India, April 15 -- Income from collecting tendu leaves keeps small farmers in Maharashtra from depending on loans

The Maharashtra government on April 15, 2020 exempted the collection of non-timber forest produce from the nationwide lockdown invoked to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Forest dwellers and tribal communities in Maharashtra, like a large part of the Indian population, found themselves at the thin edge of the lockdown. Several of them earlier approached the government to procure non-timber forest produce like mahua and tendu leaves.

Maharashtra has been the worst hit in the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, but most cases have been reported from urban centres like Mumbai, Pune and Thane. The lock...