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Kendu Leaf- A leaf equivalent to money. Yes! you have read it right. Kendu leaf is a leaf which is used to make bidi and that is why it has a monetary value as well. And so, rural people are very keen in collecting and selling it in month of may and June. Monetary value of Kendu leaf varies from place to place. The story is all about a village in Barwadih block of Latehar district in Jharkhand. The name of that village is Harinamarh. Villagers of Harinamarh collect Kendu leaves in the month of May-June but due to restriction from the forest department they are bound to sell it illegally and at a lower rates to the contractors. According to the villagers they are bound to sell it at Rs200 per 100 pieces. They also said that in Orissa it is Rs700 per 100 pieces. Those who are unable to migrate for earning money, specially old men and women, for them it is a major source of income. Since, after the advent of Multi-art association, they got to know about FRA and their rights related to the forests. That’s why they decided to fight against the forest department by selling leaves collected in one day with proper transit pass granted by Gram sabha and with prior notice to the Forest department. If the department poses any kind of threat to the villagers then they are determined to wage a full fledged legal battle against the respective officer of the forest department.
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