Betul: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav on Saturday transferred bonus payments of more than Rs 30 crore to 3.69 lakh tendu leaf collectors at an event in Betul district. The Chief Minister's Office had announced a bonus of Rs 30.21 crore for the collectors, alongside a timber dividend of Rs 6.35 crore for Van Suraksha Samitis (forest protection committees).

Source: Nation Press

The event was held at the police ground in Betul. Yadav said the bonus distributed on Saturday was part of the rightful earnings of tendu leaf collectors from various districts, including South Betul, West Betul, North Betul and parts of Chhindwara, and said the government has so far allocated over Rs 80 crore to support these collectors.

Source: Daily Kiran

Rs 30.21 croretendu bonus transferred
3.69 lakhcollectors covered
Rs 443 crore+development works inaugurated / foundation laid in Betul

At the same event, the Chief Minister inaugurated and laid foundation stones for development works worth over Rs 443 crore in Betul district. Tendu leaves, used to wrap bidis, are among the most economically significant minor forest produce in Madhya Pradesh, and the collectors who harvest them are overwhelmingly from tribal and forest-dwelling families. The bonus is a supplementary payment over and above the base procurement price, transferred directly into beneficiaries' bank accounts.

Source: Nation Press