Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM)
प्रधानमंत्री जनजातीय विकास मिशन
Groups tribal Minor Forest Produce gatherers into Van Dhan Vikas Kendras for training, processing and market access, backed by a Minimum Support Price on 87 notified forest-produce items so a distress sale below the floor price never has to happen.
- Outlay
- ₹1,612 crore (2021-22 to 2025-26)
- Van Dhan Vikas Kendras sanctioned
- 4,712+
- VDVK structure
- ~15 SHGs (min. 60% ST members)
- MSP notified for
- 87 MFP items
- MSP procurement (cumulative)
- ~2.68 lakh MT, worth ₹693.98 crore
- Implementing agency
- TRIFED, via State Nodal Departments
- Coverage
- 25 states & 3 Union Territories
Quick Summary
The key points from this page in about two minutes — read it or have it read aloud.
Quick Summary
Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM) is the Ministry of Tribal Affairs' scheme for turning a tribal Minor Forest Produce (MFP) gatherer — someone who collects mahua, tendu leaves, sal seed, honey, bamboo, medicinal herbs and the like from the forest — into a small entrepreneur instead of a distress seller to a middleman. Its main instrument is the Van Dhan Vikas Kendra (VDVK): a cluster built from about 15 Van Dhan Self Help Groups of up to 20 members each, at least 60% of them Scheduled Tribe, that together clean, grade, primary-process, pack and brand what members collect before it is sold. A separate arm sets a Minimum Support Price for 87 notified MFP items, so a State agency is required to step in and buy at that floor price the moment the open-market rate falls below it.
You do not apply to PMJVM as an individual online applicant. A gatherer joins by becoming a member of a Van Dhan Self Help Group formed in their area — typically organised by the District administration, TRIFED or the State Tribal Welfare/Forest department — and that SHG is federated with others into a Van Dhan Vikas Kendra, which receives training, working capital and processing equipment. Since the predecessor MSP-for-MFP mechanism began in 2013-14, State governments have procured about 2.68 lakh metric tonnes of MFP worth ₹693.98 crore under the floor-price safety net. The mission runs a five-year cycle from 2021-22 to 2025-26 with an approved outlay of ₹1,612 crore, implemented through State Nodal Departments and State Implementing Agencies across 25 states and 3 Union Territories.
Overview
PMJVM was launched in 2021-22 by merging two earlier interventions: the Van Dhan Vikas Yojana, which builds cluster-level processing and marketing capacity, and the Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce through Minimum Support Price, which protects the gatherer's price. The merged mission is meant to work as one pipeline — a gatherer's produce is protected at the floor price if the market falls, and simultaneously routed through a Van Dhan Vikas Kendra so that at least some of it is cleaned, graded and value-added before sale rather than sold raw for the lowest possible price.
A Van Dhan Vikas Kendra is built up from Van Dhan Self Help Groups (VDSHGs) — up to 20 members each, with a minimum Scheduled Tribe share and key positions like President and Secretary reserved for ST members. Roughly 15 such SHGs, about 300 members in total, federate into one VDVK, which is given training in primary processing, packaging and marketing, along with working capital and basic processing equipment. On the price side, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, on the recommendation of the Minor Forest Produce Pricing Commission housed in TRIFED, has notified MSP for 87 non-nationalised, non-timber forest produce items. A revolving fund is placed with each State Implementing Agency so it can procure MFP from gatherers at the MSP whenever the market price dips below it — the procurement itself, and payment, flows through the State agency, not TRIFED directly.
The mission also supports Haat Bazars (periodic tribal markets) and warehouses to strengthen local sale infrastructure. Reported figures put cumulative sanctioned Van Dhan Vikas Kendras at over 4,712 with an outlay of ₹642 crore for that component, and cumulative MSP procurement since the mechanism's 2013-14 origin at about 2.68 lakh metric tonnes worth ₹693.98 crore. The current PMJVM cycle runs 2021-22 to 2025-26 with a total approved outlay of ₹1,612 crore, delivered through State Nodal Departments and State Implementing Agencies (State tribal development cooperatives or forest development corporations) across 25 states and 3 Union Territories.
Scheme highlights
Built around the Van Dhan Self Help Group
A gatherer joins a group of up to 20 members, at least 60% Scheduled Tribe — this SHG, not an individual, is the unit that receives training, working capital and equipment.
A Kendra that adds value before sale
About 15 SHGs federate into a Van Dhan Vikas Kendra with shared processing equipment — mahua, tendu leaves, honey, bamboo and medicinal herbs are cleaned, graded and packed there instead of sold raw to the first buyer.
A price floor on 87 forest-produce items
The Minimum Support Price for MFP is notified on the recommendation of TRIFED's Minor Forest Produce Pricing Commission — when the market falls below it, the State Implementing Agency is obliged to buy at the MSP.
A track record of real procurement, not just a notified price
About 2.68 lakh metric tonnes of MFP worth ₹693.98 crore has actually been procured under the MSP safety net since the mechanism began — the floor price has been paid out, not just announced.
Haat Bazars and warehouses for local sale
Beyond the VDVK, the mission funds periodic tribal markets (Haat Bazars) and warehouses so produce can be sold and stored closer to where it is gathered.
Major components
States pick from these based on local priorities — each has its own eligibility and application process, detailed on its own page where one exists.
Van Dhan Vikas Kendra (VDVK)
Cluster-level processing, packaging, branding and marketing infrastructure built from ~15 Van Dhan SHGs, with training and working capital support.
Tribal MFP gatherers organised into a Van Dhan SHG in their area
MSP for Minor Forest Produce
A notified floor price on 87 MFP items, with a revolving fund at each State Implementing Agency to procure whenever the market price falls below the MSP.
Any MFP gatherer selling a notified item, whether or not they belong to a VDVK
Haat Bazars & warehouses
Support for periodic tribal markets and local storage infrastructure, so produce need not travel far to be sold or stored safely.
Tribal communities near a supported Haat Bazar or warehouse site
What you get
A price you cannot be forced below
On a notified MFP item, the State agency is required to buy at MSP the moment the market drops below it — you are not left to a middleman's offer.
A share of the processing margin
Selling cleaned, graded or lightly processed produce through the VDVK earns more than selling the same item raw to the first trader who passes through.
Training and equipment you keep using
The processing, packaging and marketing skills and equipment given to a VDVK stay with the group for future seasons, not just a one-time payment.
Collective bargaining strength
Selling as a Kendra of roughly 300 members carries more weight with a bulk buyer than any one gatherer negotiating alone.
Who is eligible
Both lists come from the notified operational guidelines — meeting the left column is not enough if anything in the right column applies to your family.
You qualify if
- You belong to a Scheduled Tribe community and gather Minor Forest Produce such as mahua, tendu leaves, sal seed, honey, bamboo, lac or medicinal herbs
- You are willing to join (or help form) a Van Dhan Self Help Group of up to 20 members in your area
- You live in one of the 25 states or 3 Union Territories where the mission is implemented
- You sell one of the 87 MSP-notified MFP items — you can access the price floor even outside a formal VDVK, through your State Implementing Agency's procurement centre
Excluded — even with land
- Non-tribal gatherers or traders — Van Dhan SHG membership requires a minimum Scheduled Tribe share, with key SHG positions reserved for ST members
- Expecting an individual online application — enrolment happens through a District/State-organised SHG, not a direct portal form for a single gatherer
- An MFP item not on the notified MSP list — the price-floor guarantee applies only to the 87 notified non-nationalised, non-timber items
- Expecting a cash grant with no group structure — VDVK support (training, equipment, working capital) flows to the Self Help Group/Kendra, not to an individual gatherer's account
Where this scheme applies
A central scheme with pan-India coverage — open to eligible farmers in every State and Union Territory.
Documents you need
Have these ready before you start — the online form takes ten minutes when nothing is missing.
Scheduled Tribe certificate
Establishes eligibility for the reserved ST share in Van Dhan SHG membership and key positions.
Van Dhan SHG membership record
Proof of enrolment in a District/State-organised Self Help Group, which is the entry point into VDVK training, equipment and working capital.
MFP collection/sale record
Kept by the State Implementing Agency's procurement centre when you sell a notified item at MSP, so payment is tracked back to you as the gatherer.
How to apply, step by step
The same six steps apply whether you register yourself online or sit down at a CSC.
- 1
Check for a Van Dhan SHG in your area
Ask your District Tribal Welfare office, Gram Panchayat or local TRIFED contact whether a Van Dhan Self Help Group already exists nearby.
- 2
Join or help form the SHG
Up to 20 members, with the required Scheduled Tribe share, form a Van Dhan SHG; roughly 15 SHGs federate into a Van Dhan Vikas Kendra.
- 3
Attend the training and use the equipment
The VDVK provides training in primary processing, grading, packaging and marketing, plus working capital and basic equipment for the group.
- 4
Sell processed produce through the Kendra
Cleaned, graded and packed produce is marketed and branded collectively through the VDVK rather than each member selling raw material separately.
- 5
Use the MSP floor for notified items regardless
Even outside VDVK sales, take a notified MFP item to your State Implementing Agency's procurement centre to claim the MSP if the open-market price has fallen below it.
Important dates
PMJVM launched (merged scheme)
2021-22
Combines the earlier Van Dhan Vikas Yojana and the MSP-for-MFP mechanism
Current mission cycle
2021-22 to 2025-26
Approved outlay of ₹1,612 crore for the five-year period
MSP-for-MFP mechanism origin
2013-14
Cumulative procurement since then: ~2.68 lakh MT worth ₹693.98 crore
Facts last checked
6 September 2026
Against the PMJVM Operational Guidelines (TRIFED), PIB releases on PMJVM progress, and Ministry of Tribal Affairs Parliament replies on Van Dhan Vikas Kendras and MSP procurement
Check your eligibility
Straight from the notified criteria. Nothing you enter leaves your phone.
0 of 3 answered
This checker applies the criteria in the official operational guidelines, but it is guidance — only the state government’s verification against the land records is final.
Downloads
Official documents only — everything below is hosted on the government's own servers.
Official links & helpline
Bookmark the portal itself — no third-party site can release, block or speed up a payment.
Frequently asked questions
Who is PMJVM actually for?
Tribal Minor Forest Produce gatherers — people who collect mahua, tendu leaves, sal seed, honey, bamboo, lac or medicinal herbs from the forest — organised into Van Dhan Self Help Groups, and any MFP gatherer selling one of the 87 MSP-notified items.
How do I join a Van Dhan Vikas Kendra?
You join a Van Dhan Self Help Group of up to 20 members, formed with your District Tribal Welfare office, Gram Panchayat or local TRIFED contact. About 15 such SHGs federate into one VDVK. There is no individual online application for VDVK membership.
What is the MSP for MFP and how do I get it?
It is a Minimum Support Price notified for 87 Minor Forest Produce items. If the open-market price for one of these items falls below the MSP, your State Implementing Agency is required to procure it from you at the MSP through its procurement centres — this applies whether or not you belong to a VDVK.
Does PMJVM give cash directly to a gatherer?
MSP procurement pays the gatherer directly for the produce sold at the floor price. Van Dhan Vikas Kendra support — training, working capital, processing equipment — goes to the Self Help Group/Kendra as a unit, not as an individual cash grant.
Is PMJVM still running?
Yes. The current mission cycle runs from 2021-22 to 2025-26 with an approved outlay of ₹1,612 crore, and over 4,712 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras have been sanctioned so far, with MSP procurement continuing across the covered states.
What is the difference between the Van Dhan Vikas Kendra and the MSP mechanism?
The VDVK is about adding value — cleaning, grading, packaging and marketing MFP collectively through a Self Help Group cluster. The MSP mechanism is a separate price-floor guarantee on 87 notified items, which a State agency must honour regardless of whether the seller belongs to a VDVK.
My village has no Van Dhan Kendra yet — can I still benefit?
Yes, for MSP items: take your produce to the nearest State Implementing Agency procurement centre and claim the MSP if the market price has fallen below it. For VDVK-level training and equipment, ask your District Tribal Welfare office about forming a new Self Help Group.
Who decides the MSP rate for each item?
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs notifies the MSP on the recommendation of the Minor Forest Produce Pricing Commission, which is housed within TRIFED.
Still have questions?
The FAQs above cover the common ones. For anything about your specific application, the ministry helpline undefined is the authoritative answer — and we are happy to point you in the right direction.