Tribal Service Center Accessing Grants for Tribal Farmers

GPM operates an innovative and unique center that secures available government grants for tribal people in order to generate economic empowerment for hundreds of farmers and individuals in the district of Mokhada. 

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During extensive discussions with local people, farmers and government officials, GPM saw that there was a gap between the many services and grants offered by the government and the low application rate to request these grants. While the grant process is online, many people in this remote tribal area are unaware of the government grants available to them and they do not have access to a computer to fill out the application if they did know about them. Moreover, many farmers are either illiterate or have a low level of literacy and are unable to fill out the online grant applications.

 

Here is where GPM steps in! The GPM “Adivasi Lokseva Kendra, Mokhada” (Tribal Community Services Centre, Mokhada)  works with farmers to access government assistance through its online grant facilitation service. This free service, set up in December 2019, sees dozens of farmers who travel far distances to the center in order to apply online for access to government grants and aid for their own agri-related initiatives, such as water pumps, cattle, seeds, houses, toilets or compensation for drought or unseasonal rains that damage their produce.

 

At the end of 2020 the Adivasi Lokseva Kendra, Mokhada was happy to announce helping over 1800 farmers access the equivalent of $500,000 for essential livelihood initiatives! The facility offers GPM staff on-hand to assist farmers in scanning, printing and applying for government grants online. The center has high-speed internet, computers and printing facilities, supported by a backup generator to address frequent power outages. A welcoming reception area with bathroom and refreshment facilities is available for the farmers who travel far distances, many over a few day period, to access our services. These funds helped hundreds of farmers with the financial support to build water facilities, purchase seeds and seedlings for crops, receive organic fertilizers, join faring training programs and even receive loans at low rates for tribal farmers.