Tribal residents in Odisha’s Rayagada are able to supplement their livelihoods by producing tasty and marketable cakes from using tamarind which is abundantly found in the forest areas of Bissamcuttack and Kashipur blocks. Details here.

Thanks to a jewellery-making training capsule organised in Rayagada, a tribal dominated district in Odisha, 150 Kondh and Saura tribe women make necklaces, cuff bracelets, earrings, rings, hairpins, waistbands and bangles out of bamboo and are earning up to Rs 25,000 a month.

Villagers in cholera-hit Kashipur block of Rayagada complain that they have been forced to drink contaminated water from tubewells, open wells and ponds, which has led to the spread of the deadly bacterial disease. Government claims to be responding on a war footing.

Owing to the sheer abundance of its presence in Indian kitchens, the humble-looking bottle gourd is seldom taken seriously. However, the vegetable known for its bland gustatory appeal, is a vital source of livelihood for the tribal Tumba artists in Odisha. They make intricate decorative products by drying, carving and painting these vegetables.

While weaving and embroidering shawls with their tribal motifs has been an age-old practice in the Dongria Kondh tribal community in Odisha, it has also become an important source of income for 1,800 tribal women in Rayagada district, as their traditional shawls are being sold far and wide. They now await a GI tag for their labour of love.

As a fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, the lives of poor women and children in Karnataka were adversely affected. Many of the families lost access to education following a loss of livelihood. An NGO is aiding such single-woman headed families to recover from the economic devastation caused by the pandemic. Details here.

Rubber cultivation was introduced on 200 acres of land in Mayurbhanj district in Odisha in 1995. Since then, it has spread to 4,500 acres with over 6,000 farmers growing rubber and selling latex. Rubber processing units have also been set up.

Tribal women from the Debakumar village of Balasore in Odisha, turn to the eco-friendly Sabai grass to make handicrafts, that is helping them earn a livelihood. Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society provides skill up-gradation training to these women.

Pursuing the ancient Dhokra metal craft has not only helped many tribal residents in Odisha to earn a living but also ensured that they stay close to their families. Their products are also provided linkage to the markets by the Odisha Rural Development And Marketing Society. Details here.

With the support of district administration, tribal farmers in Koraput and Nuapada districts have taken up strawberry cultivation and are earning up to Rs 6 lakh profit per acre.