Chhattisgarh Charan Paduka Yojana

Scheme Introduction: A Brief Overview

The Charan Paduka Yojana is a welfare initiative of the Government of Chhattisgarh designed to support families engaged in the collection of tendu leaves (tendupatta), a major minor forest produce of the state. The objective of the scheme is to provide free Charanpaduka (shoes or chappals) to one member of each eligible tendu leaf gatherer family. Under this scheme, the State Government provides Charanpaduka free of cost to eligible gatherer families.

According to official records maintained by the Chhattisgarh State Minor Forest Produce (Trading & Development) Co-operative Federation Limited (CGMFPFED), the Government of Chhattisgarh introduced this beneficial scheme from the year 2006-07 onwards. Under the Charan Paduka Yojana, the Federation is responsible for full-scale implementation. It procures the required footwear by inviting competitive national-level e-tenders from established and standard shoe manufacturing companies, ensuring transparency, quality, and value for public funds.

The Charan Paduka Yojana was discontinued by the previous state government. However, the Chhattisgarh Budget Speech 2025-26 announced its revival to support tendu-leaf collectors, with ₹50 crore allocated for the scheme. The Chhattisgarh Charan Paduka Scheme was officially relaunched in June 2025. On 29 June 2025, Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai relaunched the scheme at Jamgaon in Durg district by distributing footwear to women tendu-leaf collectors. As per the official government release, more than 12.40 lakh tendu-leaf collector families benefited from the revived scheme.

Eligibility under the Charan Paduka Yojana is strictly linked to the actual collection performance of the family. As clearly stated on the official portal, only those families that collect a minimum of 500 gaddies of tendu leaves in at least one year during the preceding two years are entitled to receive the benefit. This performance-based condition ensures that the support reaches genuine tendu leaf collector families who regularly participate in the collection season and contribute to the state’s minor forest produce economy.

Over the years, the scheme has remained an integral part of the welfare programmes implemented by the Federation. Official distribution records confirm continuous implementation from 2006-07 to 2017-18. This was followed by a recorded distribution of 12.40 lakh pairs in 2024-25 under the revived programme. In addition, a separate official notice has been issued by the Federation regarding the distribution of Charanpaduka for the year 2026, specifically mentioning the provision of footwear to one male member of eligible tendu leaf collector families.

Scheme Benefits

The following benefits are provided under the Charan Paduka Yojana:

• The Federation has published a caveat notice on its official website for the distribution of charanpaduka to one male member of the tendu leaf collector family in the year 2026.
• Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai restarted the scheme at Jamgaon in Durg district by putting charan paduka on the feet of women tendu leaf collectors.
• More than 12 lakh 40 thousand tendu-leaf collectors in Chhattisgarh have received the benefit under the scheme.
• 12.40 lakh pairs of ladies' shoes at ₹321.44 per pair in the year 2024-25, with ₹40.00 crore received by the Federation from the state government.
• The state government purchases tendu leaves at a remuneration rate of ₹5,500 per standard bag.

Eligibility Requirements

To avail the benefit under the Charan Paduka Scheme, an applicant must meet the following requirements:

• The applicant family must be a tendu leaf collector family of Chhattisgarh attached to a Primary Forest Produce Co-operative Society.
• The family must have collected a minimum of 500 gaddi of tendu leaves in at least one year during the preceding two years.
• Only one member per eligible family receives charan paduka.
• The member must belong to the category notified for that year. For 2026, the Federation has notified distribution to one male member of the collector family.

Required Documents

Charan Paduka Yojana requires no documents from the collector. Eligibility is decided based on tendu leaf collection records maintained by the Primary Forest Produce Co-operative Societies.

Steps to Apply

• The Charan Paduka Yojana is a distribution-based scheme and does not require any separate application from beneficiaries.
• No online registration or offline application form is prescribed under the scheme.
• Eligibility of families is determined based on tendu leaf collection records maintained by the Primary Forest Produce Co-operative Societies.
• Families that meet the minimum collection criteria of 500 gaddies in at least one of the preceding two years are identified from the society records.
• Distribution of Charanpaduka is carried out through the network of the Chhattisgarh State Minor Forest Produce Federation and the concerned Primary Co-operative Societies.

Relevant Links

• Chhattisgarh Charan Paduka Yojana Details
• CG State Minor Forest Produce Co-operative Federation Ltd. Portal

Contact Information

• Chhattisgarh State Minor Forest Produce Co-operative Federation Ltd. Helpline Number: 0771-2513100
• CG State Minor Forest Produce Co-operative Federation Ltd. Helpdesk Email: [email protected]