Historically, issues based on disparities pertaining to geographical area, social groups and sex remain unaddressed to ensure inclusive development of all regions across social groups.
The State is not just a geographical boundary but it includes its people. The post independent economic development process in Odisha has not generated much employment for all sections of people across the State as evident from the growing unemployment situation and distress migration to outside States. The economic policy has contributed in widening the rich –poor gap across social groups as well as regional disparity. The women, Dalits, Adivasis, labourers and farmers are in bottom line. It is evident from the statistics of the Government that many of the middle age socio-economic issues such as child labour, bonded labour, distress migration, trafficking, hunger death, illiteracy, social discrimination and poverty are still prevalent in the State in spite of rule of a regional party for four times consecutively. These issues are the consequences of the economic policy of the Government for the last sixty years. The long pending regional aspirations of the people in different parts of the State remain unaddressed.
Justice SK Mohanty commission’s report on regional imbalance submitted to the Government in 2008 identified south-west districts such as Malkangiri, Nuapada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Kalahandi, Kondhamal and northern districts like Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh and Keonjhar as most underdeveloped. This region is home to a majority of the total poor of the State but it is contributing more to the State treasury in terms of SGDP. It has been observed that there is serious disparity in development of different regions and social groups in the State who lag behind in every aspect of human development index. The south-west and northern part of Odisha remain backward in many aspects of human and social development as well as in terms of educational, health, infrastructure and communication. The most serious concern is lack of basic amenities like drinking water, electricity and connectivity. The lop-sided development has serious impact over the economic growth of the State and very negatively encourages separatist tendencies, violence and extremism out of a sense of alienation and underdevelopment in comparison to others. It is affecting production, social peace and quality of life.
The charity, subsidy and welfare programme such as Rs1 per kg rice and old age pension remain dominant discourse in political mobilization of the poor people of the State. Corporate investment in mining and industry is being projected as State economic development and the role of State investment in economic development remain minimal. The development model of the Centre, schemes and programmes are being replicated by the State without any local innovation and considering the local context and relevance and a regional economic development prospective.
The costal districts remain always prone to natural calamities and every year people routinely suffer with loss and damages and it becomes the responsibility of the State to intervene in emergency through humanitarian relief and other services. This has been a regular State expense without a permanent solution to such tragedies. There has been no plan by State except relief to the affected people hit by flood, drought, cyclone and disaster. The biggest work done by the Government is the rescue operation and humanitarian aid. For the last sixty years, there has been nothing beyond relief. The people in river banks and coasts become worst sufferers. As removal of regional disparity in development is one of the important agendas of the State which has been reflected in implementation of programmes like Biju KBK Plan, Biju Kandhamal O Gajapati plan, Gopabandhu Gramina Yojana, Western Odisha Development Council (WODC), Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF), but these programmes have not yet created any substantial impact in removing regional disparity with low budget and lethargic bureaucracy. As a consequence, the backward regions of Odisha witness lack of local employment and low wage which encourages distress migration. The people do not have basic minimum amenities while quality of life is the same as before without much change.
There are areas which still remain inaccessible and are branded as backward. Even there are districts without railway line and with zero industry. The long pending demand for Khurda –Balangir railway line and High Court bench in western part of Odisha still remains unresolved in spite of continuous uproar. Odisha was formed as a linguistic province consisting of six districts such as Sambalpur, Koraput, Ganjam, Puri, Cuttack and Baleswar in 1936 and later in 1950 the others were merged. Broadly the whole area can be divided into three parts as areas under direct British rule, feudatory States and tribal areas which are different from the other two. So for historical and geographical reason the regional socio-political and socio-economic issues are different and there was absence of comprehensive administrative and legal mechanism to plan for the whole State till 1950. The community development block concept was introduced in the early sixties but there have been serious limitations in the formation of blocks as development units without considering the purpose of such formations.
The budgetary allocation should be based on income of the district or a particular region. The regions contributing to State treasury in terms of natural resources, minerals, forest produce, and marine product should get preferential treatment. It is unfortunate that the people in coal, hydropower and thermal power plant area are not getting adequate electricity for their basic consumption. It is found that the areas coming up with industrialization and urbanizations are being captured by the dominant educated social groups by displacing the poor, illiterate and marginalized social groups to the periphery and depriving them of job, business and other economic opportunities created in the area.
Budgetary provision should strictly follow Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP) and Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) in allocation and spending to reach to the most backward social groups and the allocation should consider their population in different level while allocating the resources.
The State should invest to change the basic economic structure through its radical economic policy in favour of backward region through land reform, education, irrigation, electricity, rural industrialisation, forest based NTFP, agriculture and tourism which always take a backseat. Industrialization in the State is not integrating to all regions. It should base on value addition by integrating manufacturing
and ancillary industries in backward regions of the State. The State should have own power plant and attempt should be made to decentralize energy production for its domestic consumption. Solar, wind and other forms of energy sources should be explored to minimize pollution and displacement.
Odisha being a land of diversity and diverse ethnic groups, the issues of different social groups need to be integrated into the State plan for an inclusive development. Regional economy and planning should be encouraged as a subject in colleges with State specific subjects like mineral economics, forest economics and marine economics. The Government should generate adequate disaggregated socio-economic data and impact assessment reports which should be made available to policy makers, researchers, development planners and administrators. The institute like Nabakrushna Choudhury Centre for Development Studies (NCDS) and Gopabandhu Academy of Administration and the universities in the State should collectively take a lead in the process in building a prospective of economic development involving political parties and academics of the State to mitigate regional imbalances and disparity in development.
The elected members with less influence may not be able to mobilize much for their constituencies specially leaders from marginalized groups and backward areas. There is a need of administrative and academic commitments to translate the dreams and demands of the people which should be reflected in political will of the Government. The elected people’s representatives should have very active and larger role in policy making for the people of the State as a whole rather than leader of any particular constituency.
(The writer is a rights activist who can be reached at ojaabbsr@gmail.com)