative to harness the state’s rich biodiversity and traditional tribal knowledge to create sustainable economic opportunities.
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, in collaboration with the CSIR–National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR-NBRI), Lucknow, formally launched the project titled “Integrated Conservation, Agro-Technology and Bioresource Enterprise Development for Sustainable Tribal Livelihoods in Tribal Hotspots of India” at the Central University of Odisha in Koraput on Thursday.
Under the national initiative, three districts of Odisha—Kandhamala, Balangir and Koraput—along with other selected tribal locations across the country, have been identified for focused interventions aimed at conserving medicinal plant resources and promoting bioresource-based livelihood opportunities. The project covers 16 selected tribal hotspots across 13 States and Union Territories.
The initiative aims to document traditional knowledge, scientifically conserve medicinal plant diversity and develop community-based enterprises by integrating indigenous practices with modern scientific and agro-technological interventions.
The major activities under the project include documenting approximately 200–300 medicinal plant species, scientifically propagating 30–40 rare, endangered and threatened (RET) species, establishing 16 community nurseries and 16 seed banks, and building the capacity of local communities in medicinal plant cultivation and bioresource-based enterprise development.
The project also envisages distributing 40,000–50,000 quality planting materials to support conservation, propagation and sustainable cultivation across the selected tribal hotspots.
The inaugural programme was attended by the Additional Secretary and senior officials of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs; Ajit Kumar Kumar Shasany, Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Odisha; Dr. Sharad Kumar Srivastava, Chief Scientist and Principal Investigator at CSIR-NBRI, Lucknow; Snehaprabha Majhi, Project Administrator, ITDA, Koraput; scientists from the ICMR-National Institute of Health Research, Bhubaneswar; researchers; experts; industry representatives; faculty members; and representatives of tribal communities.
As part of the initial implementation, CSIR-NBRI undertook fieldwork in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh in October 2026. During the exercise, the field team interacted with 146 tribal knowledge holders across 12 villages and documented their traditional medicinal practices.
A total of 97 field numbers, representing approximately 200 medicinal and economically important plant samples, were collected. Additionally, 25 live orchid samples were collected for germplasm conservation and multiplication at the CSIR-NBRI Botanical Garden.
The project seeks to establish strong institutional linkages among scientific institutions, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs), State Tribal Welfare and Forest Departments, and local communities to ensure the effective implementation of the proposed interventions.
Special emphasis will be placed on involving tribal farmers, traditional healers, women and rural youth in biodiversity conservation, capacity building, medicinal plant cultivation and value-chain development. The initiative also aims to create opportunities for communities to develop sustainable enterprises based on locally available biological resources.
A special technical session titled “From Tribal Knowledge to Enterprise” was organised during the programme, bringing together experts and stakeholders to deliberate on ways to translate traditional knowledge and medicinal plant resources into sustainable economic opportunities.
The programme also included interactions with tribal farmers and traditional knowledge holders, followed by a field visit to the Koraput tribal hotspot on November 13.
The Ministry aims to develop a replicable institutional model that integrates biodiversity conservation, scientific research, the preservation of indigenous knowledge and community-led enterprise development.
The initiative is expected to strengthen the recognition of tribal communities as custodians of India’s biological and traditional knowledge heritage while enabling them to derive sustainable economic benefits from their local bioresources.
