There is so much poverty in Odisha that if you search for the poorest districts in the country, you will find them in this State,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a speech during his campaign in the recently-concluded Uttar Pradesh elections.
The statement sparked protest from the ruling party, which is in power for last 17 years. There is a widespread belief that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik may marginally manage to get a fifth term due to the absence of any credible alternative face in Opposition camp. However, if one examines the development indicators and current financial situation in the State, the Prime Minister is right what he has said.
Go by any calculation and you will find that Odisha is showing no good sign of development. As per the recent Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC), it is not Bihar or Uttar Pradesh, but the poverty-hit States are Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Interestingly, both the States figure top in the country, with a whopping 81.2 per cent (Odisha) and 81.9 per cent (Chhattisgarh) people respectively living with highest deprivation and acute poverty. Even after a stable Government with the same Chief Minister enjoying the power for last 17 years, Odisha is one of the poorest States in the country with over 32.59 per cent of its population, still living in the below poverty line (BPl) category.
The financial situation in the State is in such a bad shape that the State Government is in no position to create employment for10 lakh youths, registered in the employment exchanges. More concerns have come from the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) for the year ended March. The CAG has cautioned the State Government that the public debt receipts in Odisha saw a spurt of 237 per cent (from Rs 2,268 crore in 2010-11 to Rs 7,646 crore in 2014-15). Forget about the promise the Government made to create employment opportunities for 20 lakh in the State, the situation is so worse that as many as 1.38 lakh posts are lying vacant in various Government departments. Moreover, the State has abolished 44,197 vacant posts citing austerity measures as revealed from the latest annual establishment review. Unfortunately, the highest vacancies of 38,717 posts are found in the School and Mass Education Department while the Health Department has 12,167 vacancies.
The State has spent a whipping Rs 14,382 crore under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) since 2001 but, there are only 25 per cent of primary schools in the State which have so far got access to electricity connection. 87 per cent of primary and upper primary schools lack a teacher for every class, while 80 per cent of them do not have enough class rooms. Besides this, 39,635 schools lack playgrounds, 17,763 schools do not have boundaries, and 376 schools do not have their own buildings. The teacher vacancies are at its peak with over 38,717 vacancies not filled up for last several years.
Close to 100 children died of Japanese Encephalitis in tribal-dominated Malkangiri district in a span of about two months. At least 19 infants died due to malnutrition at Nagada village in mineral-rich Jajpur district in a month’s time. Odisha made it to the top in malaria deaths in the country (accounts for nearly 32 per cent deaths). The case of Dana Majhi made global headlines for wrong reasons. All these speak volumes about the state of health in Odisha. The situation is becoming more complicated with around 1,600 posts of doctors, which is one-third of the total sanctioned strength of 4,800 are lying vacant in the State.
CM Patnaik may win a fifth term in 2019, but Odisha will lose another five year to catch up development with other progressive States in the country.
(The writer is a policy and development expert and writes on Odisha’s development and poverty issues. sachisatpathy@yahoo.com )