Infrastructure facilities for the people in rural area provided by the State Government are not equally distributed across region and among different social groups. The Government infrastructural facilities have not reached to the poor and marginalised groups in remote villages. Though there are special provisions for separate budgetary allocation with special Central assistance for backward remote areas and marginalised social groups but this has not been reflected in infrastructural development sector of the State Government.
This is a matter of grave concern as it is violation of human rights and specially violation of right for development of the poor and the marginalised. The State Government which supposes to be the protector of rights of the deprived and ensure the development of the poor has failed to ensure this fundamental right of all citizens.
let us look at the infrastructure such as electricity, surface communication, drinking water, sanitation, health and education infrastructure in rural areas of the State. Census 2011 revealed that 83.32 per cent of people live in rural area in the State and 16.68 per cent in urban area and during last ten years, only the urban population has increased by only 1.68 per cent. Rural Odisha has been lagging behind basic infrastructure for human and social development such as drinking water, toilet, electricity, linking road, primary school and primary health care centers.
The poor infrastructure has a direct ramification over local production, employment opportunity and income of the people in village. The non availability of basic infrastructures in villages has been impacting over the quality of life and standard of living of the poor and marginalized people.
As Government statistics shows the cost of living of rural agricultural worker is one of the lowest in the country next to Bihar. The current issues confronted by the rural poor such as distress migration, higher dropout of their children in schools, child labour, and uncontrolled water borne diseases, distress sale of rural agro products, low production and marketing have a direct link with underdeveloped rural infrastructure.
With fast changing of State economy towards industry and service sector, the rural population still mostly depends on continued backward agriculture while the contribution of agriculture sector to GSDP is decreasing the dependency of rural people on agriculture. To change the face of village, the focus should be on agricultural workers and cultivators in rural areas by bringing change in their standard of living and quality of life where the village infrastructure development with State investment can play a very vital role in transforming the traditional socio-economic structure of the village in favour of the poor and the marginalized.
The building of infrastructure is largely the responsibility of the State Government. As there has been disparity in access to use of infrastructure due to social segregation based on caste, ethnic and religious based social identity, the people of the marginalized social groups have been traditionally deprived of even whatever available public infrastructure in the village.
Electricity is one of the most important necessities of every household which is not only linked to modern days production but also a precondition for a developed quality of life but this facility is not available for all as only 80 per cent of village has been electrified in the State till 2014 which is less than the national average and the neighbouring States like AP, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. Within the State only Nuapada and Jharasuguda district have been fully covered in electricity and districts like Koraput a Boudh are less than the State average.
These districts are primarily dominated by Adivasi and Dalit population. It has been evident that funds of rural electrification programme of the Central Government have not been fully utilized by the State Government. There are interior pockets where remote village electrification programme has not covered through non conventional energy sources. Though about 70 per cent of consumers are in rural area but the uninformed frequent power cut for hours together in rural areas has been a matter of concern.
It has been frequently reported in media that many Dalit hamlets are not getting connected and the electric line ends at the end part of the village without reaching to the hamlet. There are many hamlets where the electric polls are installed without a connection for years in spite of routine visit by villages to local offices.
The availability of drinking water and sanitation facility which is very basic and essential for human life has been neglected in the State. The household access to safe drinking water in rural Odisha is 74 per cent only where as it is 83 per cent at national level. Mostly the rural poor people still depend on surface water for their every day household consumption. People in summer still go to the river bed and dig small pits to get water.
There are a number of villages where drinking water is a major problem for about half of the year. Coming to sanitation, Odisha is having highest number of people in the country that used to go for open defecation without a latrine facility at their household premises. Census 2011 revealed that there are 20 districts in the State having less than 20 per cent of household with access to toilet within their premises. The people in poorest districts such as Kalahandi, Deogada, Malkangiri, Nawarangapur, Sonepur, Boudh and Kandhamal have very less access to toilet which is less than the State average of 22.4 per cent.
It is revealed that the State lags in surface road density and tele –density in rural area. The rural connectivity in terms of linking road and telephone is still not ensured in many parts especially many Dalit hamlets and Adivasi villages in interior parts which caused inconveniencies to the people mostly in rainy seasons.
There are habitations inside paddy field and places disconnected by traditional water channels without all weather bridge and cross drainage work for the locals. There have been usual complaints of lack of all weather linking road by people at the end part of the village and disjointed locations which are mostly inhabited by marginalized communities.
The primary schools and primary health care centers in the State have not yet been established in many rural villages to cater to the primary education and health care need of the poor and marginalized who have no other way but to depend on Government institutions. The posts of doctors and health personals remain vacant mostly in remote rural areas inhabited by marginalized communities.
The districts of Boudh, Gajapati and Nuapada have very less medical institutions in comparison to other districts. In spite of increase in the number of primary schools, the non availability of primary school near the habitations has direct impact on the dropout rate. It is one of the major causes of child labour in remote and backward areas.
The State aims to provide primary education within one km and upper primary within three km of habitations having population of more than three and five hundred respectively. Many of the primary schools have lack of basic infrastructure to provide a decent environment to poor children for education in a dignified manner.
It is unfortunate and a matter of concern that the rural infrastructure has not been improving to the desired extent due to inadequate State investment and lack of priority in annual and five years plans to address the basic issues of the rural poor by linking it to overall growth of the State. There is an urgent need to utilise the Central assistance and special programme assistance for backward area and marginalised section of the State for infrastructure development in order to ensure equity and inclusive growth.
(The writer is a researcher and rights activist who can be reached at manasbbsr15@gmail.com)