CC_India

SECTION II:
JAGATSINGHPUR:
RESISTANCE TO PREDATORY DEVELOPMENT
Odisha in eastern India is one of the poorest states of the
country and one of the richest in mineral resources.
The state’s population has a high concentration
of depressed castes and tribes comprising
nearly 40 percent of the population (Scheduled
Castes: 22%, Scheduled Tribes: 16.5% -2001
census) and they are concentrated in the mineral-rich
forested areas of the state thus bearing the brunt of
development induced displacement and the wasting of
their agricultural lands in the wake of extractive industry.
They also comprise the majority of Odisha’s poor who
are below the poverty line. In a social situation of feudal
patriarchy, the status of women is significantly worse
than the national average. In the gender related development
index, Odisha brings up the bottom at 32 out
of India’s 35 states. In gender empowerment (GEM) it
ranks 29 out of 35 states. 8 The sex ratio, an indicator of
the low status of girls and female aversion, after showing
a steep decline from 1086 in 1920 to 972 in 2001,
is showing slight improvement at 978 females per 1000
males (2011 census). The state’s Female Infant Mortality
Rate (IMR) is one of the highest in India 66:1000 as
compared to the national rate of 52:1000. Maternal
mortality in Odisha is as high as 303:1000 as against the
national average of 254:1000 deaths (2009). Although
child marriage levels and female literacy rates are
improving, the gender gap remains sharp with only 64%
of females literate as compared to the 82% literacy rate
among males.
These figures need to be segmented into rural-urban
and Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes (categories of
depressed groups in Indian Constitution) Development
and gender indicators for SC & ST categories are particularly
low and even more so for the women. For instance,
the literacy rate for tribal girls is much lower (37%). The
dropout rate remains high despite targeted upliftment
schemes. Work participation rates are high but over 75
percent are in the agricultural or the unorganised sector.
Odisha’s development history and the neo-liberal
reforms has enabled predatory development practices
leading to a large-scale internal displacement of the
population, especially of the tribal population. In 2009-
10, the Odisha government signed 86 MOUs, and 49 with
steel promoters. In Odisha, as elsewhere in India, development
projects such as big dams, extractive mining
industries — have resulted in mass displacement and
impoverishment of peoples, the majority of whom are
the tribals and the depressed castes. The state’s law
regarding rehabilitation does not make any specific reference
to the specific vulnerability of IDP women. Nearly
50% of all migrants from Orissa are tribal women. 9
In the UNDP HDI ranking, Jagatsinghpura is 19th out of
30 districts ( Kandhamal is second last). In the affected
villages, as a consequence of the long confrontation
between the protesting villagers and the state’s development
commitments, state agencies have held back
on implementing basic rights and entitlement schemes,
which have compromised women and children’s access
to health, education and economic security. However,
the years of national and local agencies targeted focus
on mobilising women through self-help groups (SHGs)
has inculcated habits of collective action, evident in
UNEQUAL CITIZENS: Women’s Narratives of Resistance, Militarisation, Corruption and Security
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