Roadmap for a prosperous Odisha
Many wonder,
why Odisha, a land of ancient history, rich heritage, vibrating and liberal
culture and tradition, remains in a perpetual state of irony. It is one of the
richest states of India so far natural resources are concerned with the poorest
of people. A state which had trade relations with South East Asia in ancient
times presently is known for its migrant labourers. Why so? And are there ways
to come out of the poverty spiral? Can Odisha again rise and shine? Can it again
be prosperous? What is the roadmap?
This essay is
an ideation on these lines.
Before I proceed
further, a small clarification about the word ‘prosperous’ that is being used
here. When I am using the word ‘prosperous’, I am not only talking about
material prosperity. I am talking about prosperity in a larger and holistic
term- somewhat close to the UN definition of development: Development is a comprehensive, economic, social, cultural and
political process which aims at the constant improvement of the wellbeing of
the entire population and of all individuals on the basis of their active, free
and meaningful participation in development and in the fair distribution of
benefits resulting there from. When I am talking about prosperity I include
material prosperity of the individual and also of the society as a whole. I
envisage a free and egalitarian society with an atmosphere of well being, where
opportunities of growth are there for everybody, basic amenities are available
to all and reachable for all. There is an atmosphere of co operation and trust
at individual and societal level.
I began this
essay by saying Odisha is a land of irony, of glaring, often bewildering
contrast. With
growing industrialization and prosperity, the population’s average income has
almost tripled in recent decades. This has been partly boosted by the mining
industry and growing information technology development. Since 2003 its GDP growth has been higher
than the national average. In the last one and a half decades it has attracted
countless Industrial projects- large and medium. In fact in 2010 it stood
second in all India ranking of per capita projects under implementation, which
was Rs 88, 020, when the all India average was Rs 43, 572. Exports grew at an
average rate of 33 per cent (more than half the exports were minerals and only
3 per cent manufactured items). Mega projects have been envisaged in metal and
mineral, petro-chemical and infrastructure sector. IT (Information Technology)
and ITES (IT enabled Services) have been promoted in a big way.
However,
Odisha still remains the top state in India to have the highest percentage of
people living below the poverty line. Almost 40 per cent of all children under
three years old in Odisha are underweight and 61 per cent of adolescent girls
are anaemic. It has one of the highest infant and maternal mortality rates in
India. The majority of infant deaths take place in the first month of the
child’s life.
Odisha
has the second highest proportion of scheduled caste and tribal people in
India. Tribal communities constitute almost half of the state’s poor. The
literacy rate in these communities is among the lowest in the country. The drop put rate is very high. In fact
Odisha has the highest percentage of out-of-school children between ages six
and 14 in India. Floods and cyclones repeatedly devastate coastal and riverside
communities in Odisha. Drought and crop loss regularly cause migration and
starvation in the state’s western and central districts.
The
manufacturing sector is not doing very well. Heavy industries face public ire
and policy level hindrances even before they start. Therefore although many MOU
(Memorandum of Understanding) have been signed, the larger projects that could
actually make very visible changes to the fabric of Orissa and where there is
scope for mass employment or creating social infrastructures - projects like
Posco, Tata Steel, Mittal-Arcelor have yet to be finalised.
Now, let me
detail the advantages Odisha has. Odisha is blessed with 5 important resources:
— Natural
Resources: Odisha accounts for India’s 4.7 per cent of area, 3.47 per cent of
country’s population but 7 per cent of its forests and 11 per cent of surface
water resources.
— Mineral
Resources: It accounts for India’s 24 per cent of coal, 98 per cent of
chromites and 60 per cent of bauxite, 95 per cent of Nickel, and 26 per cent of
Iron ore besides many other minerals and semi precious gem stones.
— Biological
Resources: Its vast forests have wide variety of flora and fauna. In fact its
extremely diverse biological resources gives the state a reputation for
abundance of natural beauty and wildlife.
— Agricultural
Resources: Odisha is a predominantly agrarian state with Agriculture & Animal Husbandry sector
contributing 22.63% to the Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) in 2007-08 (Q) at
current prices and providing employment directly or indirectly to 70% of the
total work force as per census 2001.
— Human
Resources: Odisha traditionally has skilled artisans in handloom and
hanidicraft sector, skilled mechanics in service and maintenance sector and
hard working farm labours. Thanks to IT revolution, it now has fairly large
pool of young men and women skilled in IT enabled services.
These
resources have accorded the state some advantages:
1.
The state’s proximity to the fast growing economies of China and
South East Asia and the availability of port infrastructure in the state
provides it a strategic economic advantage.
2.
Thanks to its large mineral resources, particularly coal (25 per
cent of India’s total), iron-ore (25 per cent) and bauxite (51 per cent) it has
the potential to become a major coal based electricity generation, steel and aluminum
producing region.
- Thanks to its rich history and cultural
diversities; liberal tradition and rich geographical variety it has the
potential to develop religious/cultural, leisure and eco-tourism in a
large way.
However, with
all the resources and advantages, Odisha still lies at the bottom with large
number of poor, hungry, malnourished people. Why? What are the faultlines?
Here, to my
mind are the fault lines:
— Lack of
vision
— Poor
governance
— Poor Work
Culture
— Lack of sound
Social Infrastructure (Health, Education, Livelihood)
— Environmental
degradation
— Backwardness
of Agricultural sector
— Regional and
Social Disparities, Social unrest, Security problems, especially the Maoist Menace
— Gap in
entrepreneurial development congruence between people, ideas, government and
financial systems
— Mediocrity
— An aura of
negativity and social trust deficit
All
of us are probably aware of the faultlines and probably discussing about them
for a far too long time. The important
question is: what can be done? We have to think about the solutions. We have to
plan, strategize and then buckle our belts and work to effect changes.
Here
are some suggestions and action plan:
- Invest
in physical infrastructure. Infrastructure will trigger and then sustain economic
activity. For example, improving the connectivity by improving the condition
of roads and, improving the infrastructure and facilities of village haats could trigger village
economy. Arrangement for proper maintenance should also be made.
- Invest
in social infrastructure. Ensure people have access to the infrastructure
and actually use them. However, we need to shun populism and think long
term. Take special care of underprivileged community. However the goal
should be real capacity building and not appeasement. Special initiative
is required to improve health services in rural and semi urban areas.
Average medical expenses are increasing and it is increasingly pushing
poor people into vortex of poverty, from which they find no escape route.
- Prepare for gradual urbanisation. Urbanisation is
happening at an ever increasing rate over the last three decades. As
agriculture becomes less profitable on one hand and less labour intensive (thanks to the
improved technology and implements) on the other- people from villages
whose primary vocation used to be agriculture are migrating to urban
areas. Instead of fighting this trend, we need to prepare for it. We need to
create infrastructure to hold the increasing population and create job
opportunities for them. This could be done in manufacturing and services
domain. So emphasis should be laid on that sector.
- Go slow
on grant/aid/dole/subsidy. These should be short term measures.
Perpetualisation of these will make people permanently dependant on government
dole, which will impede productivity in the long run. Accord social safety
net for poor and marginalized by transparent mode of financial inclusion.
- Tackle
and contain corruption. Besides it physical damage, it saps the vitals of
the society and makes it gradually morally bankrupt. A morally bankrupt
society can never prosper in the true sense. One practical way of containing
corruption is to make rules transparent and provide information to the end
users. Going online could make things easy and relatively transparent.
- Implement
rule of law. Adopt zero-tolerance policy. Act strictly. Act fast. Fix
accountability. For example, encroachment of government land is both a
menace and a drain. Make the local administration responsible in case of
any encroachment. Implementation of rule of law at the ground level
creates an atmosphere of trust on governance, which has its positive ripple
effects in many areas. For example, it will help tourism sector. Small
business will eventually benefit.
- Take
decision, don’t procrastinate. Accord strict timeframe in implementation
of projects. This will contain sloth and bring in the much needed work
momentum.
- Manage natural
resources. For example, efficient water management is the need of the
hour. Encourage micro level water harvesting and management. Revive tank
irrigation system, especially in KBK districts. Revitalize and maintain
irrigation projects. Manage forest resources. Provide opportunity for
value addition. Look for new avenues. For example: Bamboo plantation and
harvesting can go a long way in poverty alleviation.
- Go for
multi-departmental approach in agri-sector. Agriculture, Horticulture,
Animal Husbandry, fishery and Soil conservation should be made to work
collectively for a holistic intervention. Threats like siltation, loss of
salinity, extensive weed growth and depletion of fishery resources ought
to be addressed promptly. Take steps to minimize farm waste. Provide
storage infrastructure, cold chain, hand holding in marketing, processing
and thereby value addition.
- Odisha
is an energy surplus state. Energy, as Ravi Venkatesan writes[1]
“is the new labour in the sense that the cost of energy will significantly
drive where things are made.”It has mineral resources and skilled
manpower. It could emerge as a manufacturing hub. “Manufacturing is all
about creating hubs that are eco systems for innovation, specialized
skills and supply chains.” We need to create those hubs with favourable
industrial policy and Institutions that can produce skilled human
resources to run the machines and factories.
- Odisha has
the potential to become an education hub in Eastern India. Improve and
build new infrastructure for higher and technical education. Help maintain
and improve quality of education. A strict quality check will go a long
way in establishing it as an attractive one and harness the spin off
dividends.
- Use
improved technology. Odisha needs drought resistant seeds and techniques
like “Gel hydroponics” which will make make plants drought-resistant.
Use IT enabled services- especially the ubiquitous mobile to usher in
financial inclusion. Use Internet based platforms to disseminate need
based information.
- Explore
New Domains. Think about using Renewable Energy Sources. Encourage Organic
Farm Produce, which has a huge international market and slowing catching
up in India as well. Establish Handicraft hub, adopt ‘Cluster Approach’
for better marketing. Promote tourism by showcasing our rich traditions
and heritage. In Kerala watching Kathakali
dance (including watching dancers putting on elaborate make up) is a
big tourist draw. Something in that line could be planned involving Odissi or Chhau. In Rajasthan folk performances under the backdrop of
old palaces and havelis draw large number of tourists. This also could be
planned.
- Dispel
negativity. Many of us suffer from negativity, triggered by a perception
that nothing can ever move in this State. We must shun that mind set. Media
can play a great role to dispel this perception. It has the power to act
as a catalyst in the process of growth. Media should dispel negativity and
help growth and development by playing its three major roles: watchdog,
pathfinder and friend.
- Create
an atmosphere of trust. Trust at the individual, societal and political
level. It is the atmosphere of trust and security that draws people out to
try something new. It attracts people from other state to visit our place,
to do business here, to set up industries here. In a globalised economy no
state can grow in isolation. We all can contribute our bit to create this
atmosphere of trust at individual level and collectively simply by working
hard and honestly.
The Government
can create this atmosphere of trust by strictly sticking to the rule of law and
by framing and implementing policies which will actually help the society in
the long run. The Government must shun populism and empty rhetoric. The civil
society must raise its voice against this trend and contribute in trust
building.
The most
important aspect perhaps is to convince ourselves that we can effect a change. We can
make Odisha prosper. Budha had said: We
are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts,
we make the world.
Let us recognise, understand and use our power to make our
motherland prosper. Let us work towards a happy and prosperous Odisha.
***
31 Dec. 2014
