Team News Riveting
Raipur, June 17
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has instructed officials to make cash payments to tendupatta collectors in Sukma, Bijapur, and Narayanpur districts.
He directed the officials to provide relief to the tendupatta collectors given the significant distances between the villages and the bank branches in these areas. Therefore, remuneration for 2024 will be disbursed through cash payments at camps set up in the haat bazaars of these districts.
In consonance with Chief Minister directives and under the guidance of Forest and Climate Change Minister Kedar Kashyap, the department has issued detailed guidelines for this process. While Sukma, Bijapur, and Narayanpur districts will follow the cash payment model, in other districts, the remuneration will be directly deposited into the tendupatta collectors’ bank accounts.
V Srinivas Rao, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, informed that according to the Forest and Climate Change Department’s guidelines, the entire cash payment process will be overseen by the District Collector. The District Collector will determine the eligibility of tendupatta collectors for cash payments, and each payment will require the Collector’s approval.
In each district, the District Collector, Divisional Forest Officer, and Managing Director of the District Minor Forest Produce Cooperative Union will coordinate to organise a camp at a haat bazar or another suitable location in the designated area. At these camps, officials will make appropriate entries in the tendupatta collection cards, disburse cash payments, and provide receipts.
The district administration will be responsible for publicising the cash payment process in advance, conducting complete videography of all related activities, and submitting a report. During these camps, officials will also issue Aadhaar cards and assist tendupatta collectors in opening bank accounts as needed, under the guidance of the District Collector.
Cooperation will be sought from CSCs, local banks, and other entities for this purpose. Officials should ensure that the bank account details received from the tendupatta collectors are registered in the Sangrahak Payment Software through the District Minor Forest Produce Cooperative Union and CSCs. The entire payment process to the tendupatta collectors is to be completed within 15 days.
