In a first for Chhattisgarh’s Naxal-affected Sukma district, two young tribal women from remote villages have taken charge as managers of Primary Minor Forest Produce Committees after an alleged corruption case led to the suspension of several officials involved in a tendu leaf bonus scam. The two women oversaw the collection of tendu leaves worth Rs 4.52 crore this season.Last year, the forest department came under scrutiny after the Chhattisgarh Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) registered an FIR alleging that a portion of the Rs 7 crore earmarked as bonus payments for tendu leaf collectors for 2021-22 had been embezzled. The case led to the suspension of the then Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) and managers of 11 Primary Minor Forest Produce Committees.“The alleged corruption took place because in some Naxal-prone areas of Sukma, including Jagargunda, Kistaram, Golapalli, and Konta, payments for tendu leaves were made in cash due to the absence of banking facilities in remote villages. Since last year, the process has been shifted online,” a forest official said.Following the suspensions, the forest department launched a recruitment drive for committee managers. It proved a breakthrough opportunity for Dilpa Kichche, 23, and Pushpa Madkam, 22. The nine others selected as managers are men.Tendu leaves are collected by tribal communities during the summer months and are used to manufacture bidis. The collection and sale of tendu leaves are among the most important seasonal sources of income for forest-dependent households. Primary Minor Forest Produce Committees procure the leaves from collectors and facilitate payments and bonus distribution.During the current tendu procurement season, the two women supervised the collection of 8,236 standard bags of tendu leaves, valued at approximately Rs 4.52 crore. They will now help ensure that payments are deposited directly into the newly opened bank accounts of collectors in remote villages.Kichche hails from Korapar, a remote village about 50 km from the district headquarters where many residents are surrendered Naxals.Story continues below this ad“I was a child when Naxals killed my uncle nearly two decades ago. Even today there is no mobile network, and we fear going there. There is no school there, only an anganwadi. My father was a teacher, and before he died in 2011, he sent me more than 200 km away to Dantewada so that I could complete my studies. I lived in a hostel there, completed my schooling and later earned a BA from Mahendra Karma Girls College.“I want the government to encourage parents to send their children to school. Many parents do not pay attention because they need girls to help with household work, and financial constraints are also a factor. I want girls to be educated like me so they can move ahead in life,” she said.Madkam, who hails from Madkampara village in Sukma, completed a BSc from a college in Sukma.“I saw an advertisement for the job at a Common Service Centre and applied. I am the first woman in my village to get a government job. Now I am encouraging my sisters to focus on their studies,” she said.Story continues below this adSukma DFO Akshay Kumar Bhosale said the appointments carried significance beyond the administration of tendu procurement. “It is a matter of pride that, for the first time, women from such remote villages in Sukma have been selected as managers. Their selection will help build confidence among other women to complete their education, and I hope we will see equal participation of women in similar posts in the future,” he said.“Right now, two of the 25 managers (including new recruits) are women. But as Sukma has become Naxal-free, more women are coming forward to seek opportunities. This is just the beginning,” said Bhosale. “They are efficient and proactive, and are creating awareness on tendu leaf-related schemes such as scholarship and insurance for collectors.”Tendu patta has a minimum support price of Rs 5,500 per bag; each bag contains 1,000 bundles, and each bundle contains 50 leaves. The government collects these and further sells them to contractors.The corruption case in April had prompted the government to mandate online transactions for the entire district, and for the first time, all tendu leaf collectors received approximately Rs 39.04 crore in 41,021 bank accounts through direct bank transfer. This year, the amount increased to Rs 46.41 crore and will be sent to 46,625 accounts. Earlier, officials said that nearly 50% of the amount was paid in cash due to Naxalism and the lack of banking facilities in remote villages. Last year, 17,000 bank accounts were opened in remote areas for this purpose.