The model village programme by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to transform rural India with high standard of physical and institutional infrastructure is very much significant for backward States like Odisha which lag behind national average in terms of poor rural infrastructure.
In this context, the social vision of building modern Odisha should focus on reorganizing its habitations in village with basic infrastructural amenities for a decent living not only to minimize rural-urban gap, but to bring social inclusiveness.
There have been huge differences in the life and standard of living of individuals and communities in villages since generations in spite of efforts by public and private bodies. The common resources available in the village such as land, water and forest are still under the hegemonic control of a dominant few and our governing system that manages public resources has not ensured equal access in use of the resources.
While building public infrastructure out of State investment there must be an attempt to ensure inclusiveness so that the poor and marginalized sections have access to resources as well as infrastructure of public utility. It has been observed that the poor and socially marginalized communities have been deprived of getting access to common resources in the village and in the ongoing process they are also equally deprived of getting access to public infrastructure. Many of the communities still live in segregated hamlets and are not being integrated into the main village. Their hamlets are in the end part of the village without an all-weather road, electricity, drinking water and above all without enough land for housing and building physical infrastructure. They face discrimination in employment, business and trade. land ownership and access is very important and key to village infrastructure building.
Historically a majority of our rural village habitations are coming up as caste hamlets in a much unplanned way without a proper vision of human habitation. The growing demand for land use for different purposes and increase in population in recent times should be considered for a judicious use of land in the best interest of the locals. The traditional land use pattern has not been democratized to make it available for use of all people in the village. Since its inception, the Revenue Department has not thought up adequately on public land management. On the contrary, it routinely engaged in land revenue collection and formalizing legal ownership. There has been no proper survey and settlement in many parts of the State as a result of which thousands of habitations do not have a formal legal status as a revenue village though they exist for generations. lakhs of families have no record of rights over the land they have been living with a family.
The Revenue Department should proactively work along with village Panchayats to demarcate the status of the land and make provisions for the use of that land for various purposes by other development departments of the Government such a as R&B, Electricity and RWSS etc. It has been observed that many of the village infrastructural development projects are getting delayed due to problem in demarcation of the status of the land.
There are also illegal possessions of land by influential and anti-social persons of the village who remain adamant of their status in the absence of strong action by public authority specially the Revenue Department and police. There are also cases of incidents of conflict over common land use by different social groups for different purposes in the absence of democratization of public resources by the State such as village forest, grazing land, temple land, cremation ground, play ground, water bodies and forest land available for public uses which are still under hegemonic control of dominant groups in the village. Though there is availability of land in the village but poor people have no access to use the land even for housing and other basic human requirements for a decent living. They manage to live with a limited space in a subhuman condition because of their poor economic status and social identity. They cannot buy land and there has been legal and social restriction over access to common land.
The rebuilding of model village should start with democratizing resources available in the village by making it legally and socially accessible to all economic and social groups. While making available the existing resources for public utility, the new public institutions should come up to create more democratic space for all.
The local leaders in Odisha should change their mindset to cope with changing socio-economic environment and modern political and social values of democracy, international human rights standards and cosmopolitanism. Not only a few model villages but each and every village should have public connectivity facility, road, power, water, telephone, fuel, lPG, social infrastructure, school, hospital, bank, post office, internet centre and cultural centers, marriage mandap, marketing space, godowns, farmers market and other public infrastructure required by the locals.
There should be mini stadium in every panchayat with all facilities of gym and sports, swimming pool which can be availed by the locals, specially youths and students. The space for village forest can be developed into parks with fruit bearing trees under the management and supervision of village panchayat. Along with agriculture, there should be enough land for small industries in the panchayat. But the public institutions should be free from all kinds of discrimination and hegemonic control. The State has to ensure it by making law and exhibit it in practice.
There should be panchayat development authority similar to authorities in cities to carry out planned development of habitations in the village. The villages near railway stations, national and State highways should be expanded to large villages with space of more habitations.
The change will be possible only through huge State investment but the investment should not be only economic. It should include public educational investment with a plan to complimenting with building a public culture that respects civic laws and a sense of caring for public property. The public must denounce stealing, bribe, violence and discrimination. Social democratic values that encourage an inclusive social culture in the village should be practiced. The ongoing industrialization process should not be seen as a threat to village but where ever there is displacement due to mega projects, it should be taken as an opportunity to rebuild the village.
(The writer is a researcher and rights activist who can be mailed atmanasbbsr15@gmail.com)