The recently held “Odisha Development Conclave” by some State NGOs and foreign donor agencies at Bhubaneswar is surely an image building exercise for the NGO sector, but the social activists are skeptical of the outcome of such kind of events in mitigating the distress of the under-privileged masses of the State like Dana Majhi or the villagers of Nagada.
During the period of second generation NGO sector in the 1980s, NGOs used to hold festive meetings in capitals and in big hotels and discuss the root causes of poverty and under-development where few urban based and educated think-tanks gave lectures on development and accused the Government apparatus as development villains. later, some of these organsiers and guest speakers found place in Government committees and commissions. These systems of recreational activities by NGOs and later by the Government departments finally led the Union and State Governments to ban hotel meetings, foreign study tours, seminars and researches. Critics began to question about the time when the search for root causes of under-development shall end and best practices shall be shared by the Government agencies, NGOs, activists or public. Are there no successful development foot prints available till now in OdishaIJ Is the absence of knowledge is the reason of failure in development or there is no feedback -system in the State Government to solve the grassroots difficulties of an anganwadi or ASHA or VlW or a primary teacherIJ
Poverty is a challenge for Odisha. It is known that poverty in Odisha is social group specific and spatial. The ST and SC communities are largely the marginalized sections of the society. The Tribal Sub-Plan has been operating in the State with greater focus on tribal dominated 118 blocks. Special Central Assistance (SCA) is provided for accelerated development of tribal communities, including the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG). There is provision for SC SubPlan. The spatial distribution of poverty is known to be KBK and Mayurbhanja region. The State Government also runs a Biju-KBK scheme for KBK development after the Central scheme was curtailed. It shall be incorrect to opine that there is no outcome in combating poverty, but the phenomenon of starvation in Nagada or Kashipur speaks for itself. It is happening not due to knowledge deficiency but owing to deficiency in implementation. Numerous PRI systems and grassroots Government staff give daily report to the local BDOs but the issues are not sorted out. Unless concerned Ministers and Secretaries evolve feedback systems, the issue of poverty and hunger shall continue to hunt the State. The Chief Minister is also not reviving his old system of dropping Ministers on grounds of corruption and accountability failure. So there is no top-down pressure on governance accountability.
last year’s serial death of poor farmers is also another facet of poverty and all suicides were not failed love birds as reported by the Government. These suicides could have been checked by the local Government machinery and the PRIs, had there been fear of accountability.
The decelerating trend of agriculture sector experienced in the State in recent years with less than 16 per cent contribution to GSDP indicates more farmers’ suicide in coming years.
Unemployment is yet another challenge for the State with youth migrating out for work in distress situation. As per 2011 population census, the total number of workers was 175.42 lakh of which 151.04 lakh (86.1 per cent) were in rural Odisha and 24.38 lakh (13.9 per cent) in urban Odisha. It was also reported that total number of marginal workers was 68.34 lakh constituting 39.0 per cent to the total workers. Census data for 2011 reveals that there was an increase of 22.9 per cent of total workers in 2011 census over 2001 census. The proportion of male workers to male population and female workers to female population in the State stood at 56.1 per cent and 27.2 per cent respectively. It is clear that the State has a sizeable proportion of unemployed female population and marginal worker population. As contingency measure, the State Government must activate MGNREGA and the Union Government must timely release money for the scheme.
But as long term measure, education, skill development, manufacturing industries must be promoted at district levels. The State Government only recently declared startup policy, keeping quiet for long and primary education is yet to see serious reforms to build better manpower. It is again not knowledge failure of the Government but policy as well as implementation failures. However, the State Government is accusing the Union Government of not giving more money for improving education infrastructure in backward regions.
In addition to historical and natural disaster factor as causes of poverty, the ruling Odisha Government adds a new Central negligence factor as cause of Odisha poverty. The State Government’s logic is that while the Center takes mining royalty more from Odisha than other States, it gives less tax share. On the other hand, successive Union Governments accuse the Odisha Government of non-uiltilisation of funds. This is political dynamics of poverty and under development in the context of Odisha.
But as per the Constitution, both the State and the Center are responsible for elimination of poverty in the federal structure where each player has to be held responsible for performance on his subject. In this situation, it is important to demarcate the roles of non-State development players in Odisha. Since independence, social welfare and religious organizations were involved in developmental activities in the State. The social organizations initially were confined to Congress leaders and Gandhians. later, the inflow of secular overseas development aid, created many NGOs in Odisha following both welfare and right based ideologies. There was also growth of nationalist organistions. Setting up of CAPART under Union Government in 1980s further promoted many NGOs in the State, especially in few districts like Dhenkanal. As international bodies and Indian Government assigned NGOs with service delivery role in inaccessible areas, NGOs continued to grow in Odisha too. There is fall in funding now- a- days, leading to the less growth of NGO activities in Odisha.
NGO leaders have been kept in various committees/commissions and even sent to the Rajya Sabha. There is a mixed category of social welfare organizations /NGOs in Odisha ,ranging from local office of foreign donor agencies to capital based organizations, institutionalized agencies, grassroots implementing organisations, welfare organizations , rights promotion institutes, training-research-consultancy-advocacy bodies etc. There are also big gaps in salary of NGO workers.
The Government as main player of development asks NGOs to go to the grassroots to deliver programmes where Government staff cannot reach, to engage in propagating nationalist values and for social reforms like combating untouchability etc. The Government does not expect NGOs to engage themselves in protests, politics and similar activities and remain non-corrupt. It is time NGOs transformed themselves and stayed away from lavish wasteful programmes in the name of development. The lead NGOs must ensure that there is equitable fund flow to small grassroots NGOs. The Government should also make a list of accredited social workers and give them facilities like journalists.
The corporate sector, which is newly emerging as another non-State player, should show commitment to the catchment area people where it operates. It should give jobs to local people and facilitate local development first.
NGOs and funding agencies working in Odisha cannot escape from taking responsibility of Nagada or Kasipur. They should rectify their strategies and go to the grassroots instead of hobnobbing with political leaders or bureaucrats.