<span style="color: #222222;">Tribal Affairs minister Arjun Munda has written a letter to the chief ministers of 15 States to advise the State Nodal Agencies for undertaking procurement of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) at Minimum Support Price (MSP) in right earnest. These States include Uttar Pradesh; Gujarat; Madhya Pradesh; Karnataka; Maharashtra; Assam; Andhra Pradesh; Kerala; Manipur; Nagaland; West Bengal; Rajasthan; Odisha; Chhatisgarh; and Jharkhand.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Mr Munda said that the current situation due to outbreak of Covid-19 has posed an unprecedented challenge across the country. He said, this being the peak season for collection and harvest of Minor Forest Produce (MFP)/Non Timber Forest Produce (NTFP) in many regions makes it imperative to initiate certain proactive measures to ensure the wellbeing of the tribal communities and their economy by providing them safety and ensuring their livelihoods.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">He wrote that the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana (PMVDY), the scheme for facilitating creation of sustainable livelihoods and promoting tribal enterprises, has gained momentum among the States. Mr Munda also highlighted that 1205 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) have been sanctioned in 27 States and 1 Union Territory involving 3.60 lakh tribal gatherers thereby putting them on path of enterprise.</span><br />