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Where is Development? Field Notes from the KBK Region of Orissa |
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Ambuja Kumar Tripathy |
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Very depressingly, even more than sixty years after India gained Independence and its Constitution came into being, the Kalahandi–Bolangir–Koraput (KBK) region in Orissa does not have adequate basic facilities. Although the upliftment of the tribals has been an explicitly stated task since Independence, there have been very few tangible achievements as indicated by the available evidence. Despite the initiation of many poverty alleviation programmes in the tribal region, the real impact of the schemes is questionable because of their inadequate and ineffective implementation. The situation raises several questions: What have we so far given to these people who live at the edge of survival except neglect? Has this not resulted in a colossal wastage of human capital that constitutes India’s most precious resource? Has the class bias in government functioning led to the neglect of interests of the Adivasis and Dalits in this remote area? Can we ignore the contribution of these communities to the concept of our nationhood? |
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