Health Status of Orissa, including marginalized sections like poor and tribals
Dr. Almash Ali, Senor Advisor, Population Foundation of India

He began by saying that the health status of a country is a reflection of the prevalent socio-economic condition and is influenced by a variety of factors like the level of income, sanitation, water supply, nutrition, education etc. It’s also affected by coverage, access, affordability and accessibility of basic health services, he added. Giving a summary of the health status of the population in Orissa, he informed that perhaps in no other state in the country it is as adversely and lowly placed as that of Orissa in the  context of development. They are the poorest in the country (with 39% people below BPL), and the most vulnerable sections are women, SCs/STs, landless and marginalized farmers, artisans and marine fisher folk. He attributed the poor health status of the people of Orissa to income and human poverty, social deprivation, structural inequalities in terms of class, caste and sex etc. Other causes of ill health are low levels of education, less investment in health and education sector etc. Dr. Almash Ali emphasized on three aspects of health: Mortality, malaria, and malnutrition. While the Infant Morality Rate (IMR) - at 75/1000 lives births - and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) are among the highest in the country, over one-third children are malnourished, he said adding that morbidity has is roots in communicable diseases in the whole population. The health problems in Orissa are mostly due to the broad horizontal spectrum of poverty and socio eco inequities which needs to be addressed urgently and holistically, he suggested.

Human Rights: Missing persons in Orissa
Mr. Shanti Ranjan Behera, Centre for Democracy and Human Rights

The White paper on Disappearance was tabled in the Orissa Legislative Assembly in 2006, which revealed that 2984 children and women were missing in Orissa during 2004 and 2005, Mr. Behera informed the Round Table. In India, 40,000 children are missing every year in the country and in Delhi alone, the number is 9,000 per year, he added. Presenting a comparative picture, he said that in J&K about 5000-7000 people are reported missing today.

Forest  Resources
Mr. B. L. Mohanta, Centre for Regional Education, Forest and Tourism Development Agency
Giving an overview of the forest resources in Orissa, Mr. Mohanta said that the state has 43% land mass and forests out of which 17 % is covered with dense forests. It's rich in floral diversity and has several rare and endangered species in fauna. However, there seems to be interdepartmental government conflict with regard to the collection of forest produce, which creates problems, he stated. The mafia, many a time, illegally collect the forest produce and the absence of government regulation, control and uniform policy further complicates the matter of collection and sale of forest resources in Orissa. Proper management, collection and sale of forest resource could result in better revenue. Instances of conflict between animals and humans have also been increasing in Orissa, said Mr. Mohanta. Unless and until the participation of the people in conserving the flora and fauna is ensured, preserving the rich natural diversity of Orissa would not be easy.

Gender in Development in Orissa
Mrs. Shashi Behra, SODA

Speaking about the development of women in India, Mrs. Behera said that it's unfortunate that the National Women's Reservation in Parliament Bill has not been passed by the Parliamentarians till now. Though the decision to ensure 33% work for women in employment policies like the NREGA Scheme existed, in reality however very few women were able to utilize it to their advantage, she said.  In Orissa, for eg., it was found that women were unable to work through the Scheme because the working conditions were not conducive, she revealed. She added that the absence of any creche in the work area was another issue. Also a majority of marginalized women were unaware of the provisions under various government schemes. Irregular and low wage structure also exist.  With regard to health and education sector too, women are not considered as equal partners in development,  rued Mrs. Behra.

Child labour in Orissa
Mr. Ranjan Mohany, Secretary, PECUC

Mr. Mohanty opined that though child labour is linked with poverty, poor education system etc. He said that there was an urgent need to review the various laws with regard to child labour, especially the Child labour, Prohibition and Regulation Act. (CLPRA) since there were many ambiguities. Education is a prerequisite to solve the problem of child labour. Even though Right to education from 6-14 years exists, unfortunately there is no central legislation. Terming it as a vital issue, which should not get lost, he urged the Parliamentarians to follow it urgently. With regard to Orissa, the state was one of the first to declare a committee that started to spend a certain amount of resources for eradication of child labour, but sadly the present status of the committee is not clear.  No strategic action plan exists to rehabilitate child labourers. Enforcement of CLPRA is also very poor in Orissa, he said.

Climate Change in Orissa
Mr. Bimal Pandya, MASS, Sambalpur

In the last 100 years, Orissa has had 91 natural disaster years including floods, cyclones, droughts etc, informed Mr. Pandya. Giving an outline of the climatic changes affecting the state, he said that if the issue remains unaddressed, Orissa would turn into a  land of  barren mass in 150 years. In 13 years, 8% of the state has turned barren, he stated quoting a government survey and at this rate Orissa would lose all its agricultural land. Speaking on the effect of climatic changes, he said that the agricultural production of all major crops, except cotton, has been declining in Orissa.

Concluding Remarks  - Dr. Nandini Azad, Member-Secretary, ICPRD

After a vibrant and fruitful discussion, Dr. Azad wrapped up the Citizens’ Interface by saying that said that bringing in the Mayor, MLAs and the SCW Chairperson along with MPs, media persons and eminent citizens of Orissa was indeed very useful. She opined that the Bhubaneswar Interface had been the most exciting of the three interfaces held so far yet by ICPRD. Dr. Azad summarized salient issues of the deliberations as follows:

Dr. Azad added that it was significant that the interface at an individual level brought together several important persons on to a common platform in this whole campaign for poverty reduction and better governance.

Concluding the third exposure visit on building a network of parliamentarians/Legislators/Civil Society for development, Dr. Nandini Azad, Member-Secretary, ICPRD, conveyed her gratitude and thanks to all the Parliamentarians, Legislators, media persons, NGOs and speakers for participating in the interface. She suggested the formation of a caucus of Governance where one could express and share inputs with each other. She also conveyed a special thanks to all the MLAs of Orissa who highlighted several cutting edge issues of the state during the round table as well as the Hon. MPs.

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