Women at Baranpur village in Banka prepare their field for Arjuna and Asan plantations. Picture by Amit Kumar

A government scheme, launched for the benefit of people in Naxalite-affected areas of the state, has managed to win the confidence of not just the villagers but also the rebels in Banka district.

Mukhya Mantri Tasar Vikas Yojana (MMTVY), launched by chief minister Nitish Kumar in December last year in Banka, Munger, Jamui, Nawada and Kaimur, has not witnessed any impediment so far from the Red brigade.

Maoists, known for obstructing government projects and stalling development activities, are, in fact, helping the villagers avail the benefits of the scheme.

Naresh Prasad Yadav, a farmer at Pradaria Kamdeodih village in Katoria block, recalled an incident on August 12, 2011, when more than 40 Maoists raided a field in Baranpur village under Basmata panchayat. “Villagers of neighbouring Sojwa wanted the scheme to be extended to their village. They allegedly sought help from the rebels, who kidnapped two employees — B.D. Thakur and K.D. Sharma — who were working on the project. They also thrashed the driver of a JCB machine engaged in cutting trenches for planting saplings and forcefully diverted the work to Sojwa,” he said.

Confirming the incident, Shyam Behari Gupta, additional director, industries, sericulture, said the two employees were released on August 14 after the department started plantation work at Sojwa. “For some time, we withdrew work at Baranpur. But today, there is no Maoist hindrance anywhere and more than 100 bighas of land at Sojwa and Baranpur are under MMTVY,” he said.

Dozens of rural women in Maoist-affected villages like Kadmatard, Gidhmadwa, Tangriya, Pokharia, Bastbohora, Jamunia, Dharwa, Karipahari and Manjhidehi under Katiyari panchayat of Katoria block have come forward to become beneficiaries under MMTVY.

“Our family has around 10 bighas of barren land. We used to cultivate maize and rice but the yield was very low as we did not have any irrigation facility. Now, we have decided to start Arjuna and Asan plantations under MMTVY,” said Anita Devi, a native of Manjidehi hamlet.

Arjuna and Asan trees, ideal for tasar worms’ growth, are available in plenty in Banka district.

Gupta, who is in charge of MMTVY in Banka, Jamui and Munger districts, said chief minister Nitish Kumar on December 15, 2011 came to Katoria during his Seva Yatra and spent more than two hours observing tasar-related activities in the villages. “He announced the MMTVY, a project of Rs 170.92 crore, to promote tasar yarn manufacturing in rebel-affected districts,” he said.

“The aim of the project was to help villagers rear tasar worm in their own fields rather than the forest. People presently involved in rearing of tasar worms in the forest do not get their due remuneration. This project would benefit them,” Gupta said.

According to Gupta, presently one hardly earns Rs 350-Rs 400 from extracting 1kg tasar silk yarn from around 1,000 cocoons. “Under the scheme, a person can easily earn between Rs 2,100 and Rs 2,500 after producing cocoons on his field,” Gupta said.