BHUBANESWAR:  Lakhs of people from forest community heaved a sigh of relief after the State Government, on Monday, allowed kendu leaf collection during the second phase of Covid-19 lockdown. Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) PK Jena in his public advisory said kendu leaf collection activity along with a few other activities of the Forest department will be allowed during the lockdown but with strict measures and social distancing in place. 

While 8 to 10 lakh people are engaged in kendu leaf plucking, another 20,000 are engaged in bush cutting as well as processing and binding. Similarly, around 18,000 people are engaged as seasonal workers for supervision and other activities. All these workers earn at least `3,000 to `4,000 a month along with bonus.
Odisha Kendupatra Karmachari Sangha president Bijay Kumar Mohanty said “Kendu leaf is usually collected after April 15 every year. At a time when we were worried about livelihood, the State Government’s announcement has come as a relief.”

Coronavirus had impacted their work as more than 10 per cent bush cutting and 70 per cent repair work of collection centres, which is carried out before collection of kendu leaves, had to be stopped due to the lockdown. The Government has set a target of around three lakh quintal kendu leaf collection this season and the Sangha is hopeful that the activities will continue smoothly. All workers are maintaining social distance, he said.