I shall confine myself to the lifestyle and health aspects of the tribal people of Sundargarh district. The Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) in the district was the first integrated steel plant in the public sector in India. It was set up with German collaboration with an installed capacity of 1 million tons in the 1960s.
German metallurgical firms Mannesmann, Krupp, Damage, Siemens and Austrian company Voestalpine provided machinery and consultancy to the plant among others. Rourkela Steel Plant was the first steel plant in Asia to use the lD (linz-Donawitz) process of steel-making.
The RSP has an associated fertilizer plant that produces nitrogenous fertilizers using ammonia feedstock (from its coke oven plant). On February 3, 1959, the then President Rajendra Prasad had inaugurated RSP's first blast furnace named 'Parvati' when the company was known as Hindustan Steel limited (HSl). Subsequently, the RSP became a unit of the Steel Authority of India ltd (SAIl).
The tribal population in and around Rourkela were absorbed as skilled and unskilled workers in the mining area and steel plant. Their economical condition improved dramatically but due to their drinking and eating habits, they were exploited by the business people from other States.
Habits of gambling and drinking instead of improving their life and family ruined them all. They started going to the plant on motor bike and became sedentary in life which resulted in diabetes and high blood pressure amongst the tribal population towards 1970s.
When I joined the steel plant, tribal diabetic patients’ number was less (just 2 per cent), but when I left in 2008, it had touched 30 per cent. Their children went to Christian schools and their education level also improved. The literacy level amongst the tribal population improved.
During that period the missionary people were very active and many tribal people were converted to Christianity in many peripheral villages of western Odisha. No doubt, their economical and financial condition improved but they became increasingly vulnerable to non communicable diseases of modern life.
like other Indian society, they too started leading a life of cola culture and habits. The hidden talent amongst the tribal boys and girls could be tapped due to Government encouragement in sports and games.
As a result, many tribal boys and girls were picked up to play international sports. Rourkela sports department built hostels for hockey academy and gave free food and coaching to young tribal boys and girls along with free education.
The modern machine-induced lifestyle amongst officers has increased the incidence of hypertension, diabetes, glaucoma, trigger finger, migraine, cervical spondylosis, low back pain , gallstone , cystitis , stress , insomnia , peptic ulcer , carpal tunnel syndrome ,impotency, suicidal tendency and depressive psychosis.
But with digitalization and fastness, the life of the newer generation of tribal youths became very exciting and romantic. Easy availability of two and four wheelers resulted in the incidence of road traffic accidents and deaths in those industrial belts of Odisha.
To earn fast buck and become rich over night, many youths joined the anti development group called Maoists and became enemy of their own people. With availability of easy money, the youths started eating junk food and were affected by diabetes, high blood pressure, acidity, indigestion, and high cholesterol and coronary artery diseases.
Overall improvement was seen in the majority of the tribal population and they have been able to compete with the other competent people of the society. No doubt, the reservation policy has improved their life in the society.
Once they migrate to towns and cities after getting good Government jobs, they seldom look back and visit their villages and town but love to enjoy the fast city life. They no longer suffer from communicable diseases but fall victim to modern western type of diseases. In my view it is the tribal population and business people who have reaped a rich harvest from the rapid industrialization in India.
(The writer is ex-Joint Director, SAIl)