Sir — This refers to the article, “Odisha has many happy stories too” (August 31) by Navneet Anand. Mayurbhanj district in Odisha had the luxury of having a benevolent ruler like Maharaja Sri Ram Chandra Bhanjdeo before independence who set up schools and hospitals in remote areas.
Though predominantly tribal, the district does well in most indicators due to a strong development base now. This was of course possible due to the generous infusion of public funds. This is the only district in the State which never reports starvation deaths as sal leaf trade ensures livelihood to each tribal.