Limping amidst poverty, backwardness and unemployment, whither Odisha's economic model?

By Sudhansu R Das

In spite of all the potential to become one of the prosperous states in India, Odisha is limping amid poverty, backwardness and unemployment. Alarming rise in atmospheric temperature, increase in crime rate, migration of Odias to outside states for livelihood, acute farm labor shortage, crop diversity loss, wanton destruction of water bodies and growing intellectual apathy to economic, social and cultural problems hit the state hard.

The state needs industry, infrastructure and services sector but not too much of those sectors; over growth of industries and infrastructure will ruin the state to the point of no return. Maharashtra and the undivided Andhra Pradesh were two industrially advanced state but they rank first and second in farmer suicide. Unemployment looms large in both the states. These two states overlooked uniform growth of diverse sectors and suffered huge economic loss, income disparity and regional imbalance.

Each country in the world differs from one another, so also their economic potential, social and cultural needs. Any attempt to make all look alike will create a hell out of heaven. Japan and Denmark are not fools to develop cycle tracks connecting most parts of their country with dedicated cycle routes. Their needs and economic fabric are different from other countries. Many countries have strived hard to keep their pilgrim and tourist places as natural as possible; it generates revenue and employment. Israel, the country of nobel laureates, focuses on horticulture export to muscle their economy. China aggressively pursued industrialization and contaminated its natural capital. China wanted to amass wealth but actually it amassed huge losses due to the depletion of natural capital. As per the World Bank report China can’t repair its natural capital; the expenses will collapse the Chinese economy. China in fact is sitting on a time bomb. Every Indian state differs from one another and accordingly the economic planning should differ from one another.

Odisha is a coastal state and it can run its existing industries well and earn profit; its mining wealth needs to be protected from theft and over exploitation. There have been reported incidents of theft of precious minerals in the last three decades and above. The state has lost its precious community capital and revenue. Leaders with courage and patriotism can bring the mining thieves into light; severe punishment for looting the community capital can prevent the mining theft. There is no need to aggressively industrialise or urbanise the state; it is essential to protect and preserve the individual character of each city and town in the state; the expansion of any city should not erase the precious social capital the way it happened in Hyderabad, Chennai and in all big Indian cities. The small cities and towns in Odisha should be linked to village production centers; facilities to market the products of Odisha in other states and countries should be created. This will benefit the native Odias. The leaders should make Odisha self-sufficient in food production in the next three years. Odisha desperately needs fast trains to reach Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai and Bangalore.

The state’s economic landscape is dotted with agriculture, fishery, handicraft skills, tourism, and pilgrim sectors which are vibrant and can generate income and employment amid good governance. More of the industries amid an age of automation, AI and robots will not create many jobs but increase the pollution level. The leaders of Odisha should stalk the village and hills to discover how the village and tribal artisan add incredibly high value to organic material available in nature. One Palm leaf painting is being sold at Rs 13 lakh in a Hyderabad Handicraft mall. The cost of the material used to make the painting is less than Rs 300.00; it needs nearly six months to make such a painting. There are scores of products which need the attention of honest, sincere and dedicated promoters. The state should crush the root of all heinous crimes in the state in an iron hand. No criminal from both inside and outside the state should make Odisha a happy hunting ground. The increase in crime rate has adversely affected the state’s economy and social life.

An economic model without diversity is like a time bomb. The western world has not understood it and ruined their diversity for mono sector growth. Their economy collapses every five years and it sustains with recapitalization and subsidy etc. It is an economic tragedy which haunts the world community. The vast agriculture fields in Europe are no longer productive due to their futile effort to industrialise agriculture with excess fertilizers and pesticides for more profit. Farmer’s suicide is very frequent in the European countries. Odisha needs strong leaders who can understand the present situation and steer Odisha to safety from a clear mess.

Comments

Modi’s Israel visit strengthened Pakistan’s hand in US–Iran truce: Ex-Indian diplomat

By Jag Jivan M. K. Bhadrakumar , a career diplomat with three decades of service in postings across the former Soviet Union, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Turkey, has warned that the current truce in the US–Iran war is “fragile and ridden with contradictions.” Writing in his blog India Punchline , Bhadrakumar argues that while Pakistan has emerged as a surprising broker of dialogue, the durability of the ceasefire remains uncertain.

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai* The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Lata Mangeshkar, a Dalit from Devdasi family, 'refused to sing a song' about Ambedkar

By Pramod Ranjan* An artist is known and respected for her art. But she is equally, or even more so known and respected for her social concerns. An artist's social concerns or in other words, her worldview, give a direction and purpose to her art. History remembers only such artists whose social concerns are deep, reasoned and of durable importance. Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was a celebrated playback singer of the Hindi film industry. She was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her popularity was unmatched. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and many other South Asian countries. In this article, we will focus on her social concerns. Lata lived for 92 long years. Music ran in her blood. Her father also belonged to the world of music. Her two sisters, Asha Bhonsle and Usha Mangeshkar, are well-known singers. Lata might have been born in Indore but the blood of a famous Devdasi family...

'Batteries now cheap enough for solar to meet India's 90% demand': Expert quotes Ember study

By A Representative Shankar Sharma, Power & Climate Policy Analyst, has urged India’s top policymakers to reconsider the financial and ecological implications of the country’s energy transition strategy in light of recent global developments. In a letter dated April 10, 2026, addressed to the Union Ministers of Finance, Power, New & Renewable Energy, Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and the Vice Chair of NITI Aayog, with a copy to the Prime Minister, Sharma highlighted concerns over India’s ambitious plans for coal gasification and the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR).

Labour unrest in Manesar trigger tensions: Recently enacted labour codes blamed

By A Representative A civil rights coalition has expressed concern over recent developments in the industrial hub of Manesar in Haryana, where a series of labour actions and police responses have drawn attention. A statement, released by the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), said it stood in solidarity with workers in IMT Manesar and other parts of the country, while also alleging instances of police excess during ongoing unrest.

Search This Blog