The Government of Odisha is engaged in the process of preparing a Vision Document for 2036 as its completion of 100 years of formation of a separate State. It is expected that the vision should be based on principles of growth with equity because Odisha has completed 80 years of its existence and made progress in many fields but this growth has not been shared with all its population across region and among different social groups. Consequently, the overall status of the State has not changed in terms of minimizing regional disparity and gaps among different social groups.
The makers of modern Odisha had dreamed of a hunger- and- disease- free State but that remains a day dream now sans any desired change. In the 1866 Odisha famine, about 10 lakh people died of hunger and diseases and even today the old issues like drought, flood, diarrhoea, malaria, malnutrition and hunger are still predominantly visible. In 1984 the case of sale of Banita by Phanas Punji of Kalahandi had drawn national attention and recently the eating of mango kernel by tribals of Kashipur in Rayagada hugged headlines. The hunger death has been continuing nonstop in south -west and KBK region. Every day poor and distress women, children and old people are dying as they are deprived of food and medicine in different parts of the State.
It is fact that the economic progress has made affluent some sections of people, but the distress and deprivation of a majority of its population get reflected in chronic unemployment, distress migration, food and nutritional insecurity, diseases and low quality of living. Every day media reports on miserable condition of people in different parts of the State shows a very poor progress in improving the standard of living.
In spite of efforts in many fronts by the State and non-State actors, Odisha remains as before in the poverty chart. It is below national average in social development indicators, such as health, education and rural social infrastructure etc. India ranks 130th out of 188 countries in the 2015 UNDP Human Development Index (HDI) and 97th among 118 countries on Global Hunger Index (GHI) in 2016 under the category of ‘serious’. India is home to largest malnourished and hungry population of the world due to lack of access to food. It has been reported that the level of inequality is very high between the rich and the poor and among different social groups. The reduction of poverty in Odisha has been consistently slow in comparison to other States. It is mostly the vulnerable poor people in rural hamlets, slums, landless wage earners, migrant workers, scavengers, PVTG, single women, children of poor parents, PWD and elderly people who are in most distress condition without sufficient nutritious food to survive. A vast majority of them belongs to socially excluded communities who are experiencing social issues along with poverty. A number of social issues have been affecting the overall social environment, culture and mindset of the people of the region and making the inhabitants more vulnerable. The backward social and educational status has been limiting access to rights and entitlements and all other State sponsored opportunities.
The extreme poverty leads to cases of starvation death, sale of children, organ sale, trafficking of women and children, forced labour and low paid wage, eating of mango kernel, roots, distress migration, diseases, malaria, diarrhoea, malnutrition and food scarcity, mostly among the marginalised sections and social groups in backward regions with poor communication and connectivity. This shows failure of State protection against exploitation and vulnerability.
Poverty along with lack of education and health service allows prevalence of middle age social customs and practices such as unscientific old method of treatment, brand torture, animal sacrifice before god and deity, witchcraft and witch hunting, alcoholism, female feticide, untouchability, casteism, honor killing , inhuman and cruel treatment against women and children and child labour. These practices have been affecting the social environment to build a progressive society with sense of decency and dignity and improved quality of life. These socio-religious factors are equally responsible for poor economic progress but these non-economic issues are not being sufficiently addressed by the Government to bring desired social change in the State. Though the spread of education and health service is the primary requirement to facilitate a forward social change, but unfortunately, primary education and primary healthcare services in the State have not covered all social groups in remote and inaccessible areas. There are hamlets without school, access to hospital, safe drinking water and electricity, communication and connectivity. There has been very little social awareness among the people, especially the marginalised sections, as a vast majority of them is illiterate and has very little exposure to improved quality of living.
The eradication of hunger and extreme poverty through State sponsored food distribution programme is holding the State accountable under National Food Security Act and food based interventions such as targeted PDS, ICDS, MDM etc but last few years of experience shows that in spite of its wider reach to many deserving poor, this has been subject to a number of issues. It is limited to minimum cereals only. The food market is largely privatised and people have to depend on market for survival. The poor people with limited purchasing power are being affected even if food availability and production has improved.
It has been demanded for a long time that in order to bring household food security, the small holding production in rural areas needs to be encouraged with distribution of productive asset such as land and other related facilities for integrated farming. This will not only increase the food production but also ensure food security. The households having access to productive assets such as land, credit, irrigation, electricity, communication and connectivity are relatively more developed than others who do not have such facilities. The people’s access to common land, forests, mountains and water bodies have been getting restricted with increasing privatization of State resources for market driven forces. So, it is highly required to give land ownership to all rural households engaged in production, especially the landless SCs and STs, agricultural workers, small and marginal farmers and sharecroppers. For the productive use of land, it should be supported with irrigation, electricity and all other required facilities. The cooperative of small holders to enhance production should be encouraged in all respects by the State. The productive engagement of the rural poor in improving the food production will bring change in their life. This will reduce the dependency of the State on neighbouring States for vegetables, fruits, fish, meat, egg, milk, cereals, pulses, oil seeds and spices.
Only insufficient targeted distribution of rice and wheat will not bring food security; rather it has been increasing dependency of the poor over State for survival and affecting the local production process. The resources of Odisha should be utilized for its people and by the people. In the coming 20 years, Odisha must focus on building an inclusive society with ownership over all productive assets and sources of livelihood equally distributed. The historical injustice done to the producing communities needs to be changed by breaking structural barriers of inequality to arrest continued marginalisation and exploitation process.
(Email-manasbbsr15@gmail.com, Mob-09437060797)