Odisha: Analysing Some Facets of the State Development Strategy

Abstract

The article examines whether there has been a sharp development focus in the state towards the ten coastal districts of Odisha. Our analysis shows that many of the coastal districts did inherently well in agriculture, but in the area of MSMEs, the non-coastal districts have done relatively better than the coastal districts. Marginalisation of labour was also strong in many coastal districts as compared to the non-coastal districts. Since the coastal districts are primarily agricultural, they did not gain significantly from the development strategy adopted by the state of diversifying into industries and services. The state government has attempted to shift its focus outside the coastal districts and also encourage large industries in the power, metals and mineral sectors. Such a strategy has resulted in the creation of certain growth centres in the non-coastal districts but did not have a major impact in reducing the dependence of the population on agriculture.