Children - Terre des Hommes

127
Orissa
State Overview
Orissa has a population of 36,706,920 221 and the state’s total
GDP was Rs. 1,033 billion in 2007-08. In terms of the number
of people living in poverty, it is the poorest state in India.
Currently, almost half or 46.4 per cent of its population are
classed as living below the poverty line. 222 With 85 per cent of
the population inhabiting rural areas, the vast majority of the
people living in poverty, 15 million, can be found in the rural
parts of the state. Orissa has not been a focus of investment
by the central government, causing its infrastructure and
development indicators to lag behind the rest of the country.
In rural areas, less than 35 per cent of the population has
access to safe drinking water.
With its abundant natural resources and a large coastline, the
state has recently started to attract vast amounts of private
investment, particularly in steel mills, power plants and
alumina refineries. The state contains a fifth of India’s coal,
a quarter of its iron ore, a third of its bauxite reserves and
most of its chromite. 223 The central government has agreed
to accord SEZ status to eight sites in Orissa. However, these
plans are facing strong resistance from the local population,
who mainly depend on agriculture for their livelihood and
who are experiencing widespread displacement. Agriculture
continues to constitute the major contribution to the state’s
economy and forms the chief occupation in Orissa, with
around 76 per cent of the total working population engaged
in agriculture.
Orissa is one of the largest producers of rice in India, growing
almost 10 per cent of the total rice produced. The state also
Forest and agricultural land threatened by mining in Kasipur
(Photo October 2009)
produces pulses, coconuts, sugarcane, tea, rubber, cotton,
potatoes and numerous other crops. Orissa has fertile soils,
but shortage of water in many areas. Lack of irrigation
facilities in drought prone areas currently creates a serious
obstacle for many people working in agriculture. There is a
serious disparity between the investment in agriculture and
the investment in industry in the state as priority is being given
to the development of industries. Large-scale displacement of
rural and adivasi populations in the state is having a serious
impact on agriculture and livelihoods, pushing the already
struggling population further into poverty. Orissa has one of
the largest concentrations of STs in the country. Over onefifth
of the population or 22.13 per cent are STs and 16.53
per cent are SCs. This is substantially higher than the Indian
average—only 8.2 per cent of the total population of India
constitute STs. There are 62 different adivasi groups living in
Orissa and some are exclusive to the state. The vast majority
of them live in forest areas and are engaged in subsistence
221. Census of India, 2001.
222. Planning Commission, Government of India, Number and Percentage of Population Below Poverty Line By States, 2004-05.
223. Industrial Growth and Status of Orissa, http://www.amazingorissa.com/INDUSTRIES.HTML, uploaded: 5 September 2009.