'Orissa poor in human development index'

Expressbuzz, Oct 12, 2009

BHUBANESWAR: Providing proper atmosphere to ensure decent living of the citizens, access to knowledge, health, food and nutritional security are benchmarks for sound Human Development Index (HDI) ratings of a State.

But Orissa, it seems, has failed miserably in discharging the necessary obligations if the latest District- Level Household and Facility Survey- 3 (DLHS) 2007-08 is taken into consideration. The findings reveal that 15 of the 30 districts in Orissa have over 80 per cent of households with low standards of living.

The report card is quite grim with a total of 18 districts having a high of over 50 per cent households as BPL cardholders. As many as eight districts have over 60 per cent households as BPL cardholders.

The set of eight districts namely Malkangiri, Kandhamal, Boudh, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Koraput, Nuapada and Nabarangpur presents a very dismal HDI in almost all the yardsticks. In the important parameter of electricity connection, Malakangiri and Kandhamal stand at the bottom with only around seven to eight per cent households having access to it.

On toilet facility, Malkangiri and Boudh stand at the bottom edged by Gajapati, Kandhamal and Kalahandi.

Kandhamal again languishes at the bottom where only 1.7 per cent households have access to pipedwater facility. Similarly, Kalahandi with two per cent households having pucca houses finishes last preceded by Malkangiri, Nuapada, Boudh, Deogarh and Kandhamal.

An overwhelming number of households in these districts are unable to meet the expenses even to acquire the basic necessities. Kandhamal with 65 per cent overall BPL cardholders and 71 per cent rural BPL cardholders leads the tally.

Penetration of television and mobile communication services together measure up people’s access to knowledge. Malkangiri and Kandhamal are the poorest performers on this front.

Khurda district finishes top in almost all parameters except in the yardstick of access to piped-water facility and pucca houses, where Ganjam has performed the best.

The district has also become a glowing instance of yawning urbanrural divide with figures like average BPL card holders at 36 per cent while rural BPL cardholders are pegged at 50 per cent. Average toilet facility is 46 per cent but access in rural areas was merely 23 per cent.

Access to piped-water on average is 18 per cent but rural areas had only two per cent. Average 53 per cent households had television while those in rural areas were only 36 per cent. Mobiles had reached 43 per cent on average with rural penetration at 26 per cent only.