Tribal collectors of beedi leaves seek bonus

Will the coming into existence of the new State of Telangana end the tribal beedi leaves collectors’ wait for ‘bonus’?

The adivasi families in Adilabad, for whom tendu or beedi leaf collection brings supplemental income during late summer months have been deprived of the bonus running into several crores of rupees, since 2011.

The bonus is nothing but the reimbursement of the government’s income by way of sale of beedi leaf khallas or stock points across the district. Rechanneling of the beedi leaf income among the poor collectors was started by late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy during his first stint as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.

Collection of tendu leaves is an important economic activity for over 60,000 tribal individuals in the district. The average supplemental income for a family could be in excess of Rs. 5,000 by way of collection and bundle making within a span of about 20 days in the month of May.

“The government should disburse the bonus at least now as we are reeling under tremendous financial pressure due to crop damage last kharif,” demands Karade Ramchander, an Andh tribal in the interior Bheempur village in Indervelli mandal.

“There is no word so far on this issue from authorities though it is three years since we got our money reimbursed,” he says.

“We have started disbursing about Rs. 11 crore among the beedi leaf collectors as bonus for the year 2011. We have disbursed the money in Mancherial division and will soon cover the entire district,” Adilabad Conservator of Forests T.P. Thimma Reddy reveals.

Mr. Reddy says the delay in disbursal of bonus is on account of the delay in the accounting process. The government deducts its expenses from the entire turnover of beedi leaf collection activity before fixing the bonus for the year.

About 65 per cent of the target of tendu collection has already been reached in Adilabad forest circle so far though there are 10 more days to go. Against a target of 66,200 standard bag collection, a standard bag has 1,000 bundles of 50 leaves each, from 367 khallas which have been opened, the achievement is 42,722 standard bags.