The many faces of Deprivation in Odisha
The National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) 2021 by NITI Aayog has presented some disturbing facts for Odisha. The think tank’s assessment says almost a third of the state’s population (about 29.3%) faces deprivation of multiple kinds, such as health, education and basic standard of living, and places it among the top 10 states with a significant share of population living under poverty. As per the MPI, over 37% of Odisha’s population is deprived of nutrition. In terms of using cooking fuel and sanitation facilities, Odisha’s score is low again.
Similarly, a large population has no access to maternal health. What’s alarming is that a major chunk of tribal districts have more multidimensional poverty compared to other regions of the state. In districts like Koraput, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri, more than half the population lives below the poverty line. In Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Rayagada, Kalahandi and Mayurbhanj, the scenario is not any better either. Most of these excessively deprived districts formed the erstwhile KBK region that was notorious for socio-economic backwardness. The MPI lays bare the fact that little has changed despite pumping in hundreds of crores of rupees on this region through targeted interventions over the years.
Another curious facet is the deprivation in districts like Keonjhar, Rayagada, Koraput and Mayurbhanj that bear the lion’s share of mineral riches. Years of mining development and spending of funds from pools like District Mineral Foundation notwithstanding, critical parameters such as health, education and lifestyle remain at the bottom.
This must rankle the BJD government, which has been in power for the last 20 years in the state. It claims to have pulled a large population out of the depths of poverty through a battery of pro-poor and populist policies, but the gross inequity in regional development is surprisingly high. The declining farmers’ income as per another survey also points at the problem. The government must not revel in self-congratulation but do some serious introspection instead.