Biju Patnaik : His Vision of Panchayati Raj

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Orissa Review * February -March- 2007

Biju Patnaik : His Vision of Panchayati Raj

Dr. Shridhar Charan Sahoo

Biju's vision of Panchayati Raj, a bird's eye-viewof relevant dimensions of Panchayati Raj Systemin India and Orissa appears necessary.

The institution of Panchayati Raj has beendesigned as a systematic scheme for the devolutionof power to the lower rungs of administration.Such democratic decentralization of power andresponsibility was to build up democracy fromthe grassroots. The Balwantray Mehta Committee

Report (1957) provided thegenesis for the three-tier systemof Panchayati Raj (GramPanchayat in Village level,Panchayat Samiti in Block leveland Zilla Parishad in district level).For the first time, it provided foran integrated approach to ruraldevelopment.1

However, the institution ofPanchayati Raj is nothing new sofar as our country is concerned.There were Panchayati Raj lawsin many parts of India. But

unfortunately, the functioning of those institutionsremained far from satisfactory. Often they stoodsuperceded. Mahatma Gandhi, a great votary ofthe Panchayati Raj institutions treated villages asunits of his visualized polity. Art. 40 of theConstitution vibrated this Gandhian spirit when itsaid, "the State shall take steps to organize village

Biju Patnaik, our late and beloved Chief Minister,was not a political scientist or an armchair theoriston the Panchayati Raj System. He has not leftbehind any systematic theory of democraticdecentralization of power and responsibility tobuild up democracy at the grassroots level.However, he had a vision of his own on thePanchayati Raj System and rural development.As it were, he had deep faith in the power of thepeople and great confidence intheir ability to participate in theprocess of governance and in theprocess of development at thegrassroots level. In manyrespects, he was far-sighted in histhinking so far as Panchayati RajSystem or rural development wasconcerned. His conceptualizationof Panchayat industries in 1960sduring his first spell of ChiefMinistership is a brilliant epitomeof his dynamism and vision. Inrespect of his decision to reserve1/3rd of seats for women inPanchayat Raj institutions during his second spellof Chief Ministership in 1990s, he emerged as apioneer in India. His message in this regard wasimplemented in the 73rd Constitution AmendmentAct of 1992. Here, an attempt has been made togive some shape to his ideas and vision andsystematize them. To understand and appreciate

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Orissa Review * February-March - 2007

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panchayats and endow them with necessaryauthority to function as units of self-government."

Hardly any attention was paid to actualizethe spirit behind Article 40 until Prime MinisterRajiv Gandhi took some serious interest andinitiative to bring forward a constitutionalamendment. Even though the proposedamendment of Rajiv Gandhi could not be madeduring his regime it became a reality duringNarsimha Rao's regime. In this connection, theConstitution (73rd Amendment) Act 1992 andthe Constitution (74th Amendment) Act, 1992are remarkable milestones in the evolution of localself-government institutions in India. Whereas the73rd Amendment Act gave constitutionalrecognition and protection to the Panchayats, the74th Amendment Act accorded this recognitionto the Municipalities.

As per the 73rd Amendment Act, a three-tier system of Panchayati Raj is envisaged in everystate. Panchayats have to be elected directly bythe people as is done in case of popular houses inthe Union and State level. These Panchayatscannot remain superceded for long and freshelections would have to be held within six monthsof the dissolution of the Panchayat. Over andabove, seats would be reserved for women. Thereshall be a fixed five-year term for all Panchayats.They shall have their own budget, power oftaxation and list of items in their jurisdiction. Intheir respective areas, the Panchayats shall be ableto formulate their own development plans andimplement them. Every state shall have a StateElection Commission for the conduct of PanchayatElections. Every five years, a State FinanceCommission shall also be constituted to study theeconomic condition of the Panchayats.2

It was hoped that it would begin 'a newera of real representative and participatorydemocracy' with nearly three and half millionelected representatives - one-third of them women- being involved in governance all over India

would bring power to the people where itbelonged.3

Biju Babu and the Panchayati Raj SystemIn Orissa, the three-tier system of

Panchayat Raj was introduced in 1959 with thepassing of the Panchayat Samiti and Zilla ParishadActs. But prior to this, Panchayats werefunctioning at the village level in our Stateaccording to Orissa Panchayat Act of 1948. Withthe introduction of Panchayati Raj in Orissa, thePanchayats in the village level were noworganically linked up with the Panchayat Samitiesand Zilla Parishads.4 As per the new PanchayatSamiti and Zilla Parishad Acts of 1959, electedPanchayat Samities and elected Zilla Parishadswere formed in January 1961 and March 1961respectively. In the Block level, the B.D.O.remained under the non-official elected Chairmanof the Panchayat Samiti. The Zilla Parishads alsostarted working under the elected Chairman.5

Thus these three-tier systems of Panchayat RajInstitutions were introduced in Orissa in the year1961.6

This was the year when Biju Patnaikbecame the Chief Minister of Orissa. Hefunctioned as Chief Minister from 23.06.1961 to02.10.1963 apart from his second spell as ChiefMinister from 5.3.1990 to 15.3.95. This first spellof Biju's Chief Ministership in 1960s brings outhis mind set and vision on this great experimentof democratic decentralization of power andresponsibility at the grassroots level. His vision ofrural development through the PanchayatIndustries Scheme which is an importantdimension of the work of Panchayati Rajinstitutions also comes out in bolder reliefepitomizing his far-sighted and development -oriented mindset.

Biju's speech delivered in Orissa LegislativeAssembly on November 20, 1961 is a valuablepiece of literature, which shows his democratic


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mind and vision on this great experiment ofPanchayati Raj.

In his view, Panchayati Raj constitutes the'People's Parallel Executive Apparatus'. He haddeep faith that this parallel executive apparatusmade up of the representatives of the commonpeople could perform better than our presentadministrative apparatus' in carrying outdevelopment work.

Biju was a unique mass leader who livedand moved, and had his being in the context ofthe hopes and aspirations of his people. He calledupon the members of the Orissa LegislativeAssembly to share his trust and confidence in thepeople and in their elected representatives underthe Panchayati Raj system. As he said on thePanchayat movement : 'we are on the thresholdof a very great experiment, perhaps the lastexperiment whether we can trust our people ornot, whether our people with proper guidance andassistance can prove to be more efficientcollectively than our present administrativeapparatus ..'.

Biju Babu was a committed exponent of'democratic decentralization or Panchayati Raj asis popularly known in our country' which aims atmaking democracy real by 'bringing millions intothe functioning of their representative governmentat the lowest level'. He realized that this movementcan only succeed if 'we give that authority to peopleright down from the bottom of our social ladderwho can exercise effective leadership'. It is 'apeople's movement' he said. Leadership buildingor 'building up leaders of men from the lowestrung of our society' was what he conceptualizedin his vision of Panchayati Raj.

Biju was dead-against any directinterference in the normal administration of theGram Panchayat Movement either by the MLAsor MPs. What he said in his own words wouldunravel the man and his vision of Grama PanchayatMovement in the most befitting manner. As he

articulated his vision : " .. I do not see anyreason why the members of this House orParliament should have any direct interference inthe normal administration of the Gram PanchayatMovement. We, from this house by our ownjudgment, are creating a child, a new democraticchild with the hope that with the growth of thischild it would be able to develop the leadershipwhich our people need; the leadership ofexecution . In the process of development, Isubmit that we would hamper if we do not allowthat development movement to grow in its ownway without attempting directly to interfere ordirectly interest ourselves in the affairs of thatmovement whereas I heartily welcome theassociation of the members of this House in thedeliberations of the committees of PanchayatSamiti and Zilla Parishad, I would not like thatmembers of this house would participate in theelections or the voting of the office bearers of thePanchayat Samities and Zilla Parishad or evenvote for a decision of some creative activities orthe locations of such activities. It would not beproper that this house which has given rise to amovement with one hand and would take thepowers and its own apparatus of developmentby another hand. It would be wrong in principle;it would be wrong in concept'.

Biju Babu apprised the broad democraticethics and ethos of the Panchayati Raj Movementto members who felt apprehensive of their statusand position sans voting right or power of directdeliberation in the PRIs. He also addressed totheir aggrieved concern that Sarpanchs andPanchayat Samities could execute theirdevelopment agenda 'withoutany reference' tothem or any consultation with them. He said tothem : "I would like to tell those Hon'ble memberswho think on those lines that we are taking aterrible restricted view of a movement to whichwe ourselves give birth. I would like the Hon'blemembers to think with me and feel with me thatwe are unleashing or attempting to unleash thegreatest latent powers of the people by giving an



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authority to Panchayati Raj conceived by theFather of the Nation long long ago, we havealready originated this idea and this thought. Weare merely trying to give it some shape. Let usnot pollute that idea by trying to put our fingers inthe heart of that movement by trying to directlyintervene.7

As indicated earlier, the three tiers ofPanchayati Raj Institutions were introduced inOrissa in the year 1961. 'By the end of 1961, asmany as 13 Zilla Parishads and 314 PanchayatSamities started functioning and through theserepresentative institutions development plans andprogrammes were implemented. It is to note thatSarpanchs were called as Chief Ministers of theirGram Panchayat.8

Biju Babu as a progressive and dynamicChief Minister of 1960s, seriously pondered overthe problem of poverty in the rural areas and itseradication. For this, he conceptualized aninnovative scheme of agriculture based smallindustries to be implemented in Mofusil or ruralareas under different Panchayats. Out of thisconceptualization was born the scheme ofPanchayat Industries. It was the brain-child of Bijuepitomizing his dynamism and vision in the realmof rural development.

Under this innovative scheme of PanchayatIndustries, seven sugar mills, twenty tile makingunits, ten carpentry units, ten small foundries, apaper mill and factories based on agriculturalproducts were established in a single year.9

In adopting this idea of PanchayatIndustries, he had an idea to industrialize eachBlock in due course, to utilize the availableresources and to generate employment for therural people.

To encourage and promote this scheme forindustrialization at the Block level, a number ofprizes were declared for every district and thePanchayats were called upon to compete inimplementation of development programmes in

their areas. Those Panchayats and PanchayatSamities which showed excellence were givenprize money, that ranged between Rs.25000 toRs.1 lakh. It was no small amount at the time forsmall-scale industries. Over and above, thosePanchayats and Panchayat Samities which wonprize money could avail of loans fromCooperative Banks and other capital investingfinancial institutions to establish small scaleindustries. That apart, the three revenue divisionsof Orissa declared prize money of one crore eachfor the best Panchayat Samity for its achievementin development and industrialization.

It was an innovative scheme of ruraldevelopment and a practical village based povertyeradication programme. By conceptualizing thisscheme in 1960s he became the torchbearer ofthe 'Garibi Hatao' programme subsequentlynurtured by Mrs Indira Gandhi. This PanchayatIndustries Scheme was greatly admired by thePlanning Commission of India and wasrecommended as a model to be followed by otherStates. Many lecturers in the faculty of economicstook it up as a research project for the award ofPh. D Degree. Even, journalists of repute madespecial study of this scheme and published articles.It was said : "It will complement in a good measurethe back to the village call of Gandhiji".10

This scheme of Panchayat Industries of Bijuin the arena of rural development in the grassrootslevel was greatly admired by no less a personthan Chester Bowles, the then ambassador ofU.S.A. in India. He highlighted, it in his reputedbook 'Making of a Great Society and significantlysaid that had this scheme been properly pursuedand implemented, Orissa would have achievedthe same excellence with Japan in the field ofindustrialization.11

Apart from Chester Bowles, Jaya PrakashNarayan was also attracted by this innovativescheme of Panchayat Industries. He came downto Orissa as Biju's honoured Guest and stayed atTulasipur to study this scheme.12


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This Panchayat Industries scheme of Bijuacquired an importance of its own in the nationallevel. It was said that "if Balwant Rai Mehta wasthe father of Panchayat Raj, then Biju Patnaik isthe father of Panchayat Industries in India.

This scheme of Panchayat Industries hasbeen rightly considered as 'a unique scheme meantto eradicate rural unemployment'. Bengalis say'what Bengal thinks to-day, India thinkstomorrow'. In the same vein we can say whatBiju thinks today, India thinks decades after'. Asit were, Biju thought of eradicating unemploymentthrough small scale and cottage industries in1960s. On the other hand, Govt. of India startedwork in the second part of 1970s and establishedDistrict Industries Centres for development ofsmall-scale village industries. Biju took up aprogramme of constructing tile-roof houses andprovision of tap water in villages during 1960swhen he was Chief Minister. Even though it wascriticized by the Opposition Parties and the socalled economists and intellectuals, it was arevolutionary social security and social justice -conferring measure in rural areas epitomizing theBiju vision of 1960s. The Indira AwasProgramme and the Govt. of India Plan ofproviding safe drinking water in villages, beingstressed upon now was thought of, by Biju in1960s.14 That simply speaks of the man and hisfar-sighted vision.

Thus, Biju was the first leader to take verybold steps in regard to grassroots leveldemocracy. In early 1960s as Orissa's ChiefMinister, he restructured the rural and urban localbodies with suitable amendments in the existingActs of 1948, 1959 and 1960.15

Biju Babu became Chief Minister of Orissaon 5.3.1990 and functioned in this august officeupto 15.3.1995. During this second phase asChief Minister of Orissa in 1990s, Biju Babuwanted to broad-base and enrich Indiandemocracy by ensuring political participation of

women in the three-tier Panchayat RajInstitutions. He wanted to see that women becomepartners in the decision-making processconcerning development. For this, he made Orissathe laboratory of his new experiment. Instead ofsermons and slogans he saw to it that womenwere given thirty-three percent reservation in thethree-tier Panchayat Raj institutions in Orissa.True to his vision, the Orissa Assembly passedthe three Panchayat Raj Bills, the Orissa ZillaParishad Bill 1991, the Orissa Panchayat Samiti(amendment bill 1991) and the Orissa GramPanchayat Bill 1991 in March 199116 providingthirty-three percent of reservation for womenincluding SC and ST women.

In this respect he was the pioneer - thebeacon-blaze as no other State or evenGovernment of India took any such step of womenempowerment in PRI institutions till then.

What is significant is that 73rd and 74thConstitution Amendment Acts of 1992 providedfor similar provisions in rural and local bodies.Biju led and India followed.

Thus, Orissa became 'the first State tostreamline the Panchayati Raj and Local-selfgovernment institutions to make democracyparticipatory and not the aristocracy of a fewnitpicking intellectuals.17

In this connection, it may be said that 'since1990, Biju's government took steps to revive the3-tier Panchayat Raj system in order to strengthengrassroots democratic institutions. Under Biju'sleadership, the Orissa Gram Panchayat Act 1964and the Orissa Panchayat Samities Act 1959were amended in 1991, 1992 and 1993. TheOrissa Zilla Parishad Act 1991 was also enactedin 1991 to constitute Zilla-Parishads at the districtlevel. This act has been extensively amended - tobring it in conformity with the provisions of theConstitution Amendment Act 1992.18 It also addsto the credit of Biju's government that 'after a lapse



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of eight years', it conducted elections to GramPanchayats in the year 1992 for 5264 GramPanchayats in the State.19

Some salient features of Gram Panchayat,Panchayat Samities and Zilla Parishad deservemention as these were the outcome of theamendments made during Biju's ChiefMinistership to which we have referred.

In case of Gram Panchayat three mentionablepoints are

(a) 'The post of Naib Sarpanch is reserved forthe women members, if the Sarpanch is a male';

(b) 'One third of the total wards are reservedfor women candidates including S.C. and S.T.women candidates';

(c) Gram Panchayats have been vested withthe power of supervision of women and childwelfare programme, social forestry, rural housing,small scale industries and public distributionsystem in addition to other normal functions.20

As regards Panchayat Samities thefollowing features deserve mention :

(a) One third of the total seats are reservedfor women members including women membersof S.C. and S.T. Category.

(b) Provision has been made to the office ofthe Vice Chairman for a woman in case theChairman is a male.

The Zilla Parishad ceased to exist in thestate with effect from 1968. The StateGovernment enacted the Orissa Zilla ParishadAct, 1991, in order to transfer the power ofplanning, control and supervision ofdevelopmental activities to Zilla Parishads at thedistrict level'. Obviously, credit is due to BijuPatnaik for reviving Zilla Parishads and endowingthem with power in the district level. After theenforcement of the Constitution Amendment Act,

1992, it became necessary to amend the OrissaZilla Parishad Act,1991.

The following features after necessarychanges need mention:(a) Reservation of seats for S.C. and S.T.members has to be done on the basis of their ratioto the total population of the districts.(b) One third of the seats are to be reservedfor women members including S.T. and S.C.women.(c) The post of Vice-President should bereserved for women if the President is not awoman.21

The State law has provided that no personhaving more than two children will be eligible tocontest in the election to Zilla Parishad. Similarlypersons having more than one spouse have beendisqualified from contesting the election.22

It is also said that the government of BijuPatnaik set up quite a few commissions of financefor the Panchayat Raj Institutions in order to offermethods and mechanisms for resource fundingthus unleashing some purpose to thedecentralization of power.23

Thus Orissa under Biju Patnaik became thefirst State to streamline the Panchayat Raj andLocal-self government institutions. That hisgovernment held election after a lapse of eightyears in Gram Panchayats showed Biju'scommitment to restore status and dignity to thisvaluable unit of self-government at the grass-rootlevel. In a way, the amendments to GramPanchayat, Panchayat Samiti and Zilla ParishadActs in Orissa in his second spell as Chief Ministerbear the mark of his farsighted personality - as apath indicator in respect of empowerment ofwomen in the Panchayati Raj system. The areaof participation was not only expanded and mademeaningful through association and empowermentof women under Biju's inspiration; he also


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rejuvenated the Panchayati Raj and local self-government institutions to function as meaningfulunits of self-government by endowing them withpower and authority in the process ofdevelopment. It may be recalled that he had alsorejuvenated the Panchayati Raj Institutions in the1960s and described each Sarpanch as ChiefMinister of his Panchayat.24

Conclusion :We have before us the vision of Biju Babu

on the Panchayati Raj system or the scheme ofdecentralization of power to make rural self-govt.a real experience. He prioritized the imperativenecessity of actualizing people's power ingovernance and development at the grass-rootlevel. The 73rd constitution amendment act of1992 also seeks to take this great experiment ofPanchayati Raj to greater heights of democraticexcellence. To what extent, the Biju vision or 73rdAmendment guidelines have been implementedin both letter and spirit and at all levels is the milliondollar question. Let Orissa - my beloved Orissabe the best model in this great democraticexperiment which Biju wanted it to be.

References :1. B. C. Das, 'Zilla Parishads in Orissa' Ed. A. P.

Padhy, Indian State Politics, B. R. PublishingCorporation, Delhi,1985, p.298.

2. Subhas Chandra Kashyap, Our Constitution,National Book Trust, New Delhi, 2005 pp.337-338.

3. Ibid.4. P. K. Deb, 'Working of Panchayati Raj in Orissa'

Indian State Politics, Op. cit., P.256.5. Ravindra Mohan Senapati, (Orissare Prashasanik

Byabastha', Sahitya Sangraha Prakashan,Cuttack, 2003, p.165.

6. Annual Report 2003-2004, Panchayat RajDepartment, Government of Orissa p.2.

7. Excerpts from Orissa Legislative AssemblyDebates, Vol.I, No.33, 1961 speech delivered inOrissa Legislative Asembly on November 20,1961, Orissa Review, March 1993 J1-247B OrissaState Archives, Bhubaneswar.

8. Ravindra Mohan Senapati, 'State Politics & StateGovernments in Orissa - A study of the period1936 to 2003, Oriya Foundation, Satyanagar,Bhubaneswar, 2003 pp.47-48.

9. Debadatta Mohanty, 'Biju Patnaik : The colossalLeader of Orissa' Ed. K. P. Mohanty, LegendaryBiju : The Man & Mission, Kaveri Books NewDelhi, 2002 p.101.

10. Nilamani Routray, 'Smruti O Anubhuti, GranthaMandir, Cuttack, 1986 pp.351-352.

11. Ainthu Sahu, 'Panchayat Silpa, Biju Babu',Samay, April 18, 1997 Accession No.4 StateArchives, Bhubaneswar.

12. R. P. Shastry, Biju Patnaik - A Great Son of Orissa',Jayanti Abhinandan Grantha, Biju PatnaikJayanti Committee, Cuttack, 1987, p.95.

13. Dr. G. K. Srichandan, 'Biju Patnaik : Eka BiralaByaktitwa' Ed. Sashanka Chudamani, HeMahajivan, Biswamukhi Prakashan,Bhubaneswar, 1998 p.143.

14. Natabar Khuntia, 'Satabdira Mahanayak Biju' Ed.Natabar Khuntia Binsasatabdira Binsa Odia,Best Seller Publications, Bhubaneswar, 2002,pp.123-124.

15. Dr. Srinibas Pathi, 'Biju Patnaik & Women'sEmpowerment'. Ed. K. P. Mohanty LegendaryBiju, Op. Cit., p.139.

16. Sun Times, March 24, 1991.17. Bhaskar Parichha, 'Biju Patnaik A Political

Biography ' Har-Anand Publications, New Delhi,1995, p.108.

18. Anuradha Acharya, 'Salient Features ofPanchayat Raj in Orissa', Orissa Review, May,94, p.9.

19. Ibid.20. Ibid.21. Ibid.22. P.C.Mohanty, 'Democratic Decentralisation and

Panchayati Raj System in Orissa', An Overview',Orissa Review, June 1994 p.3.

23. Bhaskar Parichha, Op. Cit., p.108.24. Gopal Mishra, 'Tribute to a Legend' Sun Times,

April 18, 1997.

Dr. Shridhar Charan Sahoo is a Reader in PoliticalScience, Ravenshaw Junior College, Cuttack



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Particularly, in the developing countries, to operatea highly democratic form of government, local selfgovernment institutions can play very vital role inthe process of political legitimisation and developa sense of public participation for the bestimplementation of the political as well as the socialand economic integrity of the local environments.The effectiveness of democracy greatly dependson the association of the people at diverseadministrative fields. The Panchayati Raj has beenintroduced in India with a view to associatingpeople with administration at the grassroot leveland people have been assigned an active role inthe formulation and implementation of their plans.

The Panchayati Raj has been introducedin India in pursuance of article 40 of theconstitution which directs the government to takenecessary steps to organize village panchayats andendow them with such power and authority whichmay be necessary to enable them to work as unitsof self government. Accordingly, the governmentappointed a committee, under Balwantrai Mehetawhich recommended a three-tier system of rurallocal self government institutions. On the basis ofthese recommendations, Panchayati Rajinstitutions were introduced in a number of states.Meheta's Three Tier System

The Panchayat is an executive body of thevillage ward members headed by the Sarapanch.

It mainly consists of the representatives electedby the people of the villages. There is also aprovision of two women and one schedule casteand schedule tribe if they do not get adequaterepresentation in the normal course. Thepanchayat is a body accountable to the generalbody of the villages known as Gramasabha. Asregards the main function performed by the villagepanchayat, they include maintenance of roads,wells, schools, burning and burial grounds,sanitation, public health, street lighting, libraries,reading rooms, community centres.

The panchayat also keeps records of birthand deaths. It takes necessary measures forpromotion of agriculture and animal husbandry,Cottage industries, Co-operative societies etc.Some times minor disputes among the denizensof villages are also settled by the village panchayat.

Panchayat Samitis or Block Level Bodies

The block is the intermediary in the threetier system and is the centre of developmentalwork. The panchayat samiti consist of by taking

(a) about 20 members elected by all thepanchayats in the block;

(b) two women members and one memberfrom SC and one from ST, if they do not possesadequate representation otherwise by the process.

Effectiveness of Panchayati Raj Systems,Problems and National Declaration

Harihar Sethy


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Panchayat Samiti is headed by a chairman electedby the members of the samiti.

The main work of the panchayat samiti isto co-ordinate and to supervise various activitiesof the panchayats. It also looks after thedevelopmental aspects within it's jurisdiction.

Zilla ParishadZilla parishad is at the apex of three tier

systems and treated as the higher developmentalagency in the State. The organization of zillaparishad differs from state to state. Still, it consistsof the elected members of the panchayat samitis,members of the state legislature and parliament,medical officers of the district, district collector,officers of agriculture, veterinary, educationengineering, public works, public health etc. Beinga developmental body, its main function issupervisory within its areas. It approves budgetsof the panchayat samitis in certain states and alsogives necessary advice to the governmentregarding the implementation of programme anddevelopmental works. Besides this, it deals inmaintenance of education, dispensaries, hospitalminor education etc.

Significance of Panchayati Raj

The democratic decentralization took itsshape with a view to better administration anddevelopmental perspectives for quick ruraldevelopment and co-operations of local people.State government does not possess adequatewisdom of local affairs and problems. In thissense, it constitutes a significant contribution tothe theory and practice of nation building activitiesin the developing areas.

ProblemsDiverse and huge problems in the functions

and working patterns of the Panchayati Raj systemwhich we are facing in the day to day activitiescan be broadly described as mentioned below.

Initially, the domination of the bureaucracyover PRIs. The agent of implementation of allmajor programmes (CDP or IRDP) has alwaysbeen the State administration, various parallelbodies that have grossly undermined theimportance of the PRIs.

Secondly, inadequate financial resources tocarry out the administration is a serious problem.The grant-in-aid is the major component of thePRI revenue. The government should realize thisdifficulty and try to solve it permanently.

Besides, other major problems are alsoaffecting the structure. These are

(a) incompatible relations among the threetiers;

(b) undemocratic composition of various P.R.institutions;

(c) political bias; and

(d) un-cordial relation between officials andpeople.

National Declaration for Local SelfGovernance

In the year April 2002 there was aconference regarding Panchayati Raj held in NewDelhi. It was significant for two reasons.

(a) It diagnosed the problems of panchayats.

(b) Recommended the prescriptions which, ifimplemented, can ensure proper devolution ofpower form the State Governments to the grassroot levels.

Inaugurated by the Prime Minister, theconference was attended by 1600 elected headsof 3,40,000 panchayats from across the country.The conference called for amending theconstitution if necessary. So that the panchayatscould become autonomous both financially andfunctionally.



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The vital theme of the conference was theadoption of a 15 point recommendation or thenational declaration for local self governance. Themajor highlights include :

1. The District Rural Development Agency(DRDA) and other parallel bodies should bebrought under the control of respective ZillaParishad with the chair person of the parishad ashead.

2. The State Government should implementthe recommendations of the state financialcommissions and enable the Panchayati RajInstitutions (PRIs) to raise requisite resources.

3. The centre should provide non budgetaryresources as loans to PRIs.

4. The panchayat should have a panchayatplanning committee to advise the panchayats informulating the developmental plans

5. The district planning committee should bemade functional by December 31, 2002.

6. The centre and state will make provisionsfor training panchayat representatives

Harihar Sethy is a Research Scholar in A & AEconomics, Utkal University, Vani Vihar, Bhubaneswar.

ORIYA FILM & CULTURAL FESTIVAL AT BANGALORE

At the initiative of the Minister, Information & Public Relations Shri Debasis Nayak,an Oriya Film and Cultural Festival is being hosted at Bangalore from March 7 to 9 asa part of inter-state cultural exchange programme. Slated to be organised at the ChowdiahMemorial Hall, G.D.Park Extension under Bangalore Sangeet Nataka Akademy, theprogramme could be a gratifying experience for the thousands of non-resident Oriyas inBangalore who hunt for a taste of the language, art and culture of their own.

Earlier, this programme has been organised at Thiruvantapuram, Goa & Mumbaiwith huge success. This has helped to strengthen the cultural ties of other states withOrissa. The Orissa Information & Public Relations Department orchestrates suchcelebrations to facilitate a pan-Indian presence for Orissan art, music, culture and heritage.


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India's democratic structure has three levels ofgovernance - national or federal, state or regional,and the grassroots level called the Panchayati Rajand Nagar Palika systems. The Panchayati Rajsystem covers the village, the tehsil and the district,and the Nagar Palika system serves towns andcities. If democracy means people's participationin running their affairs, then it is nowhere moredirect, clear and significant than at the local level,where the contact between the people and theirrepresentatives, between the rulers and the ruledis more constant, vigilant and manageable. LordBryce said : "The best school of democracy andthe best guarantee for its success is the practiceof local self-government". Decentralisation is aprime mechanism through which democracybecomes truly representative and responsive. Thedemocratic ideals of decentralization,development, and increased, continuous andactive popular participation in the process ofnation-building can be secured only through theworking of an efficient system of local government.Without a well organized system of localgovernment, no democratic political system canbe expected to become stable and reallydeveloped.

Panchayati Raj : An EvolutionaryPerspective

Panchayats as institutional vehicles fordevelopment have been part of the Indian systemfor ages. In ancient times, Panchayati Raj systemprevailed during the Chola period. In fact,Rippon's Resolution of 1881 and 1882 can bebe taken to be the origin of modern localgovernment in India. It was seen as Gram Swarajby Mahatma Gandhi. Interestingly, Dr. B.R.Ambedkar was not in favour of the PanchayatiRaj institutions; yet, he agreed to give it a place inthe Constitution of India in Part IV throughDirective Principles of State Policy.

In the year following the independence(1947), Prime Minister Nehru inaugurated theCommunity Development Programme (CDP) onthe birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi(October 2) in 1952.

The CDP was followed by the NationalExtension Service in 1953. NES blocks wereearmarked as the lowest unit of development ofadministration. But both the programmes had aflaw : neither of the two was free from the controlof bureaucracy. This shortcoming prompted thegovernment to appoint a committee headed byBalwant Ray Mehta in 1957. The committeerecommended a three-tier system of Panchayati

Panchayati Raj : Grassroots Democracy

Siddhartha Dash



12

Raj from village to the district level - GramPanchayat at the village level, Panchayat Samitiat the block level and Zilla Parishad at the districtlevel.

As per the Balwant Ray Mehta CommitteeScheme, Panchayati Raj was launched on 2ndOctober 1957 in Nagaur district of Rajasthan.Andhra Pradesh and many state governmentsfollowed Rajasthan. Yet, by the mid-sixties thehype to strengthen the Panchayati Raj Institutions(PRIs) gave way to a growing tendency ofcentralization and the PRIs descended to groundzero.

In 1977, the Janata Government tried torevive the PRIs. Accordingly a committee headedby Ashok Mehta was appointed to review theworking of the PRIs.

The committee suggested a minor changein the Balwant Ray Mehta Scheme. The three-tier system of PRIs was to be replaced by a two-tier i.e. Zilla Parishad at the district level andMandal Panchayat (consisting of a number ofvillages) below it. In addition, the committee alsorecommended the creation of Nyaya Panchayat.

However, owing to the disintegration of theJanata Government in 1980, the recommen-dations of the Asoka Mehta Committee could notbe implemented. (Though Karnataka Govt.established mandal Panchayats). For the next fiveyears or so, no progress was made.

One committee under the chairmanship ofG.V.K. Rao reported in 1985, suggestingappropriate improvement in the representativecharacter and strengthening of the capability ofthe people's representatives and administrativepersonnel in the PIRs. In 1986, the L.M. SinghviCommittee of the Department of RuralDevelopment, Government of India,recommended constitutional status for Panchayati

Raj. In July-August 1989 the then Congressgovernment introduced the 64th ConstitutionalAmendment Bill with a view to streamline thePanchayati Raj. However, the bill was defeatedin the Rajya Sabha. V.P. Singh government alsotried to push a bill in 1990 on Panchayati Raj, itlapsed with the dissolution of the Lok Sabha.

Panchayati Raj under the 73rd ConstitutionalAmendment

At last P.V. Narasimha Rao's governmentenacted the 73rd Constitutional Amendment,which was passed by Parliament on 23rdDecember 1992 and became effective on 24thApril 1993. This Act has added Part - IX to theConstitution of India. It is entitled as 'ThePanchayats' and consists of provisions fromarticles 243 to 243-0. The Act has given apractical shape to Article 40 of the Constitutionand gives a constitutional status to Panchayati RajInstitutions. The Constitutional Amendmentensures, a three tier structure at the zilla, blockand village levels, an election commission to holdelection periodically, a state level financecommission to find out ways and means toincrease resources for local bodies, reservationof 1/3 of seats in all the position of the three tierfor women, reservation of seats for SC/ST inproportion to their population in all the positionsof the three tiers, establishment of Gram Sabhafor enhancing people's participation for their owndevelopment, and establishment of planningcommittee for local bodies; and an earmarkedlist of 29 items under 11th schedule.

Now, the world's most populousdemocracy has the constitutionally mandated2,32,332 village panchayats, 6,000 intermediatepanchayats and 534 zilla panchayats. The threetiers of these elected bodies consist of as manyas 27, 75, 858 village Panchayat members,1,44,491 members of intermediate panchayats


13


and 15,067 members of zilla panchayats. This isthe broadest representative base which exists inany country of the world. (India Panchayati RajReport, 2001, NIRD). Besides breadth, depthof these figures can be gauged from the fact thatmore than fifty percent of these grassrootrepresentatives are from the downtrodden andmarginalized sections of the society, namelywomen (one third of the total), the SCs, STs andOBCs (as per their proportion of the population).

This kind of constitutional provision hascreated a scope for accomplishing developmentwith social justice, which is mandate of the newPanchayat Raj system. The new system brings allthose who are interested to have voice in decisionmaking through their participation in PanchayatRaj Institutions. The Panchayati Raj system isbasis for the "Social Justice" and "Empowerment"of weaker section on which the developmentinitiative have to be built upon for achievingoverall, human welfare of the society.

Problems and Prospects of Panchayati RajInstitutions

To reach a viable Panchayat three hurdleshave to be overcome. These have remained whatthey always have been.

First, is the domination of the bureaucracyover the PRIs. The agent for implementation ofall major programmes (CDP or IRDP, to name afew) has been the bureaucracy. Various parallelbodies such as the DRDA have grosslyundermined the importance of the PRIs. Eitherthey have to be disbanded or made accountableto the PRIs.

Second, is the lack of adequate financialresources to carry out the administration. Grant-

in-aids is the major component of the PRIsrevenue. This need to be supplemented with theadequate collection of taxes by the PRIs and acompulsory transfer of some of the stategovernment's revenue on the recommendation ofthe state finance commission duly established forthe purpose.

The last hurdle is related to the lack oftraining programmes for the participants of thePRIs. Without proper training, they lack thedirection and know-how of the administration.

To conclude, admitting that the PRIs inIndia are weak and assuming that it will not besmooth sailing for them even after the 73rdAmendment, they do have an important role toplay in India's development. Already, the PRIshave several achievements to their credit. Theseinstitutions have enhanced the politicalconsciousness of the people and initiated aprocess of democratic seed drilling in the Indiansoil. What the government should attempt nowis gradually to delimit the role of bureaucracy, topromote local leadership, to remove structuraldeficiencies, encourage PRIs to strengthen theirfinancial resources, bring in effective coordinationamong these institutions and between PRIs andthe state governments and give them effectivepowers in relation to planning and itsimplementation. For this, the will to decentraliseand delegate, on the part of the state governments,is a prerequisite. Action on these lines is the leastthat is expected of the rulers proclaiming their faithin and loyalty to Gandhian principles.

Siddhartha Dash lives at N4-205, IRC Village,Bhubaneswar-15



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Laxman Naik, the well known martyr of QuitIndia movement, though a tribal by birth and wasfar away from modern education and urbansociety, had joined the historic movement inresponse to Gandhiji's call "Do or Die". He foughtfor truth, non-violence, justice, and gave his lifeheroically on the gallows set upby the imperialist BritishAdministration.

Laxman was born in theyear 1893 to Sri Madhab Naikof village Tentuligumma near thebanks of River Kolab and underMathili Police Station in theKoraput district of Orissa,which abounds in flora andfauna. In his earlier child-hood,he learnt the witch craft, huntingand the art of herbal medicinaltreatment. By the application ofherbal medicine, Laxman couldcure the diseases of the peopleand thereby gained theirconfidence and love. Laxmancould notice the sorrowful plight of the peopleunder the British Raj and made up his mind tofight back against the oppression and tyranny ofthe foreign rulers. He believed that Swarajya couldbe attained only through non-violent methods and

therefore joined the training centre of Nuaputvillage. He learned the spinning and listened tothe speeches of the Congress Leaders with raptattention and followed the strict Gandhianprinciples in his daily life.

On 1st August 1942 the All India Congresscommittee passed the famous"Quit India" resolution andgave a call for mass struggleunder Gandhiji's leadership. Onthe same night Gandhijideclared :-

"I am not going to be satisfiedwith any thing short of completefreedom. Here is a mentra, ashort one that I give you. TheMantra is "Do or Die". Weshall either free India or die inthe attempt. We shall not liveto see the perpetuation of ourslavery."

On 9th August Gandhi andother Congress Leaders were

arrested. In Orissa, all the Congress Offices weredeclared unlawful and the movement soon spreadto rural areas. People started Satyagraha in allcorners of the State and attacked Post Offices,Police Stations and Tehsil Offices to paralyse the

Laxman Naik - The Immortal Martyr ofQuit India Movement

Braja Paikaray


15


Government and force the British to quit India.The British authorities never apprehended massupsurge of this magnitude and under the slightestprovocation, resorted to lathi charge and firing.

On 21st August, 1942 Laxman respondedto Gandhiji's quit India call and alongwith hispeople started a peaceful agitation in front ofMathili Police Station defying the prohibitorylaws. The agitators tried to unfurl the national flagon Mathili Police Station and four Satyagrahiswere killed as a result of people firing. Laxman,the leader of the Satyagrahis, though not killed,was severelly wounded by the police bayonet anddue to profuse bleeding became unconscious.Considering him dead, the police left him on thewayside alongwith other dead persons. After along time, Laxman regained his consciousness andwalked 32 miles to Jaypore. He met BalabhadraPujari, a Congress worker, and stayed in his homefor some days. By Pujari's advice, Laxman wentto Ramgiri hills to hide himself from the eyes ofthe police. But, when he learnt about the policeatrocities on the people, he returned to his village.

Police got the news of Laxman's return andsorrounded his house and arrested him with hand-cuffs.

A false case was registered againstLaxman accusing him for the murder of one forestguard namely Ramaya. The Court verdict wentagainst him, although, he pleaded himself notguilty.

On 29th March 1943 Laxman was hangedin Berhampur Jail. His last words uttered beforethe execution was "When Swaraj comes, allinjustice will end."

Laxman Naik, the great patriot is no morewith us. But his brave personality and heroicstruggle will be inspiration to the youth of this landfor many years to come.

Braja Paikaray lives at 342/B, Jagamara (Barabari),Khandagiri, Bhubaneswar-751030.

ORISSA TABLEAU TOPS IN THE REPUBLIC DAY PARADEAT NEW DELHI

The tableau that represented Orissa at the Republic Day Parade - 2007 at NewDelhi has been awarded the first prize for best presentation. This is for the first time thata tableau from Orissa was conferred the top honour.

It is noteworthy to mention that the design of the tableau was conceptualised byChief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik himself. The State Information & Public RelationsDepartment crafted the tableau design with direct supervision of State Information &Public Relations Minister Shri Debasis Nayak, Commissioner-cum-Secretary ShriDigambar Mohanty and Director Shri Baishnab Prasad Mohanty.

While showcasing the traditional folkart, toy and mask crafts of Orissa, the tableaualso displayed some spectacular dances like tiger dance, horse dance, bull dance andcolourful hand-made artistic images like Nabagunjar and ten headed Ravana. Besides,the musical songs of Orissa was also adjudged another best award.



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"All the world's a stageAnd all the men and women are merely players,They have their exists and their entrancesAnd one man in his time plays many parts"

-William Shakespear-

And, there are men on this earth who makehistory by their consistent endeavour and selflessservice to mankind. Twice the Chief Minister ofOrissa, Biju Pattanaik, anepitome of courage andadventure from childhood, wasborn on 5th March 1916 in themillennium city of Cuttack atAnanda Niwas, Tulasipur. Hewas the son of an illustriousfather Laxmi Narayan Patnaikand mother Ashalata Roy. Bijuwas a brave and unchallen-geable boy, who was educatedfrom the famous CuttackCollegiate school that boasts ofSubhash Ch. Bose as one of itsillustrious alumni and then moved to Ravenshawcollege for doing his B.Sc and then joined theRoyal Air Force as a pilot. From school days,Biju was prominent for his love towards game,sports and adventure. He was also a good footballand hockey player. He was thrice Ravanshaw

College athletic champion. His Ravenshavian daysare notable and nostalgic for the interveningCuttack-Peshwar cycling. He persuaded andpampered friends, and made them agree to thisadventure freak and set out on the odyssey ofcovering 4000 kilometres. The marathon cyclingthat speaks of their dream, aspiration and ambitionis historic and sets an adventurous path breakingrecord. Ravenshaw College, infact, matured and

perpetuated the young Biju thathad an aspiring future.

Once, it so happened that hewas on the same boat withUtkalmani Pandit Gopabandhufor distribution of foodgrains andclothes for the marooned villagesof Ali-Kanika area. Due toslrong wind, Das's umbrella felldown on the swelling river andeverybody was helpless. Bijujumped into the dreaded riverand recovered the umbrella from

the swelling water. Everybody exclaimed that onlyfor the shake of one umbrella an youngman's lifewas in danger. Biju remarked, "it was not a simpleumbrella, it was Das Apane's umbrella and itcarries the fragrance of Orissa's culture in it".Pandit remarked that this small boy would be afuture statesman of India one day.

Biju - A Living Legend

Jayakrishna Tripathy


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During Biju's days, a bicycle riding was ahandsome piece of luxury and symbol ofaristocracy. But, when a helicopter touchedCuttack ground with one British military officeron ride, Biju, with his friends, was inspired toatleast touch the "Puspakjan" as it was told onthose days. Biju, the young tall boy, brimmingwith enthusiasm and ecstasy, surveyed ahead tobe as near as the helicopter as possible. Hewondered to see the magnificent white bird andwas determined to, one day, fly such an aircraftand the days were his. He became the mostsuccessful pilot even to lift president Sukarno fromJogdjakarta.

After his taking over charge as ChiefMinister of Orissa in 1961, their was flood inMahanadi delta i.e. nearly eight kms. upstreamwest of Sambalpur. The catchment area ofMahanadi was experiencing incessant rains andthe Hirakud reservoir was rising alarmingly. Thedam officials were nervous and frigid with fearthat further rains might ingress more water intodam and opening of sluice gates in dam wouldadd to the agony of the vast delta dewllersdownstream. Pressure surmounted on the ChiefMinister Biju Pattanaik to order for opening ofmore sluice gates to release more flood waters.Officers and officials flocked to him and floodedwith disastrous messages and with thecommunications received from the dam site.

But Biju, the dare devil, was firm in hisdecision. He nearly encountered un-surmountabledilemma. He could estimate the suffering andmisery, the agony and outcry of millions of peopleand livestock in coastal belt of Orissa. He couldconcieve that the danger to Hirakud dam wouldbe so much that it could wash away and wouldfail to retain the influx of water to this dam. All thebureaucrats and political people watched him insilence. But, determined in this decision, Biju

exclaimed "let us wait and see." In fact, there wasno rain in the catchment areas and no opening ofsluice gates and no havoc of the people. He wasBiju, the decisive head.

Biju, as a freedom fighter, was famous forIndia's Independence and was imprisoned onJanuary 13, 1943 and after two years of jail hewas released on parole. He could feel that onceKalinga was the most prosperous and powerfulkingdom in ancient India. In military might andmaritime activities, in trading merchandise andproducing silk and spices, in mastering Pali andSanskrit languages, in the preaching andpropagating religions like Budhisim and Jainisim,Kalinga was in its excellence. Why not today. Heformed Kalinga Airlines, Kalinga tubes, the mostcoveted Kalinga prize and built the infrastructureof Kalingan development by completing theParadeep project. The Prime Minister of IndiaPandit Nehru found the excellence in him andappointed him as the crisis manager in Indonesianfreedom movement to help the Sukarno regime.He had a formidable industrial empire of 179crore rupees with OTM, Kalinga Tubes, KalingaPipes, Kalinga Iron works at Badbil, KalingaAirlines and Kalinga Refractories. As a pilot hewas straigh and lovely. He loved to fly for themen around him and for the public. As a pilot, he



18

intimately followed the foot steps of PanditJawaharlal Nehru, who always influenced andencouraged the tall pilot from Orissa.

June 23, 1961 witnessed the swearing-in-ceremony of the Kalinga Ratna Biju Patniak asChief Minister by the then Governor of OrissaSri A.N. Khosla. Biju's dream of being elevatedto the august office of Chief Minister of Orissawas a precursor to be the king of Kalinga. Themonarch of a vast and prosperous Kalingaempire. Mahamegha Bahana Aira Kharavela,Kapilendra Deva, Lalatendu Keshari and JajatiKeshari, Gajapati Ananga Bhim Dev were theancient emperors who annexed territories,expanded tread and commerce, establishedcolonies overseas in Java and Sumatra.

As Chief Minister, he dreamt of upliftingthe rural mass of Orissa including the rural womenwho lived in sheer emaciated circumstances. Toeradicate the frightening and fatiguing provety ofOrissa, massive industr ialisation andmodernization was his dream and panacea. Apartfrom his efforts for modernisation andindustrialization, what emboldened him was hispersonal proximity to Pandit Nehru, the PrimeMinister of India. With his hold and accomplishedoperation in Indonesia, he was endeared to Nehruwhich was also the cause of envy to many frontranking leaders of India. The Chinese aggressionon India on 20th October 1962 unfolded anotheropportunity to Biju. He planned military strategiesin tandem with Generals; and Marshal. B.K. Kaul,the then Army Chief was quite unequivocal inpraise to the legendary hero. Nehru wisely bankedupon Biju to chalk out operational aspect ofChinese war. At his instructions, Biju flew to USAto persuade JFK, the then president of USA, to

supply weapons and other needed equipment tofight against the Red Army. He persuaded theunion government to set up the MIG factory atSunabeda, REC, Rourkela and REC,Bhubaneswar with magnificent grant from theCentral Government. He founded the OrissaUniversity of Agriculture and Technology. Heearmarked a vast chunk of land for the REC,Rourkela with the ambitious design of making it asprawling and prestigious institute of Engineeringand Technology at par in excellence as theMassechusettes Institute of Technology in USA.

Biju was dear to every body includingBidhan Ch. Roy, Pratap Singh Kairon, MorarjiBhai Desai. G.B. Panth, S.S.Sukla and alsodearer still to the oppressed millions of Orissaand the village women under Purdda system sanseducation and social status.

He was rightly adjudged and awarded theBhumiputra Samman by the IndonesianGovernment. One thousand millions of Indiansknow Biju Patnaik as the savour of Orissa andthe builder of destiny of modern Orissa. He wasthe most prominent political figure in India andabroad. Man are born free and are made greatby dint of their act of sacrifice to the mankind.Biju Patnaik will be remembered as the KalingaKharvela for all the time to come.

Jayakrushna Tripathy lives at MIG-51, Rajiv Nagar,Aiginia, Bhubaneswar - 751019.


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Recently, former Indonesian PresidentMeghawati Sukarnoputri was on a special visitto Bhubaneswar. The visit was indicative ofemotional attachment of the family members ofthe late legendary Indonesian leader and PresidentMr. Sukarno with the family of another legendaryfigure of Orissa, late lamented Biju Patnaik. Therelationship dates back to late 1940s, when theIndonesians were carrying on their freedomstruggle against thecolonialist Dutch. It wason the advice of theIndian Prime MinisterJawahar Lal Nehru, BijuPatnaik took up thechallenging task, andsafely escorted and flewthe Indonesian leadersout of Indonesia under askilled and ingtelligentflying opeeration. Itspeaks of volume aboutthe capacity of Patnaikand also the confidence reposed in him by thePrime Minister of India.

Late Biju Patnaik belonged to a rare breedof politicians. He was a politician amongstatesmen and a statesman among politicians. Hewas and is a household name in Orissa and shall

continue to remain as same as long as the presentherd of politicans remain in currency. Thus, hehad emerged as a legendary hero during his lifetime and will continue as a phenomenon.

Biju loved adventure. The evidence of hisadventurism was writ large in his dare devil cyclejourney from Cuttack to Peshawar during hiscollege days. When top brass among the Congress

agitationists wereconfined in theAhmednagar jail, Bijucould intercept thesystem and contactedthem. Further, he couldland with the first groupof security personnelwhen Pakistan launcheda deceptive limited warto annex Kashmirimmediately afterindependence.

He was a multi-nationalfreedom fighter. Not only did he play a significantrole in the Indonesian freedom struggle, but alsoexhibited the similar enthusiasm when situation inNepal demanded action.

The institution of UNESCO-KalingaAward bore testimony to his love for science and

The Biju Phenomenon

Prof. Surya Narayan Misra



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technology. His association with JBS Haldanewas not between a politician and scientist, ratherit was between a visionary statesman who wasahead of age and class in terms of scientific temperand a research scientist.

The Balimela Dam, Paradeep Port andExpress Highway give us a taste of Biju Patnaikand the material which made such a great soul.When he led Congress to a decisive victory inthe first midtermpoll held in 1961,not only manyeyebrows wereraised in theopposition circle,but the erstwhilecoalition leadersMahtab and SinghDeo startedchoosing a newcourse in theirpolitical career -founding of JanaCongress, andmerging of princelyparty ganatantra parishad with All India Swatantraparty respectively.

Where as Jana Congress could not makea major dent in the non-Congress oppositioncircle in the country, the Utkal Congress formedby Biju could become a centre of future non-Congress formation through Pragati Party; thenBharatiya Lok Dal to Janata Party and the JanataDal.

Biju was a crisis manager. He was afrontline legislator. The remarks and observationsmade by late Patnaik on the floor of assembly

and union parliament were of quality participation.Once during Desai government, the oppositiongrilled the party in power and the then SteelMinister Biju Patnaik's strong defence of thegovernment on the floor of the House speaksabout his capacity to respond during crisissituation. V.P. Singh could become PrimeMinister because of Mr. Patnaik and the centreof the activity was Orissa Bhawan during earlyDecember 1989.

Mr. Patnaik'ssecond term asChief Minister wasof stupendouslegislative support.He personally couldcause 123 out of147 seats fall in hisbag. The samePatnaik wasrejected twice in1980 and 1985 byOrissan voters.Even Biju lost all theelections he fought

in 1971. But within less than a year he bouncedback with a record margin in the by-election heldfor the Rajnagar seat. Since then he never lostany election he fought. On couple of occasion hewas the match winner. The Biju Phenomenoncontinues unabated when a regional outfit wasconstituted under the banner - Biju Janata Dal.

Surya Narayan Misra is a Professor in the Departmentof Political Science, Utkal University.

Discussion regarding Bhubaneswar InternationalAirport with Union Aviation Minister


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Bijaya Nanda Patnaik, very well known as BijuPatnaik, is a great son of mother India. He was aman of sagacity, political wisdom, courage andhis contribution towards the freedom struggle isremarkable. He raised voice against Britishimperialism. People called him "Biju Babu" withrespect. He made significantcontribution to the social,cultural and political life ofOrissa and whole country aswell. Biju babu was a massleader. He was a born leader.Due to his heroic personalitypeople were att ractedtowards him. He was a greatpatriot and nationalist.

Biju Babu was born onMarch 5, 1916 at AnandaNivas, Tulasipur, Cuttack.Laxmi Narayan Patnaik andAshalata Ray were his fatherand mother. Biju babu was thesecond son of LaxmiNarayan's three sons. He wasvery brave from hischildhood. He studied in Ravenshaw Collegiateschool. In his school days, he was famous for hislove for games, sports and adventure. He was agood football player. Ravenshaw collegiate school

football team won the inter-school championshipfor three years when Biju babu was a key playerof the team. Then, he studied his I.Sc. and B.Sc.in Ravenshaw College, Cuttack. But, he did notappear the final exam of Bachelor Degree. Hejoined as a trainee pilot in the Royal Air Force of

British Empire. In his collegedays, a remarkableachievement of Biju babu wasa journey from Cuttack toPeshawar by cycling.Peshawar is situated in thenorth-western tip of Bharat.The city tells us about thelegends of Purus andAlexander. That city was alsothe capital of Kaniska, theBouddha emperor.

After completion of training,Biju babu joined the Royal AirForce as a pilot in 1937. Thatevent changed entire life of Bijubabu. He was inspired by themass movement from the verybegining. His mother Ashalata

Devi told him about heroic achivement of freedomfighters. In 1940 he came in contact with theeminent freedom fighters. In 1942 "Quit IndiaMovement" started by Gandhiji. That was the last

Eminent Freedom Fighter - Biju Patnaik

Pabitra Mohan Barik



22

weapon of Gandhiji based on truth and non-violence against British power. The Quit IndiaResolution was passed on 8th August in theworking committee of National Congress party.After that, to supress the mass movement, theBritishers arrested the fire brand leaders of thenational movement like Mahatma Gandhi,Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Ballav Bhai Patel etc.In this critical period, the socialist leaders cameforward to fight for the motherland. Socialistleaders like Jaya Prakash Narayan, AchyutPatwardhan, Narendra Dev, Ram Manohar Lohiaand Aruna Asaf Ali took responsibility to continueagitation against the Britishers in disguise. Oneday in the time of Quit India movement,Jayaprakash Narayan met Biju babu and wantedhis co-operation and support for freedom struggle.Biju babu had great interest and respect towardsthe freedom movement and fighters. After that,Biju babu helped the national struggle in the variousways. He endeared himself to the revolutionaryactivities. Prominent freedom fighters weresecretly carried from one place to other place inhis plane. He performed his job in the nationalfreedom struggle by reaching brochures, posters,and other publicity materials to different personsand destinations. The freedom fighters carried ontheir struggle safely by the help of Biju babu. Hedid that national duty courageously. Biju babusheltered the freedom fighters who were on thehide to avoid arrest and imprisonment. Aruna AsafAli once had taken shelter at Ananda Bhawan inCuttack in the house of Biju babu. In that periodthe British Government declared a reward of 40thousand rupees to capture Aruna Asaf Ali. JayaPrakash Narayan travelled in Biju babu's planein the guise of professor Vatacharya andProfessor Banarji. By the trick of Biju babu, the

nationalist leaders freely and safely travelled inhis plane. Britishers could not arrest the aboveleaders because of trick and plans of Biju babu.In course of time, Britishers suspected him andappointed spy to watch his activities. Lastly, Britishspy came to confirm that Biju babu directly andindirectly engaged in the mass movement. Thenhe was nabbed and imprisoned on 13th January1943. He stayed in Lalkilla for some days andthen was transferred to Phirozpur. In the menatimehis elder brother requested Parala MaharajaKrushna Chandra Gajapati Dev for his release.Maharaja also discussed with Governor Generalabout the release of Biju babu. Governor Generaldid not show any interest to relase Biju babu. Aftertwo years in jail, he was released on parol in 1945.His name is associated with the war ofindependence of Indonesia. His Indonesia airvoyage and his Srinagar expedition amply displaythat he was a patriot of first order. Biju babu, bythe direction of Pandit Nehru, saved the life ofSariar Khan and Srihatta, the freedom fighters ofIndonesia. Biju babu brought them to India in hisplane from Indonesia. The colonial Dutch did notget any information about it. It proves his bravery.Biju babu dropped Indian soldiers from his planein Kashmir in 1947 when Pakistani forces andtribals attacked it. Biju babu was a great hero inthe war of Indian Independence movement.

Pabitra Mohan Bairk is a Lecturer in History, S.H.Mahavidyalaya, Madanpur, Khurda, Orissa.


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It is one of the primary objects of the Five YearPlan to ensure fuller opportunities for work andbetter living to all the sections of the ruralcommunity and, in particular, to assist agriculturallabourers and backward classes to come to thelevel of the rest.

One of the most distinguishing features ofthe rural economy of India has been the growthin the number of agricultural workers, cultivatorsand agricultural labourers engaged in cropproduction. The phenomena of under-employment, under-development and surpluspopulation are simultaneously manifested in thedaily lives and living of the agricultural labourers.They usually get low wages, conditions of workput an excessive burden on them, and theemployment which they get is extremely irregular.

Agricultural workers constitute the mostneglected class in Indian rural structure. Theirincome is low and employment irregular. Since,they possess no skill or training, they have noalternative employment opportunities either.Socially, a large number of agricultural workersbelong to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.Therefore, they are a suppressed class. They arenot organised and they cannot fight for their rights.Because of all these reasons their economic lothas failed to improve even after four decades ofplanning.

Agricultural Labour in India - A Close Look

Dr. Kulamani Padhi

This can also be seen from the PrimeMinister's speech made in Lok Sabha on August4, 1966. The Prime minister emphasized -

"We must give special consideration to the landlessagricultural labour. Although there has beentremendous progress in India since Independence,this is one section, which has really a very hardtime and which is deserving very specialconsideration."1

Seasonal unemployment is a characteristicfeature of Agricultural Industry and underemployment of man power is inherent in the systemof family farming. According to first A.L.E.C.,adult male agricultural labourers were employedon wages for 189 days in agricultural work andfor 29 days in non-agricultural work i.e. 218 dayin all. They were self-employed for 75 days.Casual male workers found employment for only200 days, while attached workers were employedfor 326 days in a year. Women workersemployed for 134 days in a year.

Unlike industrial labour, agricultural labouris difficult to define. The reason is that unlesscapitalism develops fully in agriculture, a separateclass of workers depending wholly on wages doesnot come up.

Difficulties in defining agricultural labour arecompounded by the fact that many small and



24

marginal farmers also work partly on the farms ofothers to supplement their income. To what extentshould they (or their family members) beconsidered agricultural labourers is not easy toanswer.

However, it will be useful to refer some ofthe attempts made by experts in this connection.

1. The First Agricultural Labour EnquiryCommittee 1950-55 defined AgriculturalLabourer as - "Those people who are engagedin raising crops on payment of wages"

2. The Second Agricultural Labour EnquiryCommittee 1956-57 enlarged the distribution toinclude -

"Those who are engaged in other agriculturaloccupations like dairy, farming, horticulture,raising of live-stock, bees, poultry etc. "In thecontext of Indian conditions the definition is notadequate, because it is not possible to completelyseparate those working on wages from others.There are people who do not work on wagesthroughout the year but only for a part of it.

Therefore, the first A.L.E.C. used theconcept of agricultural labour household. If halfor more members of household have wage,employment in agriculture then those householdsshould be termed as agricultural labour household.This concept was based upon the occupation ofthe worker.

The Second Committee submitted that toknow whether a household is an agriculturallabour household, we must examine its mainsource of income. If 50% or more of its incomeis derived as wages for work rendered inagriculture only, then it could be classed toagricultural labour household.

According to the National Commission onLabour "an agricultural labourer is one who is

basically unskilled and unorganised and has littlefor its livelihood, other than personal labour."

Thus, persons whose main source ofincome is wage, employment fall in this category.Mishra and Puri have stated that "All thosepersons who derive a major part of their incomeas payment for work performed on the farms ofothers can be designated as agricultural workers.For a major part of the year they should work onthe land of the others on wages."

Classification of Agricultural Labourers :

Agricultural labourers can be divided intofour categories -

1. Landless Labourers, who are attached tothe land lords;

2. Landless labourers, who are personallyindependent, but who work exclusively for others;

3. Petty farmers with tiny bits of land whodevote most of their time working for others and

4. Farmers who have economic holdings butwho have one or more of their sons anddependants working for other prosperous farmers.

The first group of labourers have been moreor less in the position of serfs or slaves, they arealso known as bonded labourers.

Agricultural labourers can also be dividedin the following manner :

1. Landless agricultural labourers

2. Very small cultivators whose main sourceof earnings due to their small and sub-marginalholdings is wage employment.

Landless labourers in turn can be classifiedinto two broad categories :

1. Permanent Labourers attached tocultivating households.


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2. Casual Labourers.

The second group can again be divided intothree subgroups :

(i) Cultivators(ii) Share croppers(iii) Lease holders.

Permanent or attached labourers generallywork on annual or seasonal basis and they workon some sort of contract. Their wages aredetermined by custom or tradition. On the otherhand temporary or casual labourers are engagedonly during peak period for work. Theiremployment is temporary and they are paid atthe market rate. They are not attached to anylandlords.

Under second group comes small farmers,who prossess very little land and therefore, hasto devote most of their time working on the landsof others as labourers. Share croppers are thosewho, while sharing the produce of the land fortheir work, also work as labourers. Tenants arethose who not only work on the leased land butalso work as labourers.

Characteristics of Agricultural Labourers

Before any attempt is made to evolve arational policy to improve the living conditions ofagricultural labours which happens to belong tothe lowest rung of social and economic ladder, itis essential to know the distinguishing featuresthat characterize agricultural labourer in India.

The main features, characterizing Indianagricultural labour are as follows :

1. Agricultural Labourers are Scattered

Agricultural labour in India is being widelyscattered over 5.6 lakh villages, of which half havepopulation of less than 500 each. And therefore,any question of building an effective organization,like that of industrial workers, poses

insurmountable difficulties. Thus as the vastnumber of agricultural labour lies scattered all overIndia, there has been no successful attempt forlong, to build their effective organization even atthe state level not to speak of the national level.

2. Agricultural Labourers are Unskilled andLack Training

Agricultural labourers, especially in smallervillages away from towns and cities, are generallyunskilled workers carrying on agriculturaloperation in the centuries old traditional wages.Most of them, especially those in small isolatedvillages with around 500 population, may not haveeven heard of modernization of agriculture.Majority of them are generally conservative,tradition bound, totalistic and resigned to theinsufferable lot to which according to them fatehas condemned them. There is hardly anymotivation for change or improvement.

Since, there is direct supervision by thelandlord, there is hardly any escape form hardwork and since there is no alternative employment.The agricultural labourer has to do all types ofwork-farm and domestic at the bidding of thelandlord.

3. Unorganised Sector

Agricultural labourers are not organizedlike industrial labourers. They are illiterate andignorant. They live in scattered villages. Hencethey could not organize in unions. In urban areasworkers could generally organize themselves inunions and it is convenient for political parties totake interest in trade union activities. This is almostdifficult in case of farm labour. Accordingly, it isdifficult for them to bargain with the land ownersand secure good wages.

4. Low Social Status

Most agricultural workers belong to thedepressed classes, which have been neglected for



26

ages. The low caste and depressed classes havebeen socially handicapped and they had neverthe courage to assert themselves. They have beenlike dump-driven cattle.

In some parts of India, agriculturallabourers are migratory, moving in search of jobsat the time of harvesting. Government measuresto improve their lot by legislation have provedineffective so far due to powerful hold of the ruralelite classes in the rural economy.

5. Demand and Supply of Labour

The number of agricultural labourers beingvery large and skills they possess being meager,there are generally more than abundant supply ofagricultural labourer in relation to demand forthem. It is only during the sowing and harvestingseasons that there appears to be nearfullemployment in the case of agricultural labourers.But, once the harvesting season is over, majorityof agricultural workers will be jobless especiallyin areas, where there is single cropping pattern.

6. Less Bargaining Power

Due to all the above mentioned factors, thebargaining power and position of agriculturallabourers in India is very weak. In fact, quite alarge number of them are in the grip of villagemoney lenders, landlords and commission agents,often the same person functioning in all the threecapacities. No wonder, the agricultural labour isthe most exploited class of people of India.

7. At the Bidding of the Landlord

There is generally direct and day to day'contact between agricultural labourers and thelandlords' on whose farm they are working. Unlikeindustrial workers, this direct contact between theemployer and employees is a distinct feature ofagriculture labourer.

The above mentioned few importantcharacteristics distinguish agricultural labourers inIndia from industrial workers. Thus partly becauseof factors beyond their control and partly becauseof their inherent bargaining weakness, the farmlabourers have been getting very low wages andhave therefore to live in a miserable sub-humanlife.

Agricultural Serfs or Bonded Labourers

At the bottom of the agricultural cadre inIndia are those labourers whose conditions arenot very different from those of serfs. Agriculturalserfdom has been most prevalent in those partsof India where the lower and the depressedclasses and most in numerous. The ethniccomposition of villages which governs the socialstratification is responsible for the survival of theslavish conditions. In Gujarat, Maharashtra,Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Bihar, Orissa,Madhya Pradesh, a large aboriginal populationlive and the condition of this agricultural laboursis very much like that of slaves. These are calledin different names in different States.

The following table-3 indicates the numberof bonded labourers identified, released andrehabilitated as on 31.12.1995.

Statement showing the number of bondedlabourers identified and released as on31.12.1985 as per the reports received from theState Governments.Name of State No.of bonded Identified,

labourers freed &Rehabilitated

Andhra Pradesh 61,336 14,017Bihar 11,002 9,472Gujarat 61 38Haryana 195 21Karnataka 62,689 40,033Kerala 829 820Madhya Pradesh 4,655 2,912


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Maharashtra 772 319Orissa 41,065 27,817Rajasthan 6,813 5,770Tamil Nadu 32,581 31,591Uttar Pradesh 16,199 13,420

Total 1,93,197 1,46,230

Balance 46,967

According to 1981 census, the number ofagricultural workers was 55.4 million, which

means 22.7% of the total labour force. Similarlyas per 1991 census, the total number ofagricultural labourers was increased from 92.5million in 1981 to 110.6 million in 1991. Thismeans the percentage of agricultural labourersover total labour force, increased from 22.7 in1981 to 26.1 in 1991. This can be seen in thefollowing table.

Population and Agricultural Workers

Year Total Annual Rural Cultivators Agricultural Other TotalPopulation Compound Population labourers workers(millions) growth rate (millions)

(%)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1951 361.1 (1.25) 298.6 69.9 27.3 42.8 140.0(82.7) (49.9) (19.5) (30.6) (100.0)

1961 439.2 (1.96) 360.3 99.6 31.5 57.6 188.7(82.0) (52.8) (16.7) (30.5) (1000.0)

1971 548.9 (2.20) 439.1 78.3 47.5 54.7 180.5(80.1) (43.4) (26.3) (30.3) (100.0)

1981 685.2 (2.22) 525.5 92.5 55.5 96.6(a) 244.6(76.7) (37.8) (22.7) (39.5) (100.0)

1991@ 844.3 (2.11) 627.1 110.6 74.6 100.2 285.4(74.3) (38.8) (26.1) (35.1) (100.0)

2000 987.3 (1.02)

* Estimated population, as on 1st March 2000.

@ Figures of total/rural population include theprojected population of Assam, whereas inrespect of data on workers, Asam has beenexcluded.

(a) Includes marginal workers.

Note : Figures in brackets give percentage to total.

Source : Registrar General's Office for the data of years 1951 to 1991

Causes for the Growth of AgriculturalLabourers :

There are a number of factors responsiblefor the continuous and enormous increase in thenumber of agricultural labourers in India.

The more important among them are :1. Increase in population2. Decline of cottage industries and handicrafts



28

3. Eviction of small farmers and tenants fromland

4. Uneconomic Holdings5. Increase in indebtedness6. Spread of the use of money and exchange

system7. Capitalistic Agriculture8. Displacement of means of subsidiary

occupations9. Disintegration of peasantry10. Break-up of joint family system.

Measures taken by the Government toimprove the Conditions of AgriculturalLabourers :

The Government has shown awareness ofthe problems of agricultural workers and all plandocuments have suggested ways and means toameliorate the lot of these people. Measuresadopted by the Government for ameliorating theeconomic conditions of Agricultural labourers are1. Passing of minimum wage Act.2. Abolition of Bonded Labourers3. Providing land to landless labourers4. Provision of Housing cities to houseless5. Special schemes for providing

employmenti) Crash Scheme for Rural Employment

(CSRE)ii) Pilot Intensive Rural Employment Project

(PIREP)iii) Food for works programme (FWP)iv) National Rural Employment Programme

(NREP)v) Rural Landless Employment Programme

(RLEP)vi) Drought Prone Area Programme (It was

known as Rural Works Programme)

6. Jawahar Rojgar Yojana (which come inwith the merger of NREP and RLEGP)

7. Desert Development Programme8. National Scheme of Training of Rural Youth

for Self Employment (TRYSM)9. Development of Women and Children in

Rural Areas (DWCRA)10. Abolition of Bonded Labourer Act11. Integrated Rural Development Programme

(IRDP)

Suggestions for the Improvement ofAgricultural Labours :

The following suggestions can be made forthe improvement of the socio-economic positionof the agricultural labourers :1. Better implementation of legislative

measures.2. Improvement the bargaining position.3. Resettlement of agricultural workers4. Creating alternative sources of employment5. Protection of women and child labourers6. Public works programmes should be for

longer period in year7. Improving the working conditions8. Regulation of hours of work9. Improvements in Agricultural sector10. Credit at cheaper rates of interest on easy

terms of payment for undertaking subsidiaryoccupation.

11. Proper training for improving the skill offarm labourers

12. Cooperative farming

Dr. Kulamani Padhi is the Asst. Registrar, Dairy Co-op.Societies, Directorate of A.H. and V.S., Orissa, Cuttack.


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Agricultural Credit : A Core Component ofRural Development

Prafulla Chandra Mohanty

To reduce the broader dimension of poverty, weneed to focus on rural development, particularlyin agriculture,employment, health, education andnutrition. It is known that agriculture growth isimportant in India with around 70 percent of totalworkers still depending on this sector. The growthrate of agriculture in the last ten years has beenless than 1.5 percent per annum. It is seen fromthe past that the overall G.D.P. growth was highwhenever agriculture growth was high. Unlessagricultural growth is improved, one can't achieveG.D.P.growth of 8 percent or more andsubsequent reduction of poverty. Industry andservices also may not grow on expected lineswithout agricultural growth. The terms of tradetoo deteriorated and many farmers have beencommitting suicides in several parts of our countryfor crop failure and of low production andincreasing indebtedness.

Timely and adequate agricultural credit isimportant for increase in fixed and working capitalfor farmers. In order to provide sufficient creditto the farmers, many institutional and noninstitutional agencies are working. Underinstitutional agencies-cooperative, commercial,regional rural banks and different Governmentorganizations are supplying credit to the needyfarmers on priority basis. But, it is seen that

cooperative carries the largest network inagricultural credit supply in the country.

There is an urgent need in the era ofliberalization and globalisation to fully exploitavailable natural, material and human resources inthe most efficient and effective way. In order toexploit all these resources, it is essential to have asound financial or banking system. Even afternationalization of banks (1969), the spread ofbanking imbalance is not yet fully reduced, andinadequate growth in all levels of trade andindustries. Infact, in the rural areas, the rural orientedbanks such as PACBS, RRBS, Lead Banks etc.,are not effectively responding to the problems ofrural clients, rural industries and customers.

In the above context, a paper has beenprepared to focus on institutional agriculturalcredit, in rural India. The article also tries to givea comparative study on the credit agencies, theirproblems and ends with some suggestions forimprovement.

The study has been divided in two parts suchas the importance of agricultural development inthe economy and rural development of India andthe second part works on the supply of credit tothe agriculture as a factor of rural development.The study is based mostly on the secondarypublished data. Some of the simple mathematical



30

and statistical tools like percentages, averages etc.have been used in the study.

Importance of agriculture in India's economicdevelopment :

As described earlier, India is a country ofvillages and farmers. The share of agriculture inthe total GDP is very high (24%) in comparisonto other developed and developing nations. Whilestudying the planwise annual growth rate inagriculture with the growth rate of overall GDP.It is seen that the GDP growth is directly relatedwith the growth of agriculture sector. Again onlocating the decadal growth of agriculture since1950-51, it is seen that, this sector shows nosignificant remarks in growth. The annualcompound rate of growth remains in between 1.7percent to 3.9 percent. After globalization, thegrowth is some how reduced from 3.9% to 2.8%,which is not sufficient to achieve high rate ofgrowth and again it can be concluded in sayingthat globalization neglects agriculturedevelopment.

Productivity :

India is poor and the country is comingunder the developing category. This happens onlybecause of our low productivity in agriculture. Inthe production of wheat, France produces morethan 71 Quintals. Similarly in paddy productionU.S.A.tops the list with 70.4 quintals where aswe produce only 30 quintals per hectare. Thecondition is also very precarious in seeing theproductivity of cotton and groundnut. So, it isrequired to improve the productivity of differentcrops of India by improving the factorsresponsible for high production. But a point tomark is that the production is in increasing trendfor the period under globalization. The basic factorfor producing more from agriculture sector issupplying credit to the needy cultivators. To

highlight on the investment it is seen that the publicinvestment is reducing year after year i.e from39%(1980-81) to 26%(2001-02), where as theprivate sector investment is bridging the gap oninvesting more and more. This shows a cleargovernment withdrawal from investing in theagriculture sector in the period of reform. Duringthe period of globalization, on implementation ofhigh yielding technology, our country not onlybecomes self sufficient in food production but alsoable to export to some of our neighbours.

Credit supply :

But, anyway, to improve our economicalcondition, we must try to improve the financialcondition of our farmers who can bring ruraldevelopment. So, an easy and sufficient creditfacility should bring all round development to thenation.

The farmers of our country except a feware very poor and so they do not adhere to investthe required finance for agricultural production.Again if, they do, also, they are to go for monylenders who will generally exploit them. In orderto check this, after independence a lot of stepshave been taken by the Government i.e.,nationalizing Banking sector, establishment ofcooperative Banks, NABARD, and RegionalRural Banks, Priority sector lending, etc.

Credit Estimates :

Government also estimates the total creditrequirements for agriculture sector from time totime and accordingly frames the policies for creditsupply. In the year 1970-71, DantawalaCommittee estimates the credit requirements atRs.1460 crores which was enhanced to Rs.4000crores in the year 1973-74 by the Rural ReviewCommittee established for the purpose.


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Expenditure Pattern :

The credit requirement is highly related withthe expenditure pattern of the farmers. Theygenerally spent 32 percent of the borrowings oncapital expenditure and 13 percent on currentexpenditure on the farm. But, other 47 percentmostly consumed by them on family expenditureand the rest 8 percent in other non-farmexpenditures. This drowns the poor Indian farmersin indebtedness and so they require more andmore credit to go for agriculture production.

Purpose of Loan :

The Rural Credit Follow up Survey (1969)has divided the purposes of Loan according tothe class of borrowers like i) Rural families, ii)cultivators and iii) non-cultivators. It is estimatedthat the rural families spent 43.7 percent inproductive and the rest 56.3 percent inunproductive purposes. But the cultivators spent46.6 percent in productive purpose andnoncultivators spent only 25.9% of the loan inthe productive way. So the rest is unproductivewhich adds nil or negatively to the borrowers.So, a consciousness about the use of borrowedloan funds should be arisen among the ruralborrowers. In the earlier times the credit supplywas handled mostly by money lenders andMahajans. But, after independence, thegovernment stated some institutions inorder toprovide agriculture lending, later on the year 1969and 1975, banks were nationalized and wereinstructed to lend especially to the priority sector.Before 1969 the priority sector lending was lessthan 15 percent of the total loans. But from theyear 1985, it was enhanced to 40 percent, andout of this 40 percent, a minimum of 16 percentmust be after the Agriculture lending. Again thistarget has been enhanced to 18 percent.

The institutional credit was 7.3 percent inthe year 1950-51, it is 18.7 percent in 1961-62,

again rose to 40 percent in 1973-74. After thesecond phase of nationalization of banks theinstitutional credit percentage was increasing in1980-81 to 57 percent and to nearly 59.8 percentin the 1990-91 year. Further, this percentage isincreased upto 67 percent in the year 2003-04and so the non-institutional credit dominancegradually goes on decresing from the track ofcredit supply.

Among the institutional agencies theimportant credit supply institutions for agricultureare the Government, the Cooperative banks,Commercial banks, and Regional rural Banks.Government finances to agriculture in the periodof distress in the name of taccavi loan at lowerrate of interest i.e.6% p.a. to the distressed farmersonly. It is seen that, this taccavi credit by thegovernment was very less i.e. in 1951-52 only3.3% of the total borrowings, in 1961-62, it was2.6 percent, in 1980-81 it was 3.2% but in 1990-91 it came down to to 1.2%. Henceforth,Government discourages this loan for budgetaryconstraints. The oldest agricultural lendinginstitution is cooperative. The cooperative lendingoccupies a pivot place in credit supply. In the year1954-55, it was 3.1%, but increased to 15.5%in 1961, 36% in 1980-81, and in 2002-03, itcounts 43% of the total borrowings. The newlyfound RRBS(1975) have a credit supplypercentage of 6% to 7% only. But commercialBanks play an important role in rural credit. In1951-52, it started with 0.9 percent and in 1961-62 it was 0.6 percent. But it increased to 15.4percent in 1973-74 and again to 19.2% in (1980-81) and to 50 percent in 2002-03.

It is observed that till 1970-71,cooperatives had virtually a monopoly in meetingagricultural credit needs of the farmers in India.From the data plotted for years 1997-98 to 2003-04, it is seen that the total institutional credit for



32

the 1997-98 was Rs.31,956 crores and this figurefor 2003-2004 year was Rs.80,000 crores. Thisgives an average increase of more than Rs.8000crore per annum. It is also marked that due toadvent of commercial and rural banks into thecredit market, the overall percentages of creditsupply through cooperatives were decreasingfrom 44 percent (1997-96) to 37 percent (2003-04). Accordingly, the rate of credit supply bycommercial banks are increasing from 50 percent(1997-98) to 55 percent (2003-04).The shareof RRBs in credit supply is limited to 6% (1997-98) to 8 percent (2003-04). As per the creditrequirement estimates, the short term creditsupply is always more in comparison to mediumterm and long term supply. It is nearly 70:30percent for cooperatives, 55:45 for commercialBanks and it is 3:1 in RRBs.

Conclusion & suggestions :

1. Credit norms and scales of finance should beincreased.

2. Security to be reduced from the presentmargin of 25% for poor and marginal farmers.

3. Crops can be the security but no othersecurity to be demanded.

4. Defaults to be reduced.

5. Need for coordination among credit supplyinstitutions required.

6. Deposit credit ratio should be enhanced.

7. Soft interest rate,etc. concessional andsubsidized credit supply should be made toenhance the productivity of low and marginalfarmers.

References :1. Economic and political weekly, April 2-8, 20052. Kurukhetra, Oct, 04, vol.52, no.12, p.203. Tyagi, Dr. B.P., Agriculture Economics, ed. 2005,

p.6104. Dutta, Ruddar, Sundaram, K.P.M., Indian

Economics, ed. 2004.5. Economic Survey, 2003-046. The competition master, Sept., 2004, p.170.

Prafulla Chandra Mohanty is a Sr. Faculty Member ofCommerce, Aska Science College, Aska, Ganjam.

ORMAS TO ORGANISE SISIR SARAS FEST

In an effort to give a boost to the marketing of rural Orissan products, the OrissaRural Marketing Society (ORMAS) has planned to organise a national level festivalknown as Sisir Saras from 5th to 15th March 2007 at the exhibition ground inBhubaneswar. A decision to this effect was taken in a meeting presided by Minister forPanchayati Raj & Parliamentary Affairs Shri Raghunath Mohanty on February 16.

Sponsored by the Ministry of Rural Development, this mega event will help promotethe products of Self Help Groups (SHGs), especially, the handloom, handicraft andfood products. As many as 250 well designed stalls would be built to showcase theitems. About 600 self-employed rural artisans from across the country will participate.During the festival, the state Horticulture Department will organise a flower show. TheCulture Department will present a folk dance & music programme.

The event will facilitate the exchange of inter-state culture, indigenous productdesign and process.


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The old undivided district of Phulbani is one of thecentrally located districts of Orissa which liesbetween 190.34'N and 200.54' N latitude, andbetween 830.30'E and 840.48'E longitude. It isbounded by Suvarnapur and Dhenkanal districtsin the North, Ganjam and Rayagada districts in theEast, Ganjam and Nayagarh districts in the South,Rayagada, Kalahandi and Suvarnapur district in theWest and is having a geographical area of 11093sq. kms., out of which, an area of 7336 sq.kms. iscovered by forest. The tribal population constitutesabout 25% of the total population. This district ispredominated by Kondh tribe, who belongs toProto-Austroloid race.

Archaeogical exploration has not beendone adequately in this district . Somearchaeological investigations have been made bysome scholars in Boudh sub-division (presentBoud district), which yield a rich treasure ofinformation to researchers. Moreover, somehistorical sites with rich archaeological ruins arealso noticed, which could not be studied byscholars properly and some of them are still outof the sight of the scholars. This researcher hasgiven some informations to the Secretary,INTACH, Orissa Regional Chapter and came toknow that those have been listed by theINTACH.

The aim of this paper is to high-light thepre-historic archaeology of the old PhulbaniDistrict, which is divided into two districts, namelyBoud and Kandhmal. But, only explorations havebeen made by scholars in Boudh area whodiscovered many pre-historic implements ranging

from Palaeolithic to Chalcolithic period. Dr.K.C.Tripathy has studied the lithic culture ofPhulbani district by discovering an old stone agesite in village Kankala (Dash 1991:89) He hasalso reported one single site of pebble industry atManamunda in 1972 (Ota: 82-83: 168)

S.B.Ota also explored the area from riverBagh to Khadang and discovered Palaeolithicopen-air sites in 1981-82 at Gurvelipadar,Kankalidunguri, Rangoli hill, Kantamal, Sunadeihill and Barapadar. Except the site of Kantamalwhich is situated on the bank of river Tel, the restare foothill sites (Dash :91:84).

The Palaeolithic Period is the formativeperiod of human culture which flourished in south-western Orissa as well, under which comes theold district of Phulbani. Palaeolithic implementslike hand axe,cleaver, scraper, point, blade andburins were discovered from these sites (Tripathy:1982:13)

The Palaeolithic sites explored by S.B.Otayielded horse-hoot cores, flakes, kamanrs,Kanifacial and unifacial choppers etc. associatedwith red soil (locally known as Rangamati) at adepth of 2 to 4 meters from the surface. But inlater days Ota changed his views about thepalaeolithic origin of the implements (Dash1991:85). Further, he opines that there lived ahunting and food gathering community as most ofthe sites are situated on the foot hill zones rangingfrom 3 to 4 kms from the river Tel, which bearsplants like Bahada (Teraminalia Belerica), Ber(Zizyplus Jujuta), Char (suchanamia latiflora), Tuki

Pre-historic Archaeology ofUndivided Phulbani

Raghunath Rath



34

(Deospyras Mesanoxylam), Amala (PhyllanthusEmblick), Jhad khajuri (Phanix Acaulis), Mohuaflowers (Bassia Letifolia), Kusum fruits (schleicheraFrijhuga), Jamun (Syzygium Caumiari) etc. on thefoot-hill zones. Hence, the area offered a verietyof plant and animal foods for explicitation by pre-historic groups (Ota 82:83: 172).

Mesolithic Period: Mesolithic culture ismore prominent than palaeolithic culture inPhulbani district as evident from the extensivesurvey of the North Boudh-Kondhmals by Otafrom 1981 to 1984. He has excavated atKhomananta on the bank of Adopathar Jore nearthe village Kalarajhuli and identified open-air siteson the bank of river Bagh and Guduguda andMeherian nallahs and some sites on the foot-hillzones. They are "Kuchuni Ghugura, Dunguri,Gurvelipadar, Kankalidunguri, Rengali ReserveForest, Kantamal,Sunadei Hill, Barapadar,Mohuli, Digi, Mundipadar, Shantipalli, Raluri,Sadanandpur, Boulasinga, Dhourakud andGolurapalli, Thatipali, Jamatangi, Sabupara,Sobhapaluli, Jamaghati, Chhelibahal, Talupali,Karadapadar, Jampali, Telapadar, Burlikon road,Tuaniamunda, Badajharmunda, Sialimal andDolabali. Some of the small sites like Asurgarh,Panaka, Benamunda, Jhankarpada,Pudamarghat, Kasurbandh and Kusumpadar arealso noticed by Ota (Dash 91:91) This researcheralso discovered a chopper from open-air site ofvillage Tileswar.

The microliths discovered from the sites aremade up of quartz (both milky and crystalverieties) and to some extent chert andchalcedony, which have been obtained in the formof river pebbles and noduls. Some of the artifactsare made up by granites, granite grianeises,charnockites and Kondalites also.

The artifacts include both geometric andnon-geometric types such as triangles, trapezes,lunates, points, backed blades, retouched blades,verities of scrapers, hammer stones, anvils, ringstones, and retouchers etc. Most of the artifactsare associated with red soil which are found from

soil erosianic nallahs . Almost all the sites haveyielded microlithic equipments with heavy stonetools like horsehoot cores, choppers, and pointedtools. (Ota 1986:80-81) The technology is basedon the production of blades, vaying from about1.5 cm to 4.00 cm and small flakes (Ota 86:80)

The Mesolithic Man was utilizing theartifacts mainly as wood working implements andwere employed for a veriety of tasks involvingthe operations of cutting, splitting, boring,chopping, scraping, butchering of big animals,pounding and grinding etc.(Ota 1986:81)

At first, Ota hold the view that the artifactsbelong to Palaeolithic Period. But subsequentlyhe changed his opinion attributing the implementsdiscovered from North Boudh-Kondhamals toMesolithic Period citing evidences of primitivegroups of Australia, Kalahari and New Guinea,who used to employ heavy stone tools for woodworking and veriety of other works in their day-to-day life. He also thinks that as he found theheavy tools on the river valley with dense forestback ground, which are very much heavy anddifficult to be carried to a distant place, they mighthave been confined to a limited region. As such,they must have depended upon the forest productsand hunting. Hence he called the Mesolithic Manof North Boudh-Kondhamals of Phulbani ashunting and food gathering community (Ota: 82-83:175)

Neolithic Period:- One Neolithic site hasbeen discovered by Ota in 1984-85 at MalaparaGhat from which he has collected a few mesolithicimplements (Dash 1991:93). Tripathy alsocollected some microliths from Baudh(Dash:1991:6). Nayak reports about availabilityof celts, hammer stone, chisel and club(gada) ofMesolithic Period from Asurgarh on the confluenceof river Tel near Manamunda (Nayak:1983:14).This writer has been informed by Pramil KumarMohanty of Ranagarh and Sarat Kumar Majhi ofDebagarh about availability of ring stones in theirvillages and also at village Salakote with other pre-historic implements like pottery etc. The ring stones


35


are locally known as "Bhamuri Pathar" which arebeing tied around the neck of domestic animals tocure them from some diseases.

Chalcolithic Period:- Chalcolithic Periodbegan when Mesolithic Period was in aculminating stage. In this period, urbanized cultureflourished at Asurghrh on the confluence of riverTel near Manamunda which is evidenced fromthe excavation taken up under the joint auspicesof Department of Archaeology, Deccan College,Pune and the P.G. Department of History,Sambalpur University for about three weeks inFebruary 1981 (Behera 1982:18).

In course of trial excavation of two brickstructures each measuring 16.80 meters x 12.45meters, two hollow pillars made of gricle wereexposed. The bricks used were 35 cm x 26 cmwhile some other bricks are 50x26x9 cms in size.Manmunda Culture is assigned to the post-Guptaperiod. The potteries discovered may be datedto 1st-2nd century A.D.(Behera 1982:2)

Besides Asurgarh on the confluence of riverTel; potteries and other archaeological materialsare also noticed from Nimkud, Parasutaghat,Nimaghat, Kurumpadar, Nuapali, Bausuni,Budhikon, Narghanta hill and Kurtipalli.Archaeological materials noticed from the aboveplaces include sherds of pottery, stone artifacts,domestic materials, jewellery made up of earth,copper and bronze, stone beads, punch-markedcoins etc. (Chhotaray and Khuntia: 1980:453)

Among the potteries discovered from thesites are triangular terracotta cakes, dish on stand,gray ware, black and red wares, some potterybearing drawings of single centered circle andinner side like Roman pottery type and somepottery having drawings like wave (Chhotaray andKhuntia : 1980:554)

Besides the above earthen wares, earthenjars with high curling face, sputed earthen jar andplates, heads of cow and horse made up of earthhaving four legs, were also discovered. (Chhotarayand Khuntia 1981:508-9). There is no doubt thatthe brick structure is a part of the fortified township.

During the survey, six earthen pots were discoveredfrom the bottom of the hollow pillar at a depth of30 feet and the discovered six pots were arrangedone upon other which can be attributed to a ritualisticperformance. There was a layer of sand at thebottom and a huge deposit of charcol and jawbones of a goat.The association of jaw bones withthe charcoal at the layer of wooden chips burnt byfire give indication of ritualistic sacrifice, which wereobviously conducted there at that time. Inside ahallow pillar, skeleton of a human child wasdiscovered.

The excavation yielded some pieces ofpotteries like North Black Pottery of inferiorvariety, black grooved ware and Black Red ware.A circular brick structure having 6.35 innerdiameter has been found, which seems to be aplace of rituals in the latest phase. Some iron andcopper implements have been also discoveredfrom the above sites. Beads and lockets made ofearth and stone, and rings made of silver andcopper, as well as bangles of bronze were alsodiscovered from the sites.

This researcher also noticed some iron slagesand black wares etc. at village Purunagarh and alsoon the bank of river Salanki in the year 1987 andgot information about availability of beads in villageKujuramunda at a depth of 4 to 5 feet.

According to scholars, the triangularterracotta cakes were used during fire and otherworships in Harappan Culture. Some earthenfigures are also found which bear testimony oflocal culture (Chhotaray and Khunt ia1981:19).Then the Neolithic people werecremating the dead body by digging trenches. Tokeep the memory of the departed soul they usedsome symbols on the cremation ground. For thispurpose they built stone heaps, stone circles,menhirs, which are called Megaliths.

Sites assosiated with Megalithic Culture arealso found in different part of present Baud District.Some of these sites are in village Kurumapadarnear Manamunda, Khairmal, Sinduriabahal andJamtangi. A menhir is found at Khairmalghat which



36

is worshipped by the villagers as "Kalarapat Devi."Some stone circles are noticed at village Jamatangion the bank of river Bagh. About fifteen stonecircles are found near Guduguda Nallah withinthe boundary of Budhikon village. Five stonecircles are also noticed at village Kurumpadar andhuman bones were recovered at the time of diggingone stone circle for construction of Lift IrrigationPoint there. (Chhotaray and Khuntia1982:830:31)

This researcher also probably found amenhir in villge Tileswar. The stone pillar is aboutfour feet high from the surface and pointed on thetop having a trident mark on it. It is said to be thegate keeper of "Bauti Devi", the village deity.Scholars opine that some megaliths are nowworshipped as village deities in Baudh andSonepur area. (Chhotaray and Khuntia1982:831)According to scholars megalithicculture belongs to Mundari tribe.Conclusion :

The Palaeolithic Man, as we know, wasdepending on hunting and was moving from oneplace to other. He was not maintaining a settledlife, but confined to a granted area and mostlydepending on food gathering and hunting. Theneolithic man gave up nomadic habits and usedto maintain settled life and depended uponcultivation, hunting and food gathering also. Thechalcolithic Man invented copper and ironimplements and Megalithic Culture.

Exploration reveals that human habitationsexisted in the old undivided Phulbani district,particularly in Baudh area since PalaeolithicPeriod. But discovery of scanty palaeolithicimplements reveal that towards the end ofPalaeolithic Age and just before beginning ofNeolithic Age human culture flourished in theNorth Phulbani region and from that period,continuity of human habitation are evidenced downthrough the ages. The urbanization culture of

Manamunda on the confluence of river Tel andMahanadi show us the rich cultural heritage whichflourished at the beginning of the Christian era., inthe Tel and Mahanadi Valley. From thearchaeological explorations made in Baliguda andKandhmal sub-divisions, this researcher thinks thatmany lithic remains can be discovered in the Rahuland Salunki river valleys, which may throw newlight on the lithic culture of the undivided PhulbaniDistrict..

References :1. Behera S.C (Ed) Interim Excavation

Reports,1982,P.G. Deptt. of History SambalpurUniversity.

2. Chhotaray P.K. and Khuntia K.K. (i) SonepurAnchalar Prachin Sabhyata, Jhankar, Vol. 32,No.6, September 1980. (ii) Sonepur AnchalarPrachin Mati Patra, Jhankar, Vol. 33, No.6September 1981. (iii) Sonepur AnchalarPratnatattwik Chitra, in Shahakar, Vol 6, No.3,Nov-Dec 1981 (iv) Tel Mahanandi UpatyakarBruhat Prastar Khand Sabhyata, Jhankar,Vol.34, No.9, Dec.1982.

3. Dash R.N., (i) Prehistory of South Orissa OrissaHistorical Research Journal, Vol. No. XXXVI,No. 1 to 4, 1991. (ii) Nutan Prastar JugaraSanskruti, Utkaliya Sanskruti, Vol. IV,1991,Kedarnath Sabesana Pratisthan, Bhubaneswar.

4. Nayak D.P. Tel Mahanadi Upatyakar PrachinSabhyata, Hirakhand Vasant Milan, 1983.

5. Ota, S.B. (i) New Findings Designs in thePrehistoric Research of Orissa With SpecialReference to Pebble Industry of North Boudh-Khandamal District, Manav, Vol. I, No. 1, 1982-93, Anthropologcal Society of Orissa,Bhubaneswar. (ii) Mesolithic Culture of thePhulbani District (Orissa) With Special Referenceto the Heavy Tool Component in Bulletin of theDeccan College, Pune, Vol. 45, 1986.

6. Tripathy K.C., The People of Orissa, Souvenirof Orissa Sahitya Akademy, Silver Jubilee, 1982.

Raghunath Rath lives at Panasapadi Sahi, Baliguda,District- Kandhamal


37


Kurt Waldheim, Secretary General, UNO, onceobserved, "Humanity owes to the child the best ithas to give. I appeal to all to participate in theactivities directed towards creating a secure andhappy future for all our children".

During the International Year 1979 theslogan adopted by the Government of India was"Happy Child- Nation's Pride". The distinguishedauthor Mr Oscar Wilde also aptly said, "The bestway to make children good is to make themhappy". It is, therefore, felt that by making ourchildren good and happy, our country will behappy and prosperous, and in this nobleendeavour it is felt necessary to develop suitableliterature for children. But unfortunately, inspiteof our several efforts, the children's literature indifferent Indian languages has not developed uptoour satisfaction. Therefore appropriate strategiesare to be developed for promoting children'sliterature. It is not necessary to discuss thedeficiencies and difficulties in the children'sliterature at present. But it is felt desirable to spellour new opportunities and challenges that we arefacing in the field of promoting suitable juvenileliterature.Opportunities for Promoting Children'sLiterature

Firstly, there has been unprecedentedexpansion of education at all levels, particularly,

at the school stage. At present there are aboutthree hundred million children in the age group of0-14 years, who constitute more than one-thirdof Indian population. We are also making attemptsfor realizing the target Education For All (EFA),Universalisation of Elementary Education (UEE).Hence it is required to produce books both textualand supplementary for these children as a part oftheir curricular programmes. Under the Scheme"Operation Blackboard" (OB), the Governmentof India have also been providing ample fundsfor providing good children's Literature in theprimary school.

Secondly, due to availability of modernprinting technology, it has been possible to bringout very attractive and well designed children'sbooks and journals with multi colour illustrations.It is a fact that modern printing mechanism needsto print thousands of copies at a comparativelycheaper rate in spite of increasing prices of thematerial and printings costs. Besides, many stategovernments have declared printing of books asan industry and young entrepreneur can get loansat a low rate of interest for investment onpublications of children's books.

Thirdly, in the past writers were left tothemselves in writing their books. But, now-a-days a large number of institutions and

Alternative Strategies for PromotingChildren's Literature

Prof. Jagannath Mohanty



38

associations have come forward for organizingtraining and orientation programmes for them.Similar is the case with artist, editors and publishersof children's books and journals. Theseprogrammes enable these functionaries to improvetheir skills and proficiencies in their respective fields.

Fourthly, previously there was no incentivefor writers or publishers. They were doing theirwork for their own interest and self satisfaction.But, at present competitions are being organizedat their regional, state, national and even atinternational levels and excellent books for childrenare receiving awards. Artists and publishers aswell as writers are also given recognition andfelicitations at various levels for their publicationsto the field of children's literature.

Fifthly, since we are in the midst of thefourth Revolution of Communication, namely, allkinds of electronic media like Radio, Television,Audio, Video and Computers, we cannot affordto ignore the importance in the field of children'sliterature. Besides, their impact on young childrenis enormous. Hence, we have to develop suitablematerials for them not only for printing but forfeeding various electronic media. Thus, children'sliterature has to be made very attractive, moreintereating, multi-dimensional and multi-mediamaterials.

Alternative Strategies :

In view of the immense importance ofchildren's literature for cognitive, ethical and socialdevelopment of children, it is felt essential forutilizing the above opportunities to the maximumand effectively involving parents, writers, artists,editors, publishers etc who are responsible forpromoting children's literature. Hence, variousalternative strategies are to be developed both atgovernment and non government levels. At

present various organizations and associationshave been set up, and with active guidene andinspiration they could be made effective forimplementing these strategies.

(a) Desirable Awareness : It is found thatnot only the public but also the lecturers andprofessors and even literati are not fully awareabout the meaning, scope and objectives ofchildren's literature. Children's literature is stillneglected and is given lower status than otheraspects of literature. Although some men of letterswrote many good books for children for whichthey were awarded or felicitated, they have lefthis field only with the fear that they would be givenlower status in the society if they would continueto write children's books.

On the other hand, many writers forchildren have not only written literature for thepublic, but also have been awarded and felicitated.But their very writing for children is regarded as astigma and they are not given due respect by theso called writers of poems, stories and otherliterary works. Hence, it is felt desirable to bringabout adequate awareness about the children'sliterature and remove the misconceptions that arelooming large in the minds of our authors teachingin schools, colleges and universities. EminentWriters like Biswakavi Rabindranath Tegore andPadmabhusan Kalandi Charan Panigrahi havecontributed significantly to children's literature.This awareness can be brought about throughindividual studies, conference and seminars. Allshould be enlightened about the concepts,perameters and utility of children's literature andbe motivated to contribute their mite to thedevelopment of children's literature.

(b) Research and Evaluation : Adequateresearch studies have not been conducted in the


39


field of children's literature though it is essentialfor developing suitable guidelines for writing andproduction of books and journals. Particularly,studies are to be conducted in vacabulary,reading interest and impact of good reading habitson academic growth of children and also indifferent aspects of physical features. Themanuscript developed for children should be triedout and published for mass circulation inconducting these studies. Writers, Artists, Editorsand Publishers should be involved in developmentof children's literature.

(c) Publication and distribution : It is a factthat publication of books and journals for childrenis expensive and needs utmost care goodwriting, printing, illustrations and other factors thatcannot be overestimated while developingchildren's literature. Hence, huge investing isnecessary, and for that government and banksshould provide loans at cheaper rates of interest.Government and other organisations shouldpurchase a large number of suitable books andjournals and provide them to the primary schoolsand also to libraries. But, unfortunately corruptpractices interfere and the very purpose isdefeated although adequate funds are madeavailable by the Central Government.

(d) Journal Editing : Journals are thenursery for developing writers and readinginterests of the clientele. Children journals areessential for developing their (children's)readinghabits but also for better academic performance.Besides, writers are encouraged and guided fordeveloping suitable literature not only for the youngreaders but also adults in future. But at presentmost of the journals are edited by young andinexperienced persons having little knowledge andgenuine interest in this area. Consecuently, a lotof errors have crept in the fields of printing,

subject matter and even in get up. It is, therefore,felt that editors should be oriented and trainedthrough workshops, seminars for developing suchjournals. They also should develop theirknowledge and interest in children's writing beforethey can take up editing work. Because, themistakes both in respect of them and languageadversely affect children's growth. Such journalsharm more than they help. Furher, governmentshould provide assistance and loans forproduction and distribution of standard journalsfor children.

(e) Children's Association andorganization : Although associations andorganizations are helpful for promotion ofchildren's literature, it is often found that these arestarted without much planning and sincerity ofpurpose, and die out sooner or later. Therefore,persons with with genuine interest and love forchildren's literature should be entrusted with themanagement of such organizations. Theseorganizations, besides, trying for developingthrough literary interest should also work fordeveloping through expertise and skills.

(f) Incentive and Recognition : Althoughour Shrimad Bhagwat Gita says one should workwithout expecting its outcome, in the modernsociety no work is done without any gain whethermanual or intellectual or mental satisfaction. It isexperienced that writers for children are not giventheir due recognition and their work is underestimated or not taken at par with other genres ofliterature. Hence it is felt that such mis-conceptionand prejudicial views regarding the children'sliterature should be done away with as early aspossible not only in the interest of this literaturebut also for literature in general. Writers, Editors,Artists, Publishers should be given duerecognition, felicitations and incentives for their



40

over all contributions and efforts for promotionof children's literature.

Conclusion :

All-round development of children'sliterature is essential and the strategies asdiscussed above, need to be pursued /implemented with right earnest. Promotion ofchildren 's literature is a co-operative andcollaborative effort involving parents, guardians,authors, artists, editors and publishers andprinters. Hence, suitable programmes need beorganized in different aspects of children'sliterature for various functionaries, Besides, all-out efforts should be made for making children'sliterature using both multi-media and multi-purpose technologies.

References :Hick, Charlotte & Young, Donn A : Children's Literaturein the Elementary Schools, Halt Rinehors Wingstom,New York 1961.

Jafa, Manorama : Writing for Children's LiteratureNational Book Trust, New Delhi, 1982.

Mohanty, Jagannath : Child Development andEducation Today (Literature, Art, Media and Materials)Deep and Deep Publications, New Delhi 1968.

Mohanty, Jaganath : Children's Literature in Orissa,Orissa Sahitya Academy, Bhubaneswar 1993

Mohanty, Jaganath : The Book Through, J. Mohapatraand co Cuttack 1972.

Prof. Jagannath Mohanty lives at 2935, Gouri NagarBhubaneswar - 751002

What are they ?Dr. R.S.N. Murty

Two big and white circleson a black backgroundhave been an obsessive questsince my very childhood.

Innocence and ignorance in mealways hinder my progressto understand beyondmere observation.

Supposedly to be wise enough,religious pundits,when approached to solve the enigma,stay mostly tight lipped.

Their ego,Conception and misconceptions,Bias and prejudicesand at times, I think, their ignorancemake them silent.

To me, the two big, white circleson the black background arethe gateways to salvation,Eternity and everything.

Dr. R.S.N. Murty is a Cardiologist in the Capital Hospital,Bhubaneswar.


41


The nature's mega biodiversity is inassessable asif embraces large number of faunal and floralspecies of various types and are different fromone another, belonging to several genera andfamilies. By natural distribution, they occupydifferent territories. The animals do frequent todifferent areas on advent of adverse period dueto ecological variation. Being guided by instinct,they either change altitudeor move out to otherareas very common inthe natural world for foodand shelter. Suchmovements, known asmigration of animals andbirds, provide ampleopportunity to the animaland bird lovers to observetheir habit, habitat andbehavioural patternoutside their natural habitat during certain part ofthe year.

At times, we find the winter sky is coveredwith many flocks of birds move high in the sky ina definite direction and time, being guided byinstinct, to reach their destination, after leavingtheir habitat due to severe winter in Polar andArctic regions. They migrate to warmer areashaving safe shelter, food and breeding sites. Theirmoving site in flocks, making chirping sound,

attracts the attention of the bird lovers, researchscholars and ornithologists who used to be in theirtoes to gear up their activity, after long wait forseasons after seasons.

The bird watchers in this season move fromthickets to thicket, gardens to gardens, and foreststo forests early in the morning before the sun riseto observe the birds. Being well equipped, they

move out carrying thehaversack containing -bird book, note book,pencil, knife, cameraand a pair of lookingglasses to protect eyesand binacular hangingfrom the neck for easyand quick sighting.Besides these, someprecautions are taken,like - slow breathing,

soundless stepping to locate the bird withoutdistrubance, to observe and record calmly andshoot in the camera, if wanted. The bird watchingis not only a good hobby but also a nice sport.More entertaining is to be in the serene, quietenvironment inside a forest, amidst the singing ofbirds, and call of wild animals gives you celestialhappiness. The cool breeze full with pure Oxygen,refresses you. Hence, one long to spend moretime inside the strand. Many might have

Winged Guests of Winter

Balabhadra Prasad Das



42

experienced the impact of the mother nature whichare uncommon in urban life. However, moreinteresting and thrilling are jungle stories, told bywildlifers and naturalists. This author had oneunexpected occassion was to spend about fourdays in the company of late Dr. Salim Ali, theinternationally adorned Ornithologist during hisaugust visit to Orissa in search of the endangeredrare "Quail" in Orissa forests. Several books onbirds were authoured by Dr. Ali and was foundermember of Bombay Natural History Society(BNHS) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF),Bombay (now Mumbai).

For birds, Dr. Ali had immense likenessand affection. Even in an advanced age withbroken health, he used to move out early in themorning before sunrise, with proper dress, armedwith the requisites to watch the birds. That wasobserved during his stay at Forest Rest House,Tikarpara of Purunakote Range of Angul ForestDivision. The forest on Mahanadi bank wasdebarred of calmness due to lot of activities overthe area. In the lunch table, it was decided to visitthe Similipal Hill Forests in Mayurbhanj District.He was aware of this hill that embraces all typesof forests ranging from scurb to evergreen savana,comprising of 2250 sqkms with varied flora andfauna and Peninsular and Himalayan regions. Thishill range houses many rare and endangeredspecies-plentiful of song birds, hill Mayana andquails of all verities. After negotiating rough, zigzag, winding forest road, we reached Meghashani,1158 mts. high above M.S.L. We moved throughthe tropical broad stretch of forest and otherforest types, which made him confident to spotthe bird in the hill forest. So, Dr. Ali moved hereand there inside the forest in search of the bird.For wider vision, he went to the hill top, there hisfoot slipped. But, Sri G.M. Dash, IFS, the thenwildlife warden, Orissa, immediately caught holdof him, saving him from a fatal fall of 3000 ft.down the precipetating slope. All of us were

shocked. The escape was miraculous due toprovidence. All of us including Dr. Ali wereinterested to see the quail. But it could not bespotted. Yet Dr. Ali was hopeful to find it elsewhere. A vivid description of the bird was givento us by him with a request to keep a vigilant eyeduring field visits.

Our group in the company of Dr. Ali movedfor Nalabana Island, one of the Islands insideChilika declared as sanctuary under the Wildlife(Protection) Act 1972. On the way, we went toNandankanan. Sri G.M. Dash, IFS, the then theChief Wildlife Warden, Orissa and the AssistantConservator of Forests, Nandankanan, briefedon the functioning and management of theBiological Park.

While proceeding towards the enclosuresof animals and birds, the courtship of a pair oflion attracted our attention. Without disturbingthem, we watched the love making. After that wasover, there was mating, the lioness rolled three tofour times on the ground soon after the mating.That rare sight was accidental. The animals haveseasonal sex unlike human beings. After visit tothe other enclosures and brief interaction, we leftNandankanan for Nalabana sanctuary to boardthe motor launch from Balugaon.

The wish of the group was to move fasterto reach Chilika as early as possible to have aglimpse of the panoramic view of the blue lagoonwith varities of birds therein. The weather wascool and chilly. We arrived at the coast of Chilikaat Balugaon. Several people were waiting to greetDr. Ali. The mild breeze created wrinkles overblue water of the lake, on it the sea gulls floating,appeared dancing in gay. We boarded the motorboat, it moved for Nalabana sanctuary. Severalwater fowls were busy in feeding, not being scaredby movement of the launch making sound closeby. That indicated, they are not unsafe. The millionsof birds in flocks those come here every year frompolar and Arctic regions on advent of the severe


43


winter, move gayfully and freely in the sky. Thesight of these birds with 'ka' 'ka' and chirping soundattracts attention to stare at the birds in sky. Onway to their destination, they rest at places, feedon crops too however, succumbing to the bulletshots of hunters; is a matter of concern.

After proceeding some distance inside thelake the weather suddenly changed. The wrinkleson the water became waves; with strong wind,the waves became rough and high, dashed againstour boat, made it unstable as well as unsafe. TheChief Wildlife Warden, Orissa did not dare totake risk and decided not proceed further, andwith the consent of Dr. Ali, we had to return backto the shore. Our hope to see and watch the birdsof continental and inter-continental origin,migrating from as far as the Caspian Sea, LakeBaikal, Arabian Sea, and other remote parts ofRussia, Kirghiz steeps of Mangolia, Central andSouth-East Asia, Ladakh and the Himalayas gota setback. The availability of various types of foodin abundance for adults and youngs having nodearth of nesting and resting sites attract the birdsto Chilika lagoon which spreads over 165 sqkms.in monsoon and 906 sqkm during summer and isconnected to the sea in the east coast of Orissaby a narrow outer strip of 32 kms. long that,influences the salinity level of lagoon.

Dr. Ali said, "we are at Chilika, the greatestwetland of Indian continent : the largest winteringground of varities of water fowls of national andinternational origin is a Ramsar Site." It caters tothe needs of millions of avifauna. In fact, Chilikais a hot spot of Biodiversity, with unique floraland faunal composition namely : Phytoplanton -43 spp., Algae community-22 spp., Vascularplants -150 spp., the Funal spp., are : Protozoa61 spp., Plautheinthes-29 spp., Nematodes-37spp., Polychaetes-31 spp., Brachvura-28 spp.,Decapoda-30 spp., Mollusa-136 spp., Fish-225spp. and reptiles 37 spp., birds 166 spp., Mamals18 spp. have been recorded by Government

agencies and the Botnica and zoological surveyof India. BNHS also undertook survey of speciesof the lagoon.

Chilika is a highly productive ecosystemwith rich fishing resources. This fishing groundsustains the livelyhood for more than 1,00,000(one lakh). Fishing folk, living around the lake in117 villages, are a threat to the lake ecosystem.Besides fishing, some of them catch, trap or killthe migratory winter birds to sell in the local marketto earn money. However, it is now under controlfor intensified regular patrolling of the mobilesquads of the Chilika Wildlife Division of theForest Department as well as by the localvoluntary organisation youth clubs, formed aroundthe lagoon, in different villages, for protection ofthe winged guests. The offenders nabbed arebooked under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.Considering the rich Biodiversity and socioeconomic importance, Chilika lake was designatedby the Government of India as a Ramsar Site in1981, under the convention of the Wet Lands ofInternational importance, as water fowl habitat.

The co-ordinated effort of the ForstDepartment jointly with the Chilika DevelopmentAuthority, taking several steps for preservationof the lake ecosystem. For awareness of thegeneral public, eco-camps, meetings at differentplaces, documentary film shows, seminars arebeing organised on various problems of the lake.

In the present scenario, it is highlyimperative, youths and local people need to makeall out efforts to help Government to preserve theglamour and beauty of rich ecosystem of Chilikaas it was, "The Marala Malin Nilambu chilika,Utkal Kamal Bilasa Dirghika", is to bemaintained as that, for all time to come.

Balabhadra Prasad Das lives at Surya Vihar, Link Road,Cuttack - 7531012.



44

Orissa attained its political identity as a provinceof India on 1st April 1936. The integration of the24 erstwhile feudatory states completed theprocess of unification by 1st January,1949. Alinguistic state of Oriya speaking people had takenshape. It provided a bold all-India identity andplace of pride. What would be the projectedpicture of Orissa in 2036" presents a perspectivefuturistic run-up to 2036. Every vision statementmust take cognizance of the strengths,weaknesses, opportunities and threats that loomlarger on the developmental horizons of Orissa.The most accurately projected calculations maygo wrong due to unforeseen and unforeseeablecatast rophes, disasters, cont ingencies,developmental initiatives and techno-scientificinnovations.

Size of the State:

The size of the State is not going to change.It would continue to be 4.74 percent of India'sland mass.

Demography:

The population of Orissa was 36.7 millionin 2001; and the growth rate was around 1.6%.The literacy of women stands at 51%. Almosthalf the women of Orissa are illterate. The numberof female illiterates in 2001 was 79,35,529; andthe female polulation in the age-group of 0-6 years

was 24,45,505 who await elementary education.The rate of population growth can at best go downup to 1.2% and not more.

Projected Population:

In 1936, the population of Orissa was1,31,29,000 and by 2036 it would be around5,77,59,000 at a constant growth rate of 1.2percent during this entire ensuing period. All theminimum needs including education have to beprovided.

Vision : The demographic pressure would surelymount. Urbanization would take place in a bigway. The population growth may create thecompulsive need of reorganizing the present 30districts, which may go up to 40. Law and ordermachinery needs to be geared to deal with theincreased population. The Panchayati RajInstitutions are likely to play a very active role inevery sphere of local administration.

Natural Resourees:

Forests:

Orissa was proud of its forest wealth; butthis precious ecological protection is fastdiminishing due to rapid population growth. In2001-02, the forest area stood at 53,135 sq. kms.Or 37.30% of the total area of the State. Theforest cover is sure to shrink by 2036 due to

Vision Orissa : 2036

Dr. Bharati Mohapatra


45


demographic pressure and developmentalactivities. Forests influence climate and are hometo the rich flora and fauna. This is likely to beadversely affected due to mindless deforestationand lack of planned afforestation in adequatemeasure.

Vision : The State must ensure that the forestcover does not diminish below 30% of its totalarea. Afforestation must be taken up on a warfooting to avoid gross ecological imbalances. Thevaried species of flora and fauna must beprotected. The treasure of bio-diversity must bepreserved.

Mineral Wealth:

Orissa occupies an important position inthe mineral map of India, and has rich deposits ofcoal, iron-ore, manganese, bauxite, choromite,etc. Utilization rates are around one percent incase of most of the minerals. This is a sun-shinesector and exploitation of mines shall form animportant and formidable economic activity by2036. The districts of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar,Sundergarh, Kondhamal, Rayagada, Gajapati,Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Kalahandiand Bolangir are likely to be centres of buzzingminerals exploitation and related industrialactivities. The oil reserves in the Orissa coast awaitexploration; and if rich hydro-carbon deposits arefound they would greatly change the economy ofthe State. The value of mineral production inOrissa 2000-20001 was 2776.15 crore rupeesconstituting 5.23% of India. It lags behind suchStates as Madhya Pradesh (12.68%) Gujarat(8.9%), Andhra Pradesh (6.76%) and Assam(6.30%).

Vision : Concerted efforts need to be made toaugment the utilization rates of minerals from 1%to at least 10%. We must try to be a frontrankingstate in this field.

Marine Fishing:

Orissa has a coastline of 480 kms; andoccupies the 8th position in marine fish productionamong the nine States of India on the sea-board.

Vision: Orissa must adopt state-of-the-art fishingtechniques and utilize remote sensing techniquesto increase marine fish production.

Water Resources:

The water resources of Orissa are one ofthe highest with 11% of the country's total surfacewater resources. In 2000-2001, 61% of the totalcultivable area was rainfed and lacked irrigationfacilities.

Vision : The water resources of the state shouldbe scientifically managed to mitigate thedependence of agriculture on the vagaries ofmonsoon and to ensure safe drinking water for all.

Agriculture:

Agriculture is Orissa's culture and itsmainstay. It contributes 28.13 percent of the Stateincome (Net State Domestic Product). Thepercentage of net area sown to total area (1998-99) was 38.8 percent; and of it, only 34.6 percentwas irrigated area. In providing irrigation facilities,Orissa is lagging behind Punjab (94.5%), Haryana(78.3%), Uttar Pradesh (72.2%), Tamil Nadu(53.6%), Bihar (49.9%), Andhra Pradesh(41.4%) and west Bengal (35.1%) and the Indianaverage of 40 percent. The consumption offertilizers (2000-2001) was 40.5 kg per hectareas against Punjab (116.6), Andhra Pradesh(158.8), Bihar (97.5), West Bengal (113.7),Chatisgarh (43.0) and the Indian average of 86.3kgs. The yield rate of rice per hectare of Orissawas only 10.41 quintals as against 29.31 quintalsof Andhra Pradesh, 25.59 quinals of Haryana,21.6 quintals of Kerala, 35.06 quintals of Pnjab.The percentage share of food production was



46

only 2.54. The state of agriculture is in disarrayand presents a highly depressing picture.

Vision: The net area sown to total area shouldincrease. Irrigated area should increase up to atleast 50 percent of the cropped area and dripirrigation should be widely used. The increaseduse of fertilizers is a must and its consumptionmust go up to the all-India average of 86.3 kgsper hectare. These steps would automaticallyincrease the yield rate of agricultural produce andincrease Orissa's share of food production. Itwould provide the much needed food security-net by 2036.

Communication:

This is the age of communication. In thiscritical sector, Orissa lags behind as evident fromthe following statistics.

Total Road length (in kms)(1999) - 2,62,513Total Railway Track (in kms)(1999)- 2,186

Number of Busses (1998) - 11,726

Number of two Wheelers (1998) - 6,18,419

Number of cars (1998) - 34,471Number of Post Offices (2000) - 8,135

News Papers sold per 1000 persons- 22

Telephones per 100 persons (2001)- 1.71Internet connections per 100 - 0.012

Vision : Connectivity is the lifeline in this age ofglobalization. Rural connectivity is mostdissatisfying, and all the 51,349 villages need tobe connected by roads, telephones and inter-net,This will break the isolation of the villages andheighten their awareness and acceleratedevelopment.

Economy:The per capita income of Orissa is

Rs.9273.00. It is the lowest in the entire country.

It stands nowhere near States like Panjab(Rs.25,048), Haryana (Rs.23,742), Maharashtra(Rs.23,726) or any of its neighbouring States.

Poverty:

The Below Poverty Line (BPL) populationof India was 26.1% in 1999-2000; but in Orissaits magnitude was the highest with 47.2% peoplebelonging to BPL. More than 154 million peopleare under the Below Poverty Line in Orissa.

Vision : This dismal economic situation can becorrected if the politicians, administrators and thepublic make concerted efforts. Corruption, whichhas become endemic and eats away much of thedevelopmental resources needs to be curbed.Orissa must strive to reach atleast the all-Indialevel of per capita income and no person shouldremain under the BPL by 2036.

Education:

Elementary Education:

The school-age population @20% of thetotal projected population would be around1,15,15,8000 by 2036. If a "ComprehensiveStraight Through School" is established withclasses 1 to VIII and with an intake of 40 studentsin each class,an Elementary School canaccommodate 320 school-age children. Thisrequire 9 teaches each. So the requirement ofteachers would be 4,33,2000.

The establishment of 48,200 schools wouldensure universalization of Elementary Educationi.e. classes I to VIII of children in the age-group6 to 14. In addition to these, another 5,2000 smallrural schools need to be established to cater tothe needs all villages and make universalization ofprimary education a reality.

Secondary Education:

Twenty percent of the elementary schoolpass-outs are expected to go for Secondary


47


Education. So, the estimated Secondary Schoolpopulation would be 23,10,360. if the intake of asecondary schools would be around 7,700. Allthe present High Schools need to be upgraded toHigher Secondary level to meet the educationalaspirations of the people.

Changing the Negative Mind-set towardsEducation:

The present day politicians, administratorsand the opinion leaders of the community havedeveloped a highly negative mind-set regardingeducation. They are making educationalinstitutions the scapegoates for all socio-economicevils. Further, there is evident reluctance to bearthe heavy financial burden. Educational systemof Orissa is fast loosing social support andfunding.

Vision : Educational Institutions of all stagesshould increase. To arrest qualitative deterioration,the urban and rural Local Self-governing bodies,private entrepreneurs, and benevolent peopleshould be encouraged to take over themanagement of education.

Conclusion:

Orissa'a population is in manageable limits.But, the growth rate needs to be checked byproviding universal elementary educatuion and awell-spread network of hospitals, dispensariesand other public health facilities before 2036.

Illiteracy among women and Tribals is veryhigh which has to be eradicated by 2036.

The inter-district imbalances are glaring.The developmental distances generate frustration,distress and social tensions. The present daymovements in parts of Orissa for sepatrate

Autonomous Couneils for west, North and SouthOrissa regions; and even total separation; are dueto accumulated neglact. Balanced developmentmust take place to cheek regional dissatisfaction.The urban-ruraldivide needs to bridged.

There are three decades ahead to continueconcerted deveopment of Orissa. Either we wakeup to solve the harsh realistic problems and usherOrissa to a new Century of Hope by 2036; orneglect and commit socio-cultural suicide. TheCentenary Year 2036 beckons us to awake, ariseand commit ourselves to the concerted andmultipronged development of Orissa.

References:1. Economic Survey - 2002-2003, Government of

Orissa, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, P& C Department.

2. Cencus of India, Series 19 - Orissa, Socio-CulturalTables, Directorate of Cencus Operations, Orissa,Bhubaneswar, 1998.

3. Census of India 2001, Series - 22:Orissa.ProvincialPopulation Tables, Directorate of CensusOperations, Orissa, Bhubaneswar, 2002.

4. Vision - 2020: Orissa, Task Force Report,Department of School and Mass Education,Government of Orissa, Bhubaneswar 2003.

5. Manorama Year Book - 2004.

6. India Book of the Year 2004. EncyclopaediaBritannica and the Hindu. Chennai, 2004.

Dr. Bharati Mohapatra is the Principal of N.D.W. Collegeof Teacher Education, Bhubaneswar - 751001.



48

Kataka, being the capital city of ancient Utkala,has been the nerve-centre of Orissan history,politics and culture since 989 A.D. witnessingthe rule of the Somavamsis, the Gangas, theGajapatis, the Afghans, the Mughals, theMarathas, the British and finally the electeddemocratic Government of Independent Orissa.During the long span of one thousand years, thecity imbibed the quintessence of cultural wavesfrom eastern, northern, central and southern Indiaand thus mingled in her cultural waves fromeastern, northern, central and Southern Indiaand thus adapted in her cultural matrix all theheterogenous elements. Under the successive ruleof the medieval dynasties, the boundaries ofOrissa extended from the river Ganga in the northto the river Godavari in the South. There afterthe State saw the sudden decline for internecinestruggle during the rule of an unworthy dynastynamed the Bhoi, and next, the inevitabledownfall due to external invasions, followed bythe rulers of the Afghans, the Marathas andfinally the British, who reduced the one timefar-flung Orissa to three coastal districts ofBalasore, Cuttack and Puri. Situated at the apexof deltaic land formed by the bifurcation of theMahanadi and its main branch, the Kathajori,Cuttack has witnessed the vicissitude of its rules.It long acted as Military stronghold as well asthe Capital of Orissa.

According to Madala-Panji, Raja NrupaKeshari, a martial and ambitious prince, whowas always fighting with his neighbours, is said tohave first planted the city on site of the modernCuttack about 989 A.D.

The city was in the past connected with theimportant centres of the country by Rajapathasand by the water ways leading to the Bay ofBengal and in the modern period by the railwaylines and motor communication.

Like other important capital towns ofmedieval India, its Court was embellished withthe illustrious poets, musicians, kinsmen, courtiers,commanders, sports men and other dignitaries.Cuttack was then well protected having beencircumscribed by rivers in three sides whichprovided natural defence.

Orissa came under the British rule in 1803.After the advent of British rulers, Zamindars,Paikas and some tribal people started theirmovements against the foreigners. Most of thepeople could not welcome the Britishers. Britishpeople very bravely and cleverly won theresistance. They had to develop it in differentdirections. Obviously the progress of educationin the Cuttack city received maximum attention.The Primary Schools in the Cuttack city met theneeds of the pupils. The Secondary Schools in

Cuttack City : Promotion of Education inOrissa in the Pre-Independence Era

Dinabandhu Dehury


49


the Cuttack city served the educationalrequirements of the Cuttack City and the rest ofthe Cuttack district as well. The Colleges, trainingSchools and technical institutions in CuttackCity were intended to cater to the needs of thewhole of Orissa.

Upto 1866 there was almost total absenceof attempt on the part of the Government toprovide the people with the means of moderneducation. In 1841 Government opened ahigher English School at Cuttack. Through agood deal of hardship it survived as the Principalseat of education in the province. In the terriblefamine of 1866 it was well-known, how thewant of educated persons aggravated thesufferings of the people of Orissa. By the year1905, the National Movement for Freedom andUtkal Union Movement for the unification of theOriya - speaking areas were launched. Underthe impact of these two movements, the progressof education in Orissa received a great impetus.

During the Governor Generalship of LordWilliam Bentik (1828-1835), English educationin India received a great impulse. The longcontroversy between the orientalists andAnglicists was settled at last in 1835. WilliamBentik decided in favour of English as a mediumof instruction. It was the aim of the Britishersthat people getting the education through Englishwould get the service in the British administration.English being the international language andthe link language of Indian States was introducedas the medium of instructions.1

The British Government felt the necessityof establishing English Schools. An EnglishSchool and a Sanskrit School were opened atPuri on experimental basis to attract people.People showed their interest in such education.An English School at Puri was not adequate toserve the purpose. Therefore, the Government

decided to open more English Schools in someother district headquarters including at Cuttack,the headquarters of the State.

Primary Education

Primary Education constitutes thefoundation on which the entire super structureof education is built. Education at this stagepossesses two-fold problem in this state, on thesatisfactory solution of which depends to a verylarge extent the development of the community.The aspect of the problem is to evolve a suitablesystem of education which may help to awakenthe dormant faculties of the child and the other toprovide this education to every child of theschool-going age. Primary education is providedin Primary Schools and Junior Basic Schools.2

The lack of well-trained teachers waskeenly felt in the endeavour to develop Primaryeducation. A training School at Cuttack wasopened in 1863. In 1864 there were 23students under training on the completion of thestudy they were appointed elementary villageSchools.

In 1867 the Cuttack Training Schoolwas thoroughly reorganized in accordance withthe scheme of Bhudeb Mukherjee. Henceforth,this was called First Grade Training School.The School was placed under a Superintendent.The School had mainly two department, one fortraining Pandits, and the other for training gurus.In the Pandit training department, teachers wereundergoing training for one year only, while in theguru training department, there was a three years'course. It proved to be a very useful institution.3

In order to meet the want of certificatedgurus, a Central training class for training ofthe Gurus of upper Primary Schools was addedto First Grade Training Schools at Cuttack in1891. Two classes were opened in it for the



50

training of English teachers for SecondarySchools in 1896. Henceforth, First GradeTraining School at Cuttack was also known asSecondary Training School, Cuttack.4

In order to popularize primary education,efforts were made in the direction of introducinga simpler curriculum. In order to improve thequality of teaching, the salary of primaryteachers was enhanced from time to time.

It was realized by 1921 that a largenumber of pupils in the Primary classes nevergot beyond the lowest class and were withdrawnbefore they had learnt even to read and write.This resulted in a wastage of money and effort,and led to stagnation in the development ofPrimary education. Several steps taken toovercome it were too inadequate to serve anyuseful purpose.

The Muhammedan pupils not onlyattended ordinary Primary Schools but alsoSpecial Schools known as Maktabs or PrimaryUrdu Schools intended for them. The number ofUrdu Primary Schools or Maktabs in theCuttack City was 40 in 1947. These were allaided by the Government. The Primary Schoolshaving Urdu Section numbered 7 in 1947. Therewas one elementary training School forMuhammadans maintained by the Governmentat Cuttack.5

Secondary Education

Secondary education was imparted bythe Middle Schools and High Schools. For thepromotion of Secondary education, theGovernment relied mainly on Private enterpriseassisted by Grant-in-aid and subject to certaincontrol.

Middle Vernacular Schools taughtvernacular course. Middle English Schools taughtthe same vernacular course and in addition,

English during four years study from Class IVto Class VII. There was growing demand fromparents and pupils themselves for increasedfacilities for English education. So, the middleEnglish Schools were popular and demandswere frequently made for the conversion ofmiddle vernacular Schools into middle EnglishSchools. The number of Middle English Schoolin Cuttack city was 6 in 1900 and 10 in 1947.In order to improve the efficiency of middleEnglish Schools and also incidentally of HighSchools, it was decided to extend to middleEnglish Schools, with effect from the year 1927-28, the scheme for a Public Middle Examinationfor a School Certificate.

It had always been the policy ofGovernment to aid private enterprise in providinghigh Schools. But it provided and maintainedone high School in each of the districtheadquarters to serve as models to otherSchools. By 1900 there was one GovernmentHigh School in the Cuttack town known asCuttack Zilla School, one aided high School atCuttack known as Mission School, run by theMissionary and a Private School known asCuttack Academy.6 By 1947 the number ofaided high Schools in the Cuttack town rose tosix. But Cuttack Zilla School, subsequentlyknown as Cuttack Collegiate School continuedto be the only Government High School till theend of the British rule.

From 1896, the First Grade TrainingSchool at Cuttack was the only institution inOrissa which provided facilities for the trainingof the teachers of the Post-Primary Schoolsi.e. Middle English Schools. For the training ofthe Masters for purely high Schools of educationthere was not any special provision at all for along time.7 In 1923 the Cuttack Training Collegewas started. It provided a course of training


51


for graduates intending to work as teachers inthe High Schools and Sub Inspectors ofSchools. It prepared students for the Diplomain Education Examination.8 The course of studyextended over one academic year andcomprised both theory and practice in teaching.The Ravenshaw Collegiate School and the PyaryMohan Academy were used as practicing HighSchools. The number of students on the roll was26 in 1947.9

The Curriculum of the high Schools waslargely examination - oriented and studies wereaccordingly literary. The department encouragedvocational and practical education in the Schools.During the period 1942-1947, Agriculture,Botany introduced in the Mission High Schooland carpentry was introduced in Cuttackpracticing School.10

The Senior and Junior Madrasa werepractically Secondary school on Islamic basiscombining religious and secular education. TheMadrasa Sultania at Cuttack was the only SeniorMadrasa in the province. It received grant-in-aid from Government. In 1943 there was areduction of fees in the higher class as anexperimental basis to encourage a large numberof Muhammedan boys to take oriental education.Pupils of the lower classes were not chargedany fees.11

Collegiate Education :

One of the most significant achievementsof the period from 1858 to 1905 was thepromotion of Collegiate education. This resultedin the establishment of a College in Cuttack. Aproposal was made for raising the GovernmentZilla School at Cuttack to the standard of acollegiate School in 1868.12 At the initiative ofT.E. Ravenshaw, the Commissioner of Orissa,the College department of the High Schoolwas converted into a College in which students

would be able to complete the entire coursenecessary for attaining the B.A. degree in 1876.13

The magnificient gift of Rs.20,000/- given bythe late Maharaja enabled the Government tomake the institution permanent. The name ofthe College was changed into RavenshawCollege, in commemoration of Ravenshaw'scommendable services as Commissioner ofOrissa. The history of Ravenshaw College isvirtually the history of modern Orissa and it issaid that anybody who is somebody in Orissais a Ravenshavian.

Science was taught in this College uptoIntermediate Standard. But in course of timethere arose a strong demand for provision ofB.Sc. course. So the B.Sc. (Pass) course wasopened in 1912. Gradually the public opinion inOrissa began to demand opening of B.A.(Hons.), B.Sc. (Hons.) and M.A. classes. By1947 the College had secured affiliation in mostsubjects at B.A. and B.Sc. (Honours) level andEnglish, Economics, Mathematics and Oriya forthe M.A. and Chemistry for the M.Sc.14

In July 1921, Ravenshaw College wasmoved to a new infrastructure at Chauliaganj. Thenumber of students at the Ravenshaw Collegecontinued to rise. It was 158 in 1905, 375 in1917 and 1171 in 1947. The number ofWomen students was 39 in 1947. The numberof boarders in the hostel under the control ofthe College was 183 in 1947. Law Classeswere attached to the Ravenshaw College atCuttack which had 48 students in the roll in 1940.The College had a number of vigorous societiesand clubs which attracted to their meetings someof the prominent persons of the town. Theresearch workers in different departmentscontinued their activities. The provincial museumcontinued to be housed in the College. TheCollege had a Governing Body with a non-Official as Presidents.



52

Apart from Ravenshaw College, thepremier College of the province maintained bythe Government, there were two private Collegesin the Cuttack City namely Christian College,Cuttack and the Stewart Science College,Cuttack respectively.

The Utkal Christian College was startedby the Christian Education Board, Cuttack in1944 as an Intermediate in Arts and was raisedto the status of a first grade College in 1946.It was managed by a Governing Body andreceived aid from Government. This was the firstPrivate College started in North Orissa. Withthe rich Co-operation of the Public, it had madePhenomenal progress within three years.

It hoped to have its extensive buildingprojects completed so as to move to its owninfrastructure before the commencement of theSession in 1949-50. Its roll strengths was309 in 1947. The College had a Students'Union and some important Societies.

The Stewart Science College, Cuttackwas an Intermediate College maintained by theBaptist Missionary Society and was managedby a Governing Body. The College had anumber of Societies and provided Specialfacilities for games which were compulsory.There were 110 students on the rolls of theCollege on 31st March 1947.15

From the beginning, the Calcutta Universitywas the affiliating and examining body of theRavenshaw College. From 1917 the PatnaUniversity took the place of Calcutta University.The Utkal University came into being in 1943.It was located in Cuttack. Dr. P. Parija wasthe first Vice- Chancellor of this University.Henceforth, Utkal University became theaffiliating and examining body of the Collegesof Orissa.

Female Education :

By 1905 state of female education inCuttack city was far from satisfactory. Mostof the girls attending the Schools were inelementary stage. Apart from some Girl'sPrimary Schools, there were two aided MiddleEnglish Schools for girls under the managementof American Baptist Mission in the Cuttackcity in 1905. The factors such as the want ofadequate state aid, intense conservatism of thepeople, system of child marriage and scarcityof educated female teachers continued to hinderthe smooth development of Women education.

In order to meet the deficiency of femaleteachers, a training School for mistresses wasopened in Cuttack in 1906. It was properlymanaged by the Baptist Missionary Society andreceived substantial aid from Government. Inaccordance with the recommendations of theFemale Education Committee of 1914,, atraining School for Hindu Women was openedat Cuttack in 1919. It proved successful.16

The Girl's High School at Cuttack wasopened in 1906 by Mr. Reba Roy. Subsequentlythe institutions became a fullfledged HighSchool. The control of the Ravenshaw Girls'School was assumed by the Government witheffect from 1 March 1913. In 1917 it wasmoved to a building acquired for the purposeby the Government.17 In 1919, hostel andPrincipal's quarters were built for theRavenshaw Girls' High School. Music anddomestic Science were taught in the School assubjects for the Matriculation examination from1933-34.

During the year 1915-16, acommencement was made in Orissa with thecollegiate education of Women when I.A.classes were opened in connection with the


53


Ravenshaw Girl's School at Cuttack. TheSchool was placed on a permanent footing in1925. The number of students in theIntermediate Classes at the Ravenshaw Girls'School was 8 in 1934 and 10 in 1936. Thelimited number of Women students in the I.A.Classes, which had never exceeded a dozenby 1936, indicated that all students who passedthe matriculation did not come up for Collegiateeducation. A very small number of womenwho wished to take a degree course, werehaving co-education in Colleges for men wherethey had greater choice of subjects, efficientand an academic atmosphere.

The Intermediate in Arts Section attachedto the Ravenshaw Girls' High School was raisedto the degree status in 1944. It was maintainedby Government and was the only Women'sCollege in the province. It was affiliated to theUtkal University. The strength of the Collegewas 23 in 1941-42 and 64 in 1946-47. Thisshows that Women have began to take specialinterest in higher education.

Technical Education :Two most important technical institutions

of Orissa were located in Cuttack city. Thesewere, Cuttack Survey School and CuttackMedical School which developed into OrissaSchool of Engineering and Orissa MedicalCollege in course of time. The Cuttack SurveySchool was opened in 1876. Period undertraining was fixed for two years. Almost all thesuccessful candidates found employment asamins. It was converted into a School ofEngineering in 1923.

The Orissa School of Engineering wasthe only an esteemed technical institutions inthe province which trained candidates for theSubordinate Engineering Service. It usuallyprovided education for 40 Civil engineering

subordinates. The number of students wasincreased to 57 in July 1946. There were inaddition 20 students for the Industrial Diplomacourse. The majority of the students whocompleted their training found employment.18

Since the introduction of the scheme fortraining of war techniques, the IndustrialDiploma course was held in abeyance.Accordingly, there were no students in theIndustrial Diploma classes from 1943. Furtherto recruit men for the public works departmentin connection with Post War works, a schemefor the Emergency Training of Sub Oversearshaving short-term course was sanctioned. Itworked in 1946-47.

The total number of students on the rollsin 1946-47 was 142. Of the 35 candidatespresented for the Civil Engineering SubordinateExaminations in 1946-47, 23 came outsuccessful. Twenty one candidates passed outof 27 who appeared at the emergency suboversear examination.

An innovative expert committee wasappointed in 1946-47 to suggest a couse oftraining for the Civil, Mechanical and PublicHealth Engineering and financial implications ofthe scheme. Pending finalization of details bythe expert Committee, the School was providedwith furniture and other equipments worthRs.36,855.00 in 1947.

The Orissa Medical School, Cuttack wasestablished in 1876. It was the only institutionin the province for imparting Medical educationon the Western Lines. It was effectivelymaintained by Government and was under thecontrol of the Medical Department. The courseextended over four years. Those students whopassed final examination from the institution wereawarded degrees of licensed to medicalpractitioners.



54

Matriculation Examination of the PatnaUniversity or any equivalent of any otherUniversity had hitherto been the minimumstandard fixed for students seeking admissioninto Orissa Medical School. But with a view toincreasing efficiency of the esteemed institution,the standard had been raised to the passing ofthe I.A. or I.Sc. examination failing this, to thefirst division in the Matriculation or S.L.C.examination in 1937. The arrangement forteaching had also been reorganized and broughtup to a higher level as recommended by theMedical Education Conference held in Delhiin 1938.

The number of students on the rolls on31st March 1941 was 124. No fresh studentswas admitted into the School during the year1946-47 owing to the gradual abolition of theSchool. At the end of 1946-47, there wereonly 16 students on the roll.

The Cuttack Weaving School wasestablished in 1911. The following free handdrawing, design, fabric structure, dyeingpreparation of yarn and yarn calculation. Thecontrol of the Schools was transferred fromthe Director of Public Instruction to theRegistrar of Co-operative Societies inSeptember, 1915. It may be mentioned herethat fancy weaving of several descriptions wasused to taught in these Schools. But it was foundby experience that there was no sufficientdemand for the materials turned out, and it wasnot profitable for the Weavers to turnout silk fancycloth in large quantities. The Registrar, therefore,directed towards teaching the students to weavesuch clothes as could command a ready sale.

It was becoming more and more evidentthat the stationery Schools by themselves wouldnot achieve their object in popularizing the use offly-shuttle looms. To compass this end in view,

the system of a peripatetic agency in place ofthis Stationery School was considered moresuitable. Hence, the Weaving Schools atCuttack were closed on 31st January 1920.

The Industrial Section of the Mission Girl'sSchool at Cuttack was opened in 1920. Itwas called shelter. It trained girls in basketmaking, weaving, spinning, sewing andembroidery work. In 1930, it was reported tohave made satisfactory progress. But the numberof students in the Shelter Industrial Schoolbegan to diminish gradually.

Rai Bahadur B. C. Patnaik was thepioneer of the Orissa poor industry Cottage atCuttack. It chiefly aimed at training students indifferent handicrafts using raw materials availablelocally. The number of students in this institutewas 25 in 1936. It had got the followingSections :

1. Weaving Section, 2. Baskets, Cane andMat Sections, 3. Toy Section, 4. Eri Section5. Tailoring Sections, 6. Women Section

In 1936-37 fourteen students appearedin the final examination in different branches andall came out successful. In 1935 the institutionmade an excellence research into the processof burning bricks and the experiments made inthis connection proved fruitful. In 1936-37, anew industrial institution called "The MadhusudanVillage Industrial Institute" was started at Cuttackby a private association, with the financial aidof Rs.23,620.00 from Government whichundertood to maintain it for first five years. Therewere altogether eight sections in the institute,detailed as follows.19

1. Cotton and Eri Spinning,

2. Cotton, Wool or Silk Weaving,

3. Toy making,


55


4. Cane and Wood work,

5. Paper making,

6. Oil Pressing,

7. Soap making,

8. Dying and printing.

The courses of study of each sectioncovered a period of one year. The Session beganin January and ended in December every year.As the number of students in the MadhusudanVillage Industries began to diminish gradually,it abolished the training classes and worked asa commercial concern from 1946-47.20

References :1. K. C. Sarangi, "Educational Institutes in Cuttack

City", Cuttack One Thousand Years - Vol.II,Cuttack, 1990, P. 61.

2. B. Das, "Progress of Education in Orissa" -'Orissa Review" Vol. XXXI, No.6 Jan. 1974, P.P.7 -8.

3. Bengal General Proceedings (Education), May1868, No. 52, Inspector of Schools, SouthWest Divison to Director of Public Instructions,No. 633, 9 August 1867.

4. General Report on Public Instruction in Bengal,1893-94, P.P. 81-83.

5. Quinquennial Report on the Progress ofEducation in Orissa for the Quinquennium,1942-47, P. 56.

6. Annual General Administration Report of theOrissa Division, 1881-82, P. 60.

7. W.W. Hornell, Progress of Education in Bengal,1902-03-06-07, Paras 330-331.

8. Report on the Progress of Education in Biharand Orissa, 1928-29, Chapter-V, Para - 59.

9. Quinquennial Report on the Progress ofEducation in Orissa for the Quinquennium1942-47, P. 43.

10. Ibid., P.P. 27-28.

11. Ibid., P. 59.

12. K. C. Sarangi, op.cit., P.62.

13. General Report on Public Instruction in Bengal,1875-76, Paras 380-383.

14. Quinquennial Report on the Progress ofEducation during the quinquennium, 1942-47,P. 39.

15. Ibid, P.P. 39-40

16. Rai Sahib Jadunath Mohapatra, Orissa in 1936-37 to 1938-39, P.P. 67-68.

17. G.E. Owen, Bihar and Orissa in 1921, P. 131.

18. J. K. Samal, "Development of Education in theCuttack City during the British Rule" CuttackOne Thousand years - Vol.II, Cuttack 1990, P. 56

19. Ibid, P. 57

20. Ibid, P. 58.

Sri Dinabandhu Dehury is a Senior Ph.D. Scholar in theP.G. Dept. of History, Utkal University, Vani Vihar,Bhubaneswar.



56

Orissa, famous as ancient Kalinga, has a longmaritime history and tradition, which haddeveloped owing to its close association with Sea,stretching to a length of more than 500 kms on itsEastern front beginning from the river Ganga inthe North to Godavari in the south. The glorioustradition is intimately linked with some of itsreligious practices and festivals. Although Orissalost its maritime trade activities during the Britishperiod, the oriyas today remember their ancienttradition by observing "Boita Vandana Utsav"as National Festival which reminds the gloriouspast. Balasore, a sea coast town of Orissa, playeda significant role in maritime activities of Orissaduring British period.

The wealth and opulence of the provinceallured the Englishmen to set up factories atHariharpur in Jagatsingpur district.1The Englishwere eager to trade in Bengal Subah. As W.W.Hunter remarked, "True to our natural characterwe settled in Orissa as merchant long before wemade our appearance as rulers." One of theearliest British factories in India established atHariharpur in Orisssa was in 1633 A.D.Subsequently, other factories were established atBalasore on the river Burabalang, and Pipili on

the river Subarnarekha. "These two parts formedthe basis of our future greatness in Bengal."2 TheBritish factory at Balasore developed into athriving center of maritime trade. In 1670, amongseveral factories in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa,Balasore was the seat of their business council.The pre-emience of Balasore as a commercialcentre continued for a long time.

In the first quarter of the 19th century,Balasore and Dhamara were used by sloops andvessels for carrying rice and sale. The record of1810, refers to port of Balasore. Vessels comingfrom Laccadive, Maldive Islands brought coirs,coconuts, and cowries, and took back rice andearthen pots.

As a result of which a custom house forthe collection of duties in Orissa under regulationof 1810 were established in Balasore.

In 1858, a comprehensive plan wasprepared by the Government of India for theregulation of Orissa ports. Balasore has a coastline of 58 miles. The New Act of 1858 declaredall the ports such as Balasore, Churaman,Chhanua, Saratha, Subarnarekha and Dhamra as

Nineteenth Century Ports of Balasore

Manas Kumar Sahoo


57


a single port, that was Balasore port. The portdues were to be collected at the rate of 6 annasfor every 100 pounds of cargo of any description.Amount of port dues, received as per new rate,was required to be credited to a common fund,called Balasore port fund.

Geographical location of ports

Chandbali : The Chandbali port was establishedin 1872. The credit of the fondation of Chandbaliport goes to captain Mat Nail, who firstdiscovered its adaptibility for the passenger traffic.The Baitarani was within the limit of the Dhamraport, although situated at considerable distancefrom the sea coast. The channel of Dharma andBaitarani, as far as Chandbali, was completelymarked out with buoys and beacons, with movingbuoys in the midchanel at chandbali. The part wassituated on a high but narrow sand bridge whichstretches from the north to the south in a directionparallel to the sea coast for a distance many milesand terminated on the northern bank of the river.

Dhamra : The river Dhamra discharge unitedwater of Baitarani, Brahmani and Kharasuan rivers.The Dhamra port included the navigable channelof all the rivers as far as they were affected by thetidal waters. The survey reports of 1870, placedfirst among navigable rivers of Orissa. The entranceto the port was marked by the Kanika buoy intwenty one feet. Tripad becon in the extreme north-east dry portion of the palmyras reefs.

Subarnarekha : The port of Subarnarekahconsisted of a demarcated port ion ofSubarnarekha. It was situated 12 miles from thesea by the water route. In early times it was byfar most important port in the Orissan coast. A

colony was established here by the Portugese inthe beginning of the 16th century A.D.

Saratha and Chhanua : Saratha & Chhanua portsituated fifteen miles from south-east ofSubarnarekha rivers. The Saratha & Chhanuariver were frequented by native river sloops, theformer was navigable, one mile from the seameasuring a direct line. There was much diffcultyin landing of sloops due to soft muddy banks.

Balasore : The most important part in Balasoredistrict was Balasore port, it is consisted of portionof Burabalanga river fronting the town of Balaosre.The port was about three quarters of a mile inlength. It was situated seven miles from the coastof direct line.

Ships from the Madras coast from theceylone, Laccadive and maldive Iselands annuallyresorted to Balasore port in large number for ricetrade. The Laccadive and maldive islandsdepended principally upon the Balasore districtfor their annual supply of grain. Ships of a largesize ancher at the Buoy, and were loaded fromcargo boats.

Laichanpur and Churaman : The port ofLaichanpur was situated twenty three miles fromthe south of laichanpur. These two ports arebranches of Kansbans, which bifurcated at Birupa,seven miles from the last. The northern Branch,on which the port of Laichhpur was situated,keeps the name of Kansbans, the southern onwhich Churnman situated called Gammai. TheBalasore Collector of customs in 1820, wrote that"Churaman is considered a safe and convenientport on the coast of Orissa and carries on a seagoing trade exceeding that of Balasore".



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The opening of Railway in 1896 was apotent factor for the decline of maritime trade inOrissa. Because, maritime trade was shifted torailways. It went on reducing with the spend andsuccess of Railway Network in the country. Therailways competed ruthlessly with the natural andcheap facility of water of transport. The BritishGovernment was interested in the financial successof railways, which could have been done at thecost of other means of transport. So, afterdevelopment of railways in Orissa, maritime tradecame to an end.

References :

1. Maritime Orissa As depicted in Ancient literatureby Bhagaban panda published by Orissa StateArchives.

2. Port of Balasore during the British period ByGaneswar Nayak, published by OrissaStateArchives.

3. 1 Ibid, Page No. 35

4. 2 Ibid Page No. 35

5. W.W. Hunter, History of Orissa, vol.II, London1872 P-39

6. Bengal Judicial Proceedlings © No. September5, 1810

7. Bengal Judicial Proceedings © P. No.7 of 13 April1810, Regulation 9 of 1810

8. Bengal Judicial Proceedings © 18th, 19th August1829

9. Balasore custom house reports, 1842

10. Bengal Orissa Famine commission Report, 1866Vol. II Page -9

11. P. Acharya, OP Cit

Manas Kumar Sahoo is a PG Student of AIHCA, UtkalUniversity, Bhubaneswar

FIRST ORIYA MAJOR GENERAL

Brigadier Partha Mohapatra, Chief of Signals, Eastern Command, Kolkata hasbeen promoted to the rank of Major General and posted as Addl. Director General,Integrated Headquarters in the Ministry of Defence, New Delhi. He is an alumni ofBhubaneswar Sainik School and is the first Oriya in the corps of signals in Indian Armyto occupy such a coveted position.

After passing out from the National Defence Academy, Major General Mohapatrajoined as a Commissioner in the Indian Army in 1971 and earned many distinguishedpositions. He worked as a Colonel at the Army Headquarters. His dedication andpatriotism are echoed in the fact that both his sons and the daughter-in-law have joinedIndian Army.

Major General Mohapatra is the son of late Mahesh Chandra Mohapatra, aneminent Oriya literateur.


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The system of Indian higher education is thesecond largest in the world. It caters theeducational needs of millions of students belongingto different socio economic strata of the societyand provides leadership in different walks of life.In order to achieve the basic aim of highereducation, there exists a strong need to bring outthe best from the individual s personality. This greatpurpose requires selection of appropriate courseswhich should always be in consonance with theinterest and hidden potentialities of the students.1

It is quite obvious that students are theprime stakeholders in any system of highereducation. Quality is the end product ofresponsiveness to their educational andprofessional needs and also to the need ofpersonal development which has been the primaryconcern of the traditional systems of education inthe country. Student aspirations and goals changein a fast changing world. That system of highereducation, which is ready to honour them andshape its curricular and administrat iveperformance accordingly is alone relevant. It canmake student stakeholders partners in planningand governance rather than keeping them as docilerecipient of that which is imposed on them withoutsensitivity to their changing needs and aspirations.2

Present Scenareo of Higher Education in India

India has a massive system of highereducation. At the time of independence, therewere only twenty universities and 500 colleges inthe country. But at present the Indian HigherEducation system could be said as the secondlargest in the world with 8 million students, morethan 3 lac teachers, 300 universities and morethan 12,000 colleges affiliated to them and manyDeemed Universities and Institutions of nationalimportance. Inspite of having a massive systemof higher education, only 7 percent youth of therelevant age group of 17 to 24 years is receivinghigher education as compared to France (50%),U.S.A (81%) and Canada (99.8%). At the sametime the system has been failed to cater to theheterogeneity of the society.

Every where, higher education is faced withgreat challenges and difficulties related to financing,equity of conditions at access into and during thecourse of studies, improved staff development,skilled based training, enhancement andpresentation of quality in teaching, research andservice, relevance of programmes, employabilityof graduates, establishment of efficient co-operation agreements and equitable access to thebenefits of international co-operation. At the sametime higher education is being challenged by newopportunities relating to technologies that are

Attainment of ExcellenceThrough Higher Education

Dr. Jyotsnarani Kuanr



60

improving the ways in which knowledge can beproduced, managed, disseminated, accessed andcontrolled. Equitable access to these technologiesshould be ensured at all levels of educationsystems.

Research study on the development of highereducation reveals that India s position is 76 out ofthe 94 developing countries of the world3.

Few in India are thinking creatively abouthigher education. There is no field of highereducation research. Those in government as wellas academic leaders seem content to do the sameold thing. Academic institutions and systems havebecome large and complex. They need good data,careful analysis and creative ideas. India hassurvived with an increasingly mediocre highereducation system for decades. Now as Indiastrives to compete in a globalised economy inareas that require highly trained professionals, thequality of higher education becomes increasinglyimportant. So far, india s large educatedpopulation base and its reservoir of at leastmoderately well trained university graduates havepermitted the country to move ahead4.

Today, there is a strong feeling that theskills of graduates don t match the needs and theexpectations of the employment sector. In thedeveloping countries, unemployable graduatespose a greater problem than unemployment itself.What are these skills, which are expected by theemployers of the graduate work force? What arethe skills, which describe quality education andwhich such an education is capable of fostering inits process?5 If we do not take care of this, wewill be restricting out our own youth fromblossoming into great actors in the modernknowledge economy6.

Taking stock of the higher education scenein the developing countries the taskforce reportedthat despite vigorous steps, very few are enrolled

in educational programmes of a high quality. Therest are taught by poorly qualified, poorlymotivated, poorly compensated faculty withinadequate facilities and outmoded curricular. Yet,it is this large majority which is called upon tograpple with the huge task of nation building. Theyare called upon to provide good governance,develop future business, build health andeducational infrastructure needed for raising thestandard of living and improving the quality of lifeand excellence. How can the ill equipped begetquality? It is therefore imperative for thedeveloping nations to focus on the quality ofeducation they impart7.

Emerging Need

Nations are struggling to cope with thedemands of quality education and a phenomenalincrease in the number of students wanting to goin for higher education. Both the quality andquantity of education require better academic andphysical infrastructure and greater financialresources.

Though significant progress has been madein recent years in India in information technologysector, engineering, computer science, commerce,still there is a long way to go. The world will belooking for trained persons in all basic fields witha sound knowledge base in their core disciplineand with the ability to adapt to new demands.

Not only Science, Technology, Commerceand Economics, even Languages are beingdemanded in newer context for business,tourism, multicultural interactions etc. The worlddemography is changing. To take advantage ofthis change, we need to produce trained personson par with global standards8.

The quantitative improvement, however,has not resulted in simultaneous improvement in


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quality. There is apparently a need now to makeit more relevant and effective for achieving thenational goals9.

Restructuring Higher Education to AttainExcellence

The Chinese Philosopher Confucius statedthat the goal of education was to produce men ofquality who combined competence with virtue.Thus quality is multidimensional and throughhigher education it strives to develop humanresources of global standards. Perceived thus,quality defines the goals and purpose ofeducation. Quality impacts the content of highereducation. Its processes, its output or product asit seeks to develop human resources with requiredskills, excellent in performance and capable ofdelivering the goods as a unit of the work force.

In a developing country like ours, thediametrically opposite demands of qualityeducation and the increasing numbers of studentsdemanding higher education are in conflict. Thisgrowing demand for higher education has broughtto the fore the problems of access, equity andquality.

As the developing countries addressthemselves to the problems of access and equity,the problem of quality gets acute. An independenttask force set up by UNESCO in 1998 has in itsreport entitled Higher Education in developingcountries, Peril and Promise , said that todayhigher education has become basic educationdemanded by the masses and can no longer beconfined to a tiny elite. This is more so, in thedeveloping world due to three factors at workhere. Firstly, the incredible growing thirst forknowledge, secondly the growing importance ofknowledge in society and thirdly, the inexorableand often cruel logic of globalisation10.

Suggestive Measures for AttainingExcellence

A. Teaching, Learning and Evaluation

(i) Clarity and transparency in the process ofadmission and recruitment of faculty should bemaintained. The most crucial factor in ensuringexcellence of teaching, learning and evaluation isthe quality of the faculty. If merit is the only criterionfor recruitment, and no other influences areentertained, it will automatically ensure outstandingacademic performance.

(ii) Faculty development programmes, such asconditions of service, participation in seminar,symposia, conferences, orientation programmes,refresher courses, publications are important incontinuous updating of quality teachers.Monitoring and periodic performance appraisalincluding access to feedback mechanism willimprove the quality of attaining excellence,objectivity and accountability of the teachingfaculty.

(iii) Visible welfare measures will motivate theteachers in achieving greatest academic pursuits.So, measures should be taken into account toreduce stress and strain of the faculty members.

B. Curricular Aspects

India is a country of diverse geographicalfeatures, multi religious communities andmultilingual population and a different socio-economic and cultural background. Unity indiversity is the basis of Indian society. In thecurrent decades with much emphasis oneconomic development accompanied bytremendous explosion of knowledge in all sphereshave led to economic differences. Always, thereare regional imbalances in the country. Realizingsuch irregularities, the curriculum should beframed. The courses available through highereducation must be consistent with goals and



62

objectives of the country and aspirations of thestudents. The changing social, educational andeconomic environment are important determinantsof curricular options so as to meet the challengesof the present day society.C. Research, Consultancy and Extension.

Today, education and research are highlyinterdisciplinary. Research is diligent inquiry andcareful search for new knowledge or facts througha systematic scientific and analytical approach inany branch of knowledge. It is an undisputed factthat research and economic development of anycountry always go hand in hand as both areinterdependent on each other. In addition toteaching the prescribed curricula, under-takingresearch projects on various socio-economicresearchable problems by teachers, has beengiven considerable recognition11.

Research work should be done in a largescale by providing financial support and theadditional infrastructure facilities. Forward andbackward linkages should be established foraugmenting research and mobilizing fund.Community extension programme should bearranged in the university to develop socialinfrastructure and learning resources.D. Infrastructure and Learning Resources

One of the most important areas for qualityimprovement is the development of infrastructureand learning resources. Infrastructure shouldinclude a wide range of supporting services suchas gymnasium, playgrounds, canteen, computercentre, multimedia conference hall, library andhostel etc. while conceptualizing the institution ofhigher education, it is important to plan not onlyfor today but also for tomorrow. Infrastructureshould be both adequate and appropriate as perthe norms of the UGC/AICTE etc. Students, staffand faculty members should have access to theuse of new technology including internet12.

E. Student Participation and Progression

There are several hopeful trends in thecourse, which support the student involvement inquality enhancement. Firstly, the employers preferinstitutions that have demonstrable academicquality along with value adding activities involvingthe students. Secondly, those students who haveparticipated in the institutional quality processesare able to make rational career choices andthirdly the performance of such students in facingupto the job interviews and placement exhibits ahigher degree of self-confidence and maturity.Therefore, it is imperative that every institutionmakes a conscious effort to associate students intheir quality enhancement programmes13.

F. Organisation and Management

An Institution / University should offerfacilities for over all development of the students.Higher Education is not only in the concurrent listbut also in the joint sector. The central and stategovernment play an important role in laying downthe policy and offering financial support for smoothmanagement of the institution.

Faculty development programmesincluding promotion etc. are to be implementedby the government / management based on meritand without any discrimination. It is mandatoryfor the managing authority to strictly adhere tothe University Act. Statutes, Ordinances,Regulations and Rules for healthy and efficientfunctioning of the colleges14.

Enhancing quality is a holistic process. Thesynergistic relationship among the studentsteachers, management, parents, public,government and the production system is essentialto achieve an enduring multiplier effect on qualityenhancement15.


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Conclusion

Education is a big service industry becauseit cultivates human mind and makes them importantand useful players in the economy of a nation. Onthe threshold of the 21st century, global publicspending on education tops on trillion US dollars.This figure represents the cost of over 50 millionteachers, ten billion pupils and hundreds ofthousands of educational institutions through outthe world. But in recent times things are changingincreasingly. Large number of nations, as aconsequence of the impact of liberalization oftrade, are in favour of curtailment of the role ofthe government. This is true in case of highereducation16.

In this changed scenario, it is necessary thatour planners and educational administrators mustexpedite the process of reforms and encourageinnovation. We must replace the feudal, traditionalBritish system of higher learning and adopt a newmore dynamic educational approach that is a mustfor survival growth17.

The world of higher education in the 21st

century can truly be a borderless world ofknowledge and ideas, which will yield reciprocalbenefits for all nations. There is no single simplepath for reaching this new global future, butinstead, multiple pathways that lead towards aworld in one nest18.References :1. Ahmad Nabi Guidance and counseling : A

Missing Component of Higher EducationUniversity News, Vol. 43 No.08, February 21-27,2005.

2. Prasad V. S. Student Participation in QualityEnhancement NAAC NEWS, Vol.V. Issue-3,July, 2005.

3. World Conference on Higher Education(UNESCO) Paris 5-9 October, 1998.

4. Phillip G. Altbach, Higher Education in IndiaThe Hindu, 12th April, 06

5. Khanna Pratibha, Changing Scenario of HigherEducation : Challenges to Quality Assuranceand Sustance University News, Vol.43 No.7 Feb 14-20, 2005.

6. S. Sen Towards Global Culture in HigherEducation Institutions of India NAAC NEWS,Vol.5 Issue, 3 July, 2005.

7. Supra N 58. Supra N 69. Pranab Mukherjee, Role of Universities in

improving the quality of life. Convocationaddress at the 20th annual convocation of VelloreInstitute of Technology, Deemed University,Vellore, on 12th Nov, 2005.

10. Supra N 5, at p.411. M. R. Patil, Faculty development : An Avenue

to Quality Enhancement in Higher EducationUniversity News, Vol.44 No.25 June, 19-15, 2006.

12. M. R. Kurup, Quality Assurance in HigherEducation : Role of College ManagementUniversity News 44 (27) July 03-09, 2006.

13. Dr. M. Ananda Krishnan, Imperatives ofStudent Involvement in Quality Enhancement ,NAAC NEWS, April Sept, 2006.

14. Supra N.12.15. Dr. M. Ananda Krishnan, Imperatives of

Student Involvement in Quality EnhancementNAAC News, April September, 2006.

16. A Souvenir of Law Teacher s Congress, Indiain the Globalised world, challenges andopportunities .

17. I Valanaarasu. Impact of Globalisation andWTO on Higher Education in India Universitynews Vol. 43 No.32 August 8-11, 2005.

18. S. N. Sen Towards Global Culture on HistoryNAAC News.

Dr. Jyotsna Rani Kuanr is working as a Senior Lecturer,Deptt . of Education, S.V.M. (Auto) CollegeJagatsinghpur-754103, Orissa.



64

Bhitarkanika, a store house of nature's bounty,harbours a rich and unique bio-diversity. Thisunique ecosystem of Orissa is surrounded byrivers Baitarani, Brahmani, Dhamara, and is criss-crossed by several creeks-creeklets. The delta,river mouth, the sea, estuarine forest, mangroves,avifauna, reptiles, amphibians, varieties of faunaand flora are various aspects which contribute tothe richness of its biological diversity.

This wonderland support s densemangroves (63species), largestpopulation of estuarinecrocodiles (1130 asper 2001 census) andis the home to thelargest 22-23feet longcrocodiles, rare whitecrocodiles (locallyknown as Sankhua),poisonous snakes suchas King cobra,Banded krait, Cobra, etc, non-poisonous snakeslike Python, Rat snake etc, varieties of residentand migratory birds (217 species) and a lot ofmammalian species i.e. Spotted deer, Sambar,Wild boar, Fishing cat, Jungle cat, etc. Besides,various other species of endangered mammals,birds, reptiles and other groups of animals also

inhabit the area. Bhitarkanika thus harbors aninteresting assemblage of flora-fauna of bothcommon and endangered variety which requiresa conservation strategy.

Geographically situated in Kendrapadadistrict, Bhitarkanika forms the deltaic region ofthe river Brahmani and Baitarani. The sandy loamsoil coast of Bhitarkanika is washed by Bay ofBengal and is subjected to tides twice a day. Averitable paradox of nature for its unique flora

and fauna, Bhitarkanikais located between 2035' and 20 47'Nlatitudes and 80 45' and87 05'E longitudes tothe South and East ofDhamara river.

Bhitarkanika wildlifesanctuary spreads overan area of 650 sq kmof which forest cover

alone is about 380sq km. The core area ofBhitarkanika stretches over 141.44sq km ofwhich 115.5 sq km comes under mangrove forest.Encircled by the rivers Brahmani, Baitarani and35 km seashore, this area is gifted withinnumerable creeks, channels, islets which provideecological niche for the growth and development

Bhitarkanika : A Unique Destination forNature Lovers

Prabhukalyan Mohapatra


65


of mangroves. The extensive sea beach, sandbars, and sand dunes sustain rich sandy vegetationnear Gahirmatha. The core area of the sanctuaryextends over an area spreading from Dangamal(a village in the sanctuary) to Thakurdian rivermouth.

The unique environmental and ecologicalparameters of this micro region in a deltaic settingforms an ideal habitat for saltwater crocodiles,migratory birds, particularly the water fowls andthe visit of Olive Ridley turtles for mass nesting.In recent years Bhitarkanika has drawn worldwideattention because of the discovery of its 11 kmstretch coast serving as the nesting site of sea turtlewhich forms thelargest rookery ofthe turtles in theworld. The area inassociation with adiverse variety ofmangrove hasbrought it thestatus of aNat ional Parkwhich alsoshelters as a l t w a t e rcrocodile sanctuary of national significance.

At the Dhamara mouth, the sea bed is veryshallow due to extensive deposition of silt andclay from the combined discharge of Brahmaniand Baitarani river. A lot of clay and siltcharacterise the sediment load which is veryconducive to massive tidal incursions into the sea.The typical monsoonic climate with excessivehumidity prevails in this area. All these factors arevery helpful for the development of luxuriousmangrove forests around Bhitarkanika.

In view of its rich ecosystem, Bhitarkanikahas been declared as a National Park. The sea

water in the creeks and swamps form a goodhabitat for a wide variety of estuarine life includingestuarine crocodile, for which a breeding centrehas been developed at Dangamal. Bhitarkanikamangrove ecosystem is unique of its kind and isthe best reptile refuge in the entire country. Themangrove of Bhitarkanika is a classic beauty withmultiple types of mangrove species. But theswampy mangrove forests of Bhitarkanika andtheir endemic flora-fauna fights one of thecontinuous battles for survival against wantonvandalism of the so called civilized man.

The very location of this micro-regionadjacent to a densely populated agriculturally

d e v e l o p e ddeltaic tract ofMahanadi systemis paradoxical.The mountingpressure ofa d j a c e n tpopulation forplundering themangroves andreclamation oftidal mudflats foragricultural as

well as other economic uses has been a threat toits environment and ecosystem. A major portionof this beautiful mangrove forest is leased out topeople migrated from Bangladesh and has beenreclaimed into fertile rice fields. As gradualreclamation of land is a regular phenomenon,mangrove forest of Bhitarkanika is decreasingslowly and steadily. To save the ecosystem, thegovernment is making sustained efforts throughvarious projects. The most important project isrestocking of the estuarine crocodile through acaptive breeding programme. Anotherendangered specis is the Olive Ridley turtle whichis attracted to the beach of Bhitarkanika for



66

nesting in large numbers. Environmentalists areconcerned for its protection too. In view of presentstate of environmental degradation and ecologicaldisturbances growing concern is expressedeverywhere.

The Gahirmatha sea beach bordering thesanctuary attracts thousands of Olive Ridley seaturtles for mass nesting during winter (January-April). So, numerous tourists visit Bhitarkanikaduring this time to have a glimpse at this rare sightand enjoy the scenic beauty of nature.

The entire Bhitarkanika region comes underthe tropical monsoon climate with well markedseasons of winter, summer and rain. The maximumtemperature rises to 360c in the month of April-

May while the minimum temperature of the winteris about 150c. The relative humidity remainsbetween 70 to 85% throughout the year. Therainfall is around 170cm and most of it is receivedbetween June-October. Under such eco-climaticsituation the weather conditions start to becomepleasant after the rains (October-March) and thisis the ideal time for a visit to the area.

A grand repository of wildlife, Bhitarkanikais another attraction for the ornithologists andnature lovers during winter. Migratory birds likeOpen billed storks, White ibis, Grey pelicans,Barheaded goose etc visit this area along withvarious types of resident birds such as night heron,Grey heron, cattle egrets, Cormorants, Kingfishers, Water fowls and Collard doves duringthis period.

There are some environmental regions onthe Earth which needs special attention forgeographic exposure considering their uniquenatural setting in the ecosystem. Bhitarkanikacertainly enjoys a distinctive place amongst them.

Prabhukalyan Mohapatra is a Bhubaneswar basedfreelance journalist, who lives at Qrs VR 3/2,Unit-3.Behind R.B.I., Bhubaneswar

Shri Digambar Mohanty, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, I nf. &P.R. felicitatingDr. Ramachandra Behera on the occasion of 49th Foundation Day of Kendrapara

Autonomous College on 12.2.2007.


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Child Labour conjures up a particular image :Children, chained to looms in dark mills and sweatshops, in a long and nightmarish running fromLanchashire of the 1830s right to the South Asiaof the 1990s. In reality, children do a variety ofworks in widely divergent conditions, which takeplace along a continuum. At one end of thecontinuum, work is beneficial, promoting orenhancing a child's physical, mental, spiritual,moral and various other ways of developmentwithout interfering with schooling, recreation andrest and at the other end it is palpably destructiveor exploitative. Increasing industrialization andmechanization of agriculture lead to the destructionof the family based economy and the displacementof a large number of labourers in India during themid- 18th and 19th century. Extreme poverty ledto the entry of children into the labour market andtheir exploitation became common. In India,children were employed in cotton and jute millsand coal mines. Gradually, legal measures wereintroduced to tackle the problem and the new statewedded to the notion of social welfare assumedthe responsibility of protecting the children.Action Taken Before Independence

The Indian Government adoptedconstitutional, statutory and developmentalmeasures to deal with the problem of Child labour.The origin of statutory protection of the ChildWorker in India can be traced back to the IndianFactories Act, 1881, which prohibited theemployment of children under seven years of ageand also in two separate factories on the same

day. It limited the working hours of children tonine hours a day and stipulated at least fourholidays to be given in a month. However this actconcerned only factories employing hundredpersons or more. This act was revised in the formof Indian Factories Act, 1891, which increasedthe minimum age limit to nine years and hours ofwork were reduced to seven hours for childrenbetween 7 and 14 years and prohibited work atnight between 8 p.m. 5 a.m. In 1901 the MinesAct was passed which prohibited the employmentof children under 12 years of age and employmentdangerous to children's health and safety. In 1911a new factories act was passed which furtherreduced the working hours.

In the period between 1920 and 1930some more progress were made in protectingchildren. The formation of international LabourOrganization in 1919 and the establishment of AllIndia Trade Union Congress 1920 gave animpetus to reform laws relating to the conditionof labour in general and Child Labour inparticular. In the Factories Act 1922 the scopeof factory was extended to cover any premisewhere 20 or more persons were employed andmechanized power was used and localgovernments which empowered to extendprovisions to any premise where 10 or morepersons were employed. It defined the child as aperson who had not completed 15 years of age,reduced the working hours for children to six andnecessitated the granting of half an hour intervalfor more than five and half hours of work. Children

Progressive Action AgainstChild Labour In India

Subrata Sarkar



68

were required by this act to have medical certificatealong with a certificate of re-examination forcontinuing work. The Indian Mines Act 1923raised the minimum age for employment from 12to13 years in mines. The Indian ports(Amendment) Act 1931 prescribed the age foremployment of children in handlng the goods as12 years.

In the period between 1931and 1949 moreconcrete efforts were made to deal with ChildLabour. The stage was set with the publication ofthe report of the Royal Commission for labour,which recommended extensive reforms. The TeaDistricts Emigrant Labour Act1932 was passedto check the migration of labour to the teacultivationg districts. In 1933,the Children(pledging of Labour) Act was passed whichprohibited the pledging of a child for the purposeof getting certain work done. The Factories Actof 1934 evolved elaborate provisions regularizingemployment in respect of various age groupsworking in factories.

The ILO in 1937 adopted a conventionfixing the minimum age where children were tobe employed in certain occupations. Theemployment of Children Act 1938 was passedto implement this convention. It prohibited theemployment of children under 15 in hazardousoccupations like railways and ports. It also dealtwith employment in industrial establishments notcovered by the Factories Act. Though, the 1938Act banned Child Labour in hazardous industries,it made an excepton in favour of family labour.

The main purpose of the elimination of theevil of Child Labour could not be achieved in thepreindependence era, one of the main reasonsbeing as pointed out by a labour investigatingcommittee being the inadequancy of the inspectingstaff to enforce the provisions of law.Post Independence Phase

The factories Act 1948 prohibited theemployment of children by setting the limit of the

completion of fourteen year as the minimum agefor working in any factory. The minimum WagesAct passed in 1948 defined child as a person whohas not completed his 15th Year. However, thisdefinition did not have any particular significancesince the Act did not contain any importantregulatory or prohibitory provision applicable onlyto Child Labour except that it provides for fixingor revising minimum rates of wages for adults,adolescents, children and apperentices. ThePlantation Labour Act, 1951 prohibited childrenbelow 12 years from working in any plantation.The Shipping Act 1951 prohibited a person under15 years of age from working in any capacity inany ship. The Mines Act 1952 prohibited theemployment of children under 15 in mines. In1954, the Factories Act was again amended toprohibit the employment of adolescents under theage of 17 years at night. In 1961, the MotorTransport Workers Act was passed to prohibitthe employment of adolescents under the age of15 in motor transport. In 1966, the Beedi andCigar workers (Conditions of Employment) Actwas passed which prohibited the employment ofchildren under 14 in any industrial premisemanufacturing beedies or cigars.

In 1978, the Employment of Children act1938 was further amended so as to extend theprohibition of employment of a child below 15years in railway premises such as cinder-pickingor clearing of an ash-pit or building operation incatering establishments at a railway station or inoccupations relating to construction of a railwaystation or any other work done in close proximityto or between the railway lines. These occupationswere not covered before 1978.Committees, Commissions and Boards

In 1968, a National Commission on LabourWelfare was instituted which observed that ChildLabour was an economic problem and its practiceamounted to a denial or opportunity to childrenfor their proper physical development andeducation and recommended combination of


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work with education and flexible employmenthours which would not inhibit education.

A National Children's Board wasestablished in 1975, with the Prime Minister asits President to create greater public awarenesstowards the need of children and to plan andreview periodically the progress made inprotecting and promoting the welfare of children,including working children. In 1976, theGovernment set up a one man commission headedby Harbans Singh which was of the view thatbanning Child Labour would not necessarily resultin the stoppage of work by children altogether.The report suggests that working hours shouldbe reduced, wages increased coupled withincentive for production.Ministry of Labour

The Ministry of Labour appointed a 16 -member Committee under the chairmanship ofM.S. Gurupadaswarmy in 1979 to investigate thecauses leading to Child Labour and examine theproblems arising out of the employment ofchildren.The committee noted that existingsituation in respect of Child Labour in India canstill be summarized as one of continuing drift. Theregulation by law of employment, children coversonly fringe of these occupations and ironicallyeven where regulation has been sought, theenforcement is extremely half-hearted and tardy.In pursuance of one of the recommendations ofthe committee on Child Labour, the CentralAdvisory Board on Child Labour was set up inMarch 1981 to review the progress of welfaremeasures for working children, recommendedindustries and areas where there must beprogressive elimination of Child Labour. It wasreconstituted in 1987 under the chairmanship ofthe ministry of labour to render advice on theproblems of Child Labour.Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation)Act, 1986

The Child Labour (Prohibition andregulation) Bill was introduced and passed in both

houses of Parliament in August 1986 with a viewto prohibiting the employment of children in certainareas.The act seeks to achieve the following objects:

Ban the employment of children, i.e. thosewho have not completed their fourteenth year inspecified occupations and processes.

Lay down a procedure to decidemodifications to the schedule of bannedoccupations and processes.

Regulate the conditions of work of childrenengaged in forms of employment in which theyare permitted to work.

Prescribed enhanced penalties foremployment of children in violation of theprovisions of the acts that forbid the employmentof children.

Establish uniformity in the definition of childin laws concerning them.National Programme of Action and PolicyAgainst Child Labour

The national policy on Child Labour wasapproved by the cabinet on 14th August 1997,during the seventh plan period. The action planof this policy has been set out under the followingheadlings.1. Legistative Action Plan2. Focussing on general developmentprograms for benefiting child labour whereverpossible.3. Project-based plan of action in areas of highconcentration of child labour engaged in wage andquasi wage employmentAccordingly, projects were started in areasof high concentration of Child Labour.

Match, fireworks and explosives industry inSivakasi in Virudhanagar district in TamilNadu



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Precious stone polishing industry in Jaipur inRajasthanGlass and bangles industry in Ferozabad, U.P.Brassware industry in Mirzapur, VaranasiBhadoi U.P.Lock making industry in Aligarh in U.P.Tile industry in Jagampet in Andhra Pradesh.Slate industry in Markkapur in AndhraPradesh.Slate industry in Mandswar in AndhraPradesh.

The National Child Labour projects had thefollowing components -

Imparting non-formal education to enable thechildren released from work to receivefunctional literacy and acquire a level ofequivalence with corresponding grade andlevel in the formal system.Supplementary nutrition through middaymeals.Income and employment generation throughimpartation of skillsStepping up enforcement of Child Labourlaws.

Task Force on Child-LabourA task force on child labour was instituted

on the recommendation of the Central AdvisoryBoard on Child Labour under the Chairmanshipof Dr.L.M. Singhvi to recommend the institutionsand mechanisms necessary for implementing theChild Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act,1986 and legal action plan contained in the NCLP.The task force made 11 general recommenda-tions. Chief among them are

Highest priority must be accorded to the child.To accomplish this there should be a jointcommittee of the houses of the parliament andsimilar committees in state legislatures to representthe un-represented constituency of the child.

There should be a single ministry ordepartment for child welfare at the centre andstates in order to reduce the existing multiplicityof authorities.

There should be a statutory system of ChildLabour Ombudsman or Child LabourCommission entrusted with the task ofinvestigation, resolution of grievances and disputesand giving authoritative directions to employersand others.

A child code including within its scope a childlabour code, must be formulated.

The task force also made the followingrecommendations with respect to the act of 1986

A timetable with mandatory outer limits foract to come into force should be provided in theact.

A uniform definition of child with reference toage is useful.

An enabling provision should be enacted toto Section 3 of the 1986 Act to checkmalpractices employed in the exploitation of ChildLabour under the guise of an occupier carrying aprocess with the aid of his family or childrenproducing goods in schools receiving assistanceor recognition from overnment.

Maximun permissible punishment should beincreased to simple imprisonment up to 3 monthsand the maximum permissible fine, which may beimposed, should be increased to Rs. One lakh.

With respect to the national policy andaction plan the task force recommended that awhite paper should be published explaining thehistorical background, analyzing the presentsituation giving reliable statistical and other dataand projecting its own perceptions and policiesin terms of targets, allocations and types ofprogrammes and other activities it has envisaged.

On 15th August 1994, the former PrimeMinister Mr. P.V. Narasimha Rao made a call to


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eliminate Child Labour in hazardous employmentsby the year 2000 A.D. Following the call madeby the Prime Minister the national authority forelimination of Child Labour headed by the UnionLabour Minister was constituted on 26thSeptember 1994 and Rs.850 crore have beenearmarked for schemes to eliminate Child Labourin hazardous employments. The programme issome what unrealistic as it hopes to cover 2 millionchildren in 5 years. The programme has madelittle headway because of a resource crunch andan ongoing tussle between the ministries of labourand human resource development over the issueof setting up special schools.Supreme Court Order on Child Labour

To check the exploitation of Child Labourin hazardous industries, the Supreme Court onDecember 10, 1996 directed that all offendingemployers must pay a compensation ofRs.20.000/- for every such child, under theprovisions of Child Labour (Prohibition andRegulation) Act,1986. The court order indentifiednine major industr ies as hazardous.Acknowledging that poverty was the main causeof Child Labour, the court said that unless analternative source of income was assured to thefamily, the question of abolition of Child Labourwill really remain a "will - of - the wisp". The courtdirected the states to conduct a survey on ChildLabour which was to be completed within sixmonths. The secretary to the ministry of labour,Government of India was required to apprise thecourt within one year about the compliance ofdirections. The court has held labour inspectorsresponsible for ensuring that children withdrawnfrom hazardous industries are provided propereducation.Conclusion and Police Implications

The magnitude of the problem of ChildLabour in India with regard to all industries,occupations and processes is very large. Specialattention is being devoted to industries,

occupations and process where employment ofchildren is hazardous to their very safety. We havebeen able to cover about 1.05 lakh children underthe umbrella of seventy six projects and 1800special schools and need approximately 300projects to cover 2 million children who need tobe urgently realeased from hazardousoccupations/processeses and rehabilitatedthrough a multi pronged and composite approachencompassing education for functional literacy,midday meal for supplementary nutrition,arrangements for regular health check-ups andvocational skill t raining for economicempowerment. These projects in their entiretywere to be implemented over six years and wouldhave entailed a financial commitment ofRs.2197.05 crore i.e. at Rs.376 per child perannum. Since resources of this magnitude wereunavailable the expenditure finance committee inits meeting held on 25th June 1998 has onlyapproved the continuance of the Seventy-sixprojects and 1800 schools during the 9th PlanPeriod which means we will not even be able totouch the fringe of this massive problem.

The share of the Child Population hasincreased from a stable level of about 38% during1911-1951 to almost 42% in 1971. It declinedin 1981 and has further gone down to about 36%in 1991. The decline when examined in the Statehas a distinct bimodal pattern. The absolute sizeof the child population peaked in Kerala in 1981and in Tamil Nadu in 1991. One expects thatPunjab, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh,Karnataka, West Bengal, Maharashtra andGujarat could experience a peak in the absolutesize of Child Polulation between 1996-2001 A.D.In contrast Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthanand UttarPradesh still have a long way to go.

Expansion of primary and middle schooleducation in India between 1961 and 1991 hasbeen impressive. Growth has been somewhatfaster than the growth of Child Population in theprimary section. The gender gap in literacy and in



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primary schooling has declined on an all Indiabasis. The major states have a clear bimodaldistribution in the declining gender gap as well.States like Kerala has virtually eliminated the gap.Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Panjab havebeen reducing the gender gap successfully andstill have some distance to go in reaching Keralalevels. The worst perfomers in gender gapreduction are Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar andMadhya Pradesh.

A much larger socio-economicallydeprived subset of Child Population in Indiaconsists of children who are neither in the work -force nor in the education system (nowherechildren). The number of nowhere children in Indiacontinued to grow from 89.5 million in 1981 to97.7 million in 1991.

The educational needs of the growing ChildPopulation (5-14 years) have been addressed bythe expansion of primary and middle schoolenrolments. The gap between the ChildPopulation and the children enrolled in schoolsincreased between 1951 and 1961, and remainedstable between 1961 to 1971 and also 1971 to1981. Estimates for 1991 show a decline.However the number of children who are nitherin school nor in the labour force (nowherechildren) is still very large- 74 milion in 1991.

There has been an obvious shift fromchildren working on their own farms to childrenworking as hired labour. The impression that theproblem is solved in the agricultural sector and isnow concentrated in manufacturing and trade andcommerce is erroneous. There has been anincrease in the employment of male and femalechild agricultural labour as well as child workersin manufacturing and trade and commerce. Themajor part of NGO efforts and internationalconcerns about the employment of childrenconcentrates on non-agricultural sectors.However, the contrast with agricultural labour

groups in terms of sheer numbers should be keptin mind. In absolute size in 1991 the number offull time child agricultural labourers was 3.1 millionand those in manufacturing activity (rural andurban) was approximately 0.5 million. The numberin trade and commerce has more than doubledover the 30 year period and stands atapproximately 0.3 million in 1991.

The increasing number of female childworkers since 1971 rose in absolute terms from2.8 million to 3.5 million - is a cause of concern.Over 80% of these girls are still caught in theagricultural sectors mostly as full time agriculturallabourers. Ignoring their plight is socillyinappropriate and an economic disaster becauseof its implications for the pace of demographictransition.

The employment of child workers in urbanIndia is growing much faster than in rural India.The proportion of urban child workers increasedfrom 5.5% of the total child labour population in1961 to 10% in 1991. Four sectors which needto be targeted in the elimination of child labourare manufacturing, transport, storage andcommunication but wage based agriculture in ruraland urban India must not be ignored.

The proportion of population belowpoverty line is positively associated with theincidence of child labour with the correlation(0.41) for male child workers and some whatweaker correlation (0.23) for female childworkers. The most important negative correlationbetween the incidence of male child labour is withthe middle school enrolment ratio suggesting thatthe higher the enrollment in middle schools thelower the incidence of male child labour.

The most important negative correlation ofthe incidence of child labour was the proportionof females in the nonagricultural labour force whichwas - 0.40 for male child workers in 1991. Thissuggests that the greater the participation ofwomen in the non-agricultural labour force thelower will be the incidence of child labour.


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The diversity in the pace and pattern of childlabour use, its growth and subsequent declinewhich has been observed in Europe historicallyand now in East and South-east Asia can be seenin the different states and regions of India as well.The main determinants of the growth of child labourboth from the demand and supply sides are in thenature of "Vicious Spiral" while factors affectingits decline are in the nature of a "Virtuous Spiral"Three main mutually reinforcing "drivers leadingto these outcomes are, we believe, demographicfactors, technology and public policy.

The difference in quality of primary andmiddle school education observed across statesoriginating from different state public policies isstrongly related to the existence of labour. Overall,for India as a whole, expansion of schoolingfacilities has just been able to cater to the growthof the child population without a major reductionin the use of child labour.

If child labour is to be successfullyeliminated, getting "nowhere children" in to schoolsand attempting to retain a much larger proportionof children from primary to middle school stageshould be important planks of the strategy. Thisalso implies the need to confom to theconstiturional gurantee provided in 1950 foreducation for all children up to the age of fourteen.

Hence, the need for a rational social choicein devising child focused strategies is self evident.In a federal polity with education as a state aswell as central subject, an uneven pace andpattern of demographic and economic transitionand without a concerted national effort, migrationand child labour will continue.

International and national pressures to dealwith industrial child labour in isolation, apart fromquestions of ethics have little chance of successas long as large pool of potential child labourpersists. Short cuts and quick fixes would bewasteful in resources and time. Economic anddemographic transition, as shown by Kerala,

Punjab, Himchal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu andthe countries of East Asia, can be compressedwithin a couple of decades if appropriate publicpolicies are pursued consistently.

References :1. Ministry of Labour, Child Labour in India

(unpublished, 1994)2. Ministry of Labour, Children and Work.

Workshop of District Collectors/ District Headson elimination of Child Labour in HazardousOccupations (New Delhi, Government of India,1995).

3. Ministry of Labour, circular on identification,Release and Rehabilitation of Child Labour,Workshop of District Collectors/ District Headson elimination of Child Labour in HazardousOccupations (New Delhi. Government ofIndia,1995).

4. Ministry of Labour, Draft Recommendations ofWorking Groups. Workshop of Distr ictCollectors/District Heads on elimination of Childlabour in Hazardous Occupations (new Delhi,Government of India, 1995).

5. Ministry of Labour, Enforcement of Child Labour(Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986 -Background Papers for Sub-Committeeappointed by the Standing Labour Committee(New Delhi, Government of India, 1994)

6. Weiner Myron, The Child Labour and EducationPolicy in comparative Perspective (OXFORDUniversity Press, 1991).

7. Gupta Manju and Voll, Klauss, (eds), ChildLabour in India, Young Hands at Work (NewDelhi; Atma Ram and Sons, 1987).

8. Choudhury D.P. (1997) 'Child Labour in India inthe Asian Perspective' Social Change, 27 (3 and4), Sept, - Dec.

Subrata Sarkar is a Research Fellow, Department ofPolitical Science, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar andlives at Palitpara, Cuttack - 753002.



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Libraries stand as vital sources of information andas invaluable adjunct to the print media, i.e. Press.The effectiveness of the press largely dependsupon the efficient and well organized libraryservices. Just as, the effectiveness of a corporatebody's business mostly depends upon the rightinformation at a right point of time from a systemfor its decision making; similarly, the successfulfunctioning of the press largely relies uponinformation and how well it is organised andefficiently disseminated it its library. Deficiency inright information to the right media person at theright time may, therefore, lead to severe loss tothe quality of news generation.

Library is considered as the memory of thenewspaper and consequently, the memory of thecommunity it serves. The services it provides tothe journalists directly is the services it rendersthe whole newspaper user community. From this,the magnitude of the library's place in the presscan be easily presumed. The well organised newslibrary of a daily newspaper undoubtedly plays acrucial role in the production of news. Ward,Hansen and Mclead (l988, p.146), therefore,have rightly said that, the library is the path thatreporters and editors routinely take as theyconceptualize, develop, write, and edit the day'snews. It is thus an acknowledged fact that goodlibrary is the source of a good newspaper, andthe journalists keenly using the library can enrich

themselves and can effectively serve the mediafor a better society. The paper discusses the roleof libraries in newspaper organisations in the stateof OrissaNeed for Libraries in NewspaperOrganisations

With the rapid growth of newspaperindustry in Orissa, the information requirementsof the journalists as well as the concernednewspaper organisations have witnessed aspectacular change. Because, the production ofnews primarily depends upon the first hand eventsmoulded by circumstantial information.

A news item is made more colourful andrelevant with the background information providedby libraries. Lou Thomas has, therefore, identifiesthree vital advantages of establishing librarieswithin the newspaper organisations:(1) centralisation of resources; (2) access to bothtraditional and the new information skills oflibraries and (3) provision of backgroundinformation for news stories, accuracy in reportingand editing, saving time for reporters and editors,and recycling of information the newspaper haspaid to acquire (ibid). Hence it is argued that thenews library attached to the newspaper isincreasingly significant not only in the productionof news but also building appropriate informationinfrastructure for the journalism and masscommunication.

Newspaper Libraries in Orissa

R.K.Mahapatra


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The establishment of libraries within thenewspaper establishments can be attributed to thefollowing factors:i) Information dependent newspapers;ii) Journalists without having professionalqualification and formal training depend more onreference sources;iii) Competition among the local newspapersto match forward; andiv) Libraries as necessary ingredients ratherthan a mere formality.

When a publisher decides to set up anewspaper organisation. He initially projects theexistence of a library. Although, library does notimmediately grow with the purchase of machineryor printing of newspapers within the organisation,its necessity came as spontaneous one when thequality and contents of news are required. Theowner as well as editor of the newspaper usuallydecides to start a library. After the smooth startof the newspaper, the information requirement ofthe newspaper began to grow and arrangementfor a library starts activated. However, the placeof the library in all newspaper organisation's isincreasingly felt and the necessity is turned into areality that ultimately helps to shape into a library,be it small or large.

Libraries attached to newspaperorganisations in Orissa range from small tomediocre in respect to their size, staff and services.Most of the newspapers are small whosecirculation does not exceed more than one lakh(except four newspapers). The smallness size ofthe newspaper and the proprietorship beingprivately managed, there is a tendency not to builda large library. Even if, there are news paperestablishments who do not have library of theirown, libraries are managed by single person inwhich most of the librarians are not professionals.In certain cases, journalists themselves manage

the library within a small compact room. However,the availability of library and its services help thejournalists to use the information they need.Collection Development

News libraries perform the functions moreof reference library than that of any other usuallibraries. The collection of those libraries aremostly confined to reference sources that primarilysuffice the information needs of the journalists.However, a good collection of reference materialsin journalism and mass communication begins witha foundation based on the acquisition of thestandard reference sources usually found in anygood general reference section in anundergraduate or graduate library. Only thosespecialized reference sources that are availableare added to the collection. (Block;1984; p.53).These may include directories, bibliographies,directories, encyclopedias, guide literature, etc.

Another vital factor that contributes to agood collection development is journalists'aptitude towards wider area of knowledge forwhich information concerning to these subjectareas are collected. To develop an understandingand appreciation of other traditional subjects aswell as some new emerging subjects, the librariesused to acquire information sources in economics,history, politics, anthropology, sociology, forestry,environmental science, computer, etc.

Although secondary documents appear tobe of paramount importance to journalists to keepabreast with the latest development in theirrespective subject interest, these do not have theirplaces in the news libraries in Orissa. Indexes,abstracts, and databases are not normally foundin these libraries. Even the basic and usefulprofessional journals in journalism and masscommunication are not subscribed in theselibraries except few popular magazines which aresubscribed to make them aware of the currentevents. The largest collection of the news libraries



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is the newspapers of all kinds which are essentialto the journalists as well as the organisation.However, some text books on communication,journalism, mass media, advertisement,publication, radio and the television broadcasting,photography and the photo journalism andinformation science are found in these librariesfor the reference of journalists.

UsersUsers from news libraries range from the

Chief Editor to the rural correspondents. Editorialstaff used to consult the information sources to checkthe facts, refer press clippings of particular events orissues and verify the essential documents to ensurethe correctness of the editorial comment. The middlelevel journalists use most of the library resources. Alion share of information sources are actually beinghandled and exploited by them. One of the vitalfactors which has impressed us enormously is thedexterity with which the editors and journalists sortthrough the incoming materials, swiftly disseminatingbetween the disposable and the worthwhile (Harris,Nicholas, Erbach; l987, p.77)

Newspapers are generally considered asauthoritative sources and any wrong or uncheckedfact (s) or misleading information reflected on thenewspaper may damage the reputation of theconcerned newspaper organisation. To cope upwith the task of citing correct and the latestinformation, it is the editorial staff to quickly verifythe entire facts for complete and accurate newsitem or an article.Library Services

Libraries belonging to the newspaperorganisation serve a limited clientele and areusually confined to the in-house editorial staff. Theservices to which the said libraries provide areprimarily confined to reference or referral. Fromorganisation point of view, data processing is donemanually. The application of information

technology is yet to spread its influence on theselibraries. Normally, processing of library collectionremains confined within the framework ofclassification and cataloguing only. Even in mostof the libraries, these processing work have notbeen done.

These libraries generally provideinformation more on 'fact checking' type ofinformation spelling, dates, bibliographicalinformation and background information as a partof their reference services. However, the newslibrarians used to provide potential informationsources, identifying information from other sourcelibraries in the locality. Journalists frequently visitother libraries near vicinity to refer variousnewspapers subscribed by them so as to keepthemselves abreast of the day-to-day events.

Newspaper cutting collection popularlyknown as press clippings appears to be the heartof these news libraries' total collection and pressclippings service assumes greater importance thanany other services in the newspaper libraries. Thecutting system offers two distinct advantagesHarris, Nicholas, Erbach;1986; p.391).i) Its subject, scope and retrieval facilities caneffectively be tuned to the specific needs of users.ii) It offers very direct, and usually speedyaccess to the document replica.

Librarians of newspapers libraries maintainindividual cutting files on subjects of interest whichare frequently used by the journalists.Role of the Librarian

Role of the newspaper librarian is not onlyamazingly important, but also much crucial for theconcerned newspaper organisation. But it issurprising to note that newspaper librarianship inOrissa is yet to gain proper recognition. Theexisting newspaper library scenario in Orissa is ina state of doldrums. In most of the libraries, either


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one journalist is asked to look after the library ora non professional is entrusted the job of thelibrary. In this critical situation, the library and itsservices are ignored considerably.

A librarian usually acts as an intermediarybetween the journalists and the formal sources ofinformation. Because, a newspaper is oftenconsidered as an information system. Out of thevast information generated in the newspaper, it isthe librarian who goes through the different newsitems, scrutinize them, classify them, and prioritizethe process of the specific items for retrieval. Thenewspaper librarian, therefore, gets involved notonly in the mere dissemination of the informationbut also in providing a logical explanation and thecontents of information retrieved. Stimulatingsearch to answer the various information privationsof the working journalists is probably carries outto a far greater degree than is generally recognisedby librarians who tend to formalize requests andexpect inquiries to be refined to a manageablelevel of specificity op.cit.p.78)

It is the proprietor and the editor of theconcerned newspaper to realise the importanceof the library and essence of recruiting aprofessional librarian in a newspaperorganization. Unless and otherwise a good libraryis developed, the information flow to thejournalists cannot be properly achieved and thequality of the news items will remain disinteresting.Conclusion

Libraries are essentially good inputs for thenews generation. While preparing a news itemthe journalists need background information tomake their news interesting and readable. It isonly the libraries attached to those newspaperorganisations can provide such type ofinformation. Besides, newspaper libraries rendera lot of information support to make the newsproduction qualitative. Users group of newspaper

libraries range from the Editor to the rural reporterwho can make proper use of the library in processof their news preparation. Collection developmentof those libraries should be mainly in reference innature so that it helps to build the good collectionfor reference purposes. The newspaper librarybeing a specialised library the foremost service isthe newspaper clipping service. All other libraryservices are to be practised by the professionallibrarian. The role of the professional librarian issignificant since one is to organise a good libraryand provide appropriate information servicesneeded by the working journalists. But thesituation in Orissa is different as the newspaperproprietors do not consider this aspect ofselecting a professional librarian for the library.Unless the library is improved, the newspaper mayfail to produce quality news. Hence, a library isan essential part of the newspaper establishment,such that will

References1. Block, Eleaner S. Reference sources in Journalism

and Mass Communication. Reference ServicesReview. Winter, 1987; p. 41-45.

2. Harris, Kevin; Nicholas, David, and Erbach, G.information storage and retrieval in U.K. nationalnewspapers: Some effects of change Journal ofLibrarianship. 19;2;1987 p.77-86.

3. Harris, K.; Nicholas D. and Erbach, G. online useand end users in media and advertising: AnOverview. Aslib Proceedings. 38; 11/12. Nov-Dec. I 986; p.389-397.

4. Ward, J; Hansen, K.A; and Mclead. D.M. TheNews library's contribution to newsmaking.Special Libraries. Spring, 1988.p.l43.

R.K. Mahapatra is a Librarian, N.K.C. Centre forDevelopment Studies, (ICSSR Institute), Bhubaneswar.



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Among the most destructive diseases ofbanana,Banana Bunchy Top Disease (BBTD) isone of them. Once the disease is established, it isvery difficult to control or manage. There are noaccurate estimates of international economicimpact of the disease but the disease iswidespread in Asia and the south pacific regions.Two disease outbreaks have been taken place,one in Australia in 1920 and second in Pakistanduring 1990-92, which has caused severe losses.Banana bunchy top disease is caused by bananabunchy top virus (BBTV) that belongs to nanovirus group. BBTV is a small virus of size 20-22nm in diameter, consisting of SSDNA with therelative molecular mass of 2.0 x 106 and a coatprotein sub-unit with relative molecular mass of2,000 dalton. The disease is distributed in South-east Asia, Philippines. Transporting plantingmaterial obtained from infected plants spreads thevirus from place to place and aphid spreads fromplant to plant. There is no cure of the disease.They are reservoirs of the virus, they must bedestroyed. BBTD is a threat to banana industryand to the productivity of banana plantings.

Field Diagnosis of BBTV Based onSysmptoms

Initially there is development of dark greenstreaks in the veins of lower portion of the leaf

midrib, petiole base and on pseudostem. Thesymptom is some time referred to as 'Morse codestreaking' because the streaks are irregular andresemble a series of 'dots' and 'dashes'. Rubbingaway the waxy white coating that covers thepetiole base of midrib makes it easier to see thestreaking, the dark green, hook like extensionsof the leaf lamina veins can also be seen in thenarrow, light - green zone between the midrib andthe lamina. These are known as 'Green J-hooks'.The short hooks point down along the midribtoward the petiole and can be seen by backlighting the leaf against the sky or sun.

On mature plants infected with BBTV, newleaves emerge with difficulty, look narrower thannormal with wavy margin and some times haveyellow leaf margins. Finally they appear to be'bunched' at the top of the plant, the peculiarsymptom for which this disease is named.Severely infected banana plants usually do notbear fruits, but if fruit is produced, the bananahands and fingers are distorted, stunted, twistedor otherwise deformed and of little use.

The suckers that develop after a 'mother'plant has been infected with BBTV are usuallyseverely stunted, with leaves that do not expandnormally and remain bunched at the top of thepseudostem. These leaves are stiff and erect,

Field Diagnosis and Management of BananaBunchy Top Disease

Nirakar Ranasingh


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shorter and narrower than normal leaves, andhavoc chlorite edges. Suckers with thesesymptoms do not produce fruits. Therefore thedisease can result in a 100% yield loss.

Development and Spread of Disease

Banana bunchy top virus spreads by thebanana aphid, pentolonia nigronervosa thatacquires the virus after at least 4 - 18 hr of feedingon an infected plant. The aphid can retain the virusthrough its adult life, for a period of 15 - 20 days.During this time, the aphid can transmit the virusto a healthy banana plant by feeding on it, possiblyfor as little as 15 minutes, but more typically forabout two hr. No other aphid is known to transmitthe virus. BBTV does not replicate in aphid vectorand probably retained when the vector moults,but not transmitted congenitally to the progeny ofvector. This transmission of virus by aphid isresponsible of short movement of disease.

Environmental conditions and aphidreproduction capacity are very important factorsin disease development. Aphid requires hot andhumid climate of better transmission.Reproduction is more during the said climate.Adverse conditions affect the aphid activities.Predominantly a vegetatively propagated crop,makes spread of disease by the use of infectedplanting material including micro-propagatedplants is a constant risk. The virus perpetuatethrough the infected suckers and thus responsiblefor long distance movement of disease.

Management Practices

The following conventional and non-conventional strategies can be adopted to managethe BBTD.

Quarantine Measures:With the availability of a range of sensitive

and specific methods for BBTV diagnosis anddetection and the advantage of in-vitro

propagated bananas, now it is possible to providelarge quantities of virus tested banana germpasmand planting material. With the adoption of thesaid material, the risk of introducing BBTV intonew areas should greatly be reduced. Theinternational Network for the improvement ofBananas and Plantains (INIBAP) has establisheda 'transit center' at Leuven in Belgium that maintainsan extensive in-vitro collection of Musagermplasm from 7 which virus tested banana andplantain cultivars can be obtained.

Cultural Practices:

For BBTD management, it carries both theresponsibilities of virus and aphid management.Cultural practices like regular inspection, rougingand digging play an adequate role in minimizingthe disease. Early and efficient detection anderadication are the elements of this strategy andrequire knowledge and ability to diagnose BBTDfrom early symptoms. Destruction of weeds andalternate hosts, creation of banana free buffer zonearound banana farm and adoption of diversifiedagriculture are other important BBTV reducingfactors. Spread of disease could not occur ifinfected plants could be located and destroyed inthe symptom less stage of within a short time ofsymptoms being displayed. An isolation distanceof 100-200 m between any new bananas plantingis very beneficial to control BBTD. Removal ofdiseased banana plants and replant with virus freebanana plants leads to effective managementstrategy. Cultural practices also play a veryimportant role in aphid management. Destructionof wild or unattended patches of bananas is mustto control aphids. A large population of bananaaphids can grow on them and the wild patcheswhen infected can serve as a serious and constantsource of diseases for farms and residentialneighborhoods. Maintenance of good weedcontrol in the banana patches can help in aphid



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control. Some weeds may host the banana aphidor other banana pests. Aphids prefer to feed onyoung banana suckers so the banana mats shouldbe pruned of all unwanted suckers.

Eradication:

Eradication is being done by digging andburning of diseased plants and suckers in the field.The herbicide picloram (Keipin frimulation)effectively eradicate diseased banana with nodetrimental effects to adjacent plants. Thistechnique, coupled with a routine monitoringprogramme, promises to be an effectively methodfor reduction of BBTD. The formulation allowsfor precise placement of the herbicide with nonoticeable effects on adjacent vegetation. Itpermits selective eradication within a plantation,which can be rapidly followed by plant treatment.

Biological Control:

Biological control may be used to suppressaphid population in some situation. Ladybirdbeetle (Coccinella septumpunctata) has predatorypotentialities on banana aphid, Pentalonianigronervosa. Introduction of aphid parasitoidsas bioagents leads to a good aphid control.Introduction of the polyphagous parasitoid(Aphidius colemani) can be used to control

banana aphids. Frequent use of insecticide spraycan have a negative, detrimental effect upon aphidpredators and parasites. Ants should be controlledas they aggressively protect the aphids from theirnatural enemies and they feed upon the sweethoneydrew that aphids produce. Boric acid baitscan be used for ant control.

Resistant Cultivars:

Resistance cultivars to BBTV would bemost effective means of disease management.Unfortunately, there are no known commercialcultivars of banana that are immune to BBTV.Transgenic virus resistance, based on virus-derived transgenic, is a good strategy forcontrolling viruses.

Chemical Control:

Treating the suckers at the time of plantingwith malathion @ 0.2%and mancozeb @0.3%may reduce the pest attack and Spray the cropwith power kerosene or malathion in the afectedpseudostem andapex of the plant around thecentral leaf at 60 and 90 days after planting.

Nirakar Ranasingh is a Specialist in Plant Protection,Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Rayagada, Gunupur, Orissa

Smt. Anita Agnihotri, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Textile & Handloom Departmentbriefing the press on National Handloom Expo-2007 on 9.1.2007


DIGAMBAR MOHANTY, I.A.S. BAISHNAB PRASAD MOHANTYCommissioner-cum-Secretary Director-cum-Joint Secretary

Editorial BoardSASANKA SEKHAR PANDA

BIBEKANANDA BISWALCHITTARANJAN PATI

Editorial AssistanceDebasis PattnaikSadhana Mishra

Cover Design & IllustrationManas R. Nayak

D.T.P. & DesignHemanta Kumar Sahoo

Manoj Kumar Patro

PhotoRaju Singh

Manash Ranjan Mohanty

The Orissa Review aims at disseminating knowledge and information concerning Orissa ssocio-economic development, art and culture. Views, records, statistics and informationpublished in the Orissa Review are not necessarily those of the Government of Orissa.

Published by Information & Public Relations Department, Government of Orissa,Bhubaneswar - 751001 and Printed at Orissa Government Press, Cuttack - 753010.For subscription and trade inquiry, please contact : Manager, Publications, Information& Public Relations Department, Loksampark Bhawan, Bhubaneswar - 751001.

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ORISSA REVIEWVOL. LXIII NO. 7 & 8 FEBRUARY-MARCH - 2007


CONTENTS

Biju Patnaik : His Vision of Panchayati Raj Dr. Shridhar Charan Sahoo ... 1

Effectiveness of Panchayati Raj Systems, Problems andNational Declaration Harihar Sethy ... 8

Panchayati Raj : Grassroots Democracy Siddhartha Dash ... 11

Laxman Naik - The Immortal Martyr of Quit IndiaMovement Braja Paikaray ... 14

Biju - A Living Legend Jayakrishna Tripathy ... 16

The Biju Phenomenon Prof. Surya Narayan Misra ... 19

Eminent Freedom Fighter-Biju Patnaik Pabitra Mohan Barik ... 21

Agricultural Labour in India - A Close Look Dr. Kulamani Padhi ... 23

Agricultural Credit : A Core Component of RuralDevelopment Prafulla Chandra Mohanty ... 29

Pre-historic Archaeology of Undivided Phulbani Raghunath Rath ... 33

Alternative Strategies for Promoting Children'sLiterature Prof. Jagannath Mohanty ... 37

What are they ? Dr. R.S.N. Murty ... 40

Winged Guests of Winter Balabhadra Prasad Das ... 41

Vision Orissa : 2036 Dr.Bharati Mohapatra ... 44

Cuttack City : Promotion of Education in Orissain the Pre-Independence Era Dinabandhu Dehury ... 48

Nineteenth Century Ports of Balasore Manas Kumar Sahoo ... 56

Attainment of Excellence Through Higher Education Dr. Jyotsnarani Kuanr ... 59

Bhitarkanika : A Unique Destination for Nature Lovers Prabhukalyan Mohapatra ... 64

Progressive Action Against Child Labour in India Subrata Sarkar ... 67

Newspaper Libraries in Orissa R.K. Mahapatra ... 74

Field Diagnosis and Management of Banana BunchyTop Disease Nirakar Ranasingh ... 78


Prelude.....Orissa Review

The concept of Panchayati Raj system dates back to early part of human civilisation. Peopleforming a group were mitigating all problems through mutual consultation and agreement.During Rig-Vedic period 'Grama' was formed by a number of families. The popular bodies ofthis grama were called as 'Sabha' and 'Samities'. The presiding officer of this body wasknown as 'Sabhapati' and its members as 'Sabhasad'. Common problems were addressedproperly through these sabha and samities. The autonomy of village community has vividlybeen described in the 'Arthasastra' of Kautilya. In the post-independence era the idea of arural local self-government was revived in India. Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Nationwas an exponent of the revival of village panchayats. In Orissa, the democratic de-centralization through devolution of power was vigourously pursued by the former ChiefMinister, Biju Patnaik. In restructuring the districts of Orissa, empowering women underthree-tier Panchayati Raj system and transferring the basic delivery mechanism into thehands of the people, Biju Patnaik played a pioneering role in the whole country. On theauspicious occasion of Panchayati Raj Day, Orissa Review pays humble tribute to thislegendary leader.

The process of Panchayati Raj election has recently been completed in Orissa.Institutions at the grass roots now have people's representatives. This signals thestrengthening of the Panchayati Raj system in our state. Initiatives of rural developmentwill certainly be more targeted keeping the local needs and aspirations in view. Peopleliving in rural areas will participate in the process of development in a pro-active manner.Many changes on account of uniform development process are in the offing. Orissa Reviewin its present issue has tried to present the concept of Panchayati Raj and its implementationin Orissa by the peoples representatives in a succinct form. We hope esteemed readers ofOrissa Review may find it interesting and useful.

(Digambar Mohanty)Commissioner-Cum-Secretary


1


Biju Patnaik : His Vision of Panchayati Raj

Dr. Shridhar Charan Sahoo

Biju's vision of Panchayati Raj, a bird's eye-viewof relevant dimensions of Panchayati Raj Systemin India and Orissa appears necessary.

The institution of Panchayati Raj has beendesigned as a systematic scheme for the devolutionof power to the lower rungs of administration.Such democratic decentralization of power andresponsibility was to build up democracy fromthe grassroots. The Balwantray Mehta Committee

Report (1957) provided thegenesis for the three-tier systemof Panchayati Raj (GramPanchayat in Village level,Panchayat Samiti in Block leveland Zilla Parishad in district level).For the first time, it provided foran integrated approach to ruraldevelopment.1

However, the institution ofPanchayati Raj is nothing new sofar as our country is concerned.There were Panchayati Raj lawsin many parts of India. But

unfortunately, the functioning of those institutionsremained far from satisfactory. Often they stoodsuperceded. Mahatma Gandhi, a great votary ofthe Panchayati Raj institutions treated villages asunits of his visualized polity. Art. 40 of theConstitution vibrated this Gandhian spirit when itsaid, "the State shall take steps to organize village

Biju Patnaik, our late and beloved Chief Minister,was not a political scientist or an armchair theoriston the Panchayati Raj System. He has not leftbehind any systematic theory of democraticdecentralization of power and responsibility tobuild up democracy at the grassroots level.However, he had a vision of his own on thePanchayati Raj System and rural development.As it were, he had deep faith in the power of thepeople and great confidence intheir ability to participate in theprocess of governance and in theprocess of development at thegrassroots level. In manyrespects, he was far-sighted in histhinking so far as Panchayati RajSystem or rural development wasconcerned. His conceptualizationof Panchayat industries in 1960sduring his first spell of ChiefMinistership is a brilliant epitomeof his dynamism and vision. Inrespect of his decision to reserve1/3rd of seats for women inPanchayat Raj institutions during his second spellof Chief Ministership in 1990s, he emerged as apioneer in India. His message in this regard wasimplemented in the 73rd Constitution AmendmentAct of 1992. Here, an attempt has been made togive some shape to his ideas and vision andsystematize them. To understand and appreciate



2

panchayats and endow them with necessaryauthority to function as units of self-government."

Hardly any attention was paid to actualizethe spirit behind Article 40 until Prime MinisterRajiv Gandhi took some serious interest andinitiative to bring forward a constitutionalamendment. Even though the proposedamendment of Rajiv Gandhi could not be madeduring his regime it became a reality duringNarsimha Rao's regime. In this connection, theConstitution (73rd Amendment) Act 1992 andthe Constitution (74th Amendment) Act, 1992are remarkable milestones in the evolution of localself-government institutions in India. Whereas the73rd Amendment Act gave constitutionalrecognition and protection to the Panchayats, the74th Amendment Act accorded this recognitionto the Municipalities.

As per the 73rd Amendment Act, a three-tier system of Panchayati Raj is envisaged in everystate. Panchayats have to be elected directly bythe people as is done in case of popular houses inthe Union and State level. These Panchayatscannot remain superceded for long and freshelections would have to be held within six monthsof the dissolution of the Panchayat. Over andabove, seats would be reserved for women. Thereshall be a fixed five-year term for all Panchayats.They shall have their own budget, power oftaxation and list of items in their jurisdiction. Intheir respective areas, the Panchayats shall be ableto formulate their own development plans andimplement them. Every state shall have a StateElection Commission for the conduct of PanchayatElections. Every five years, a State FinanceCommission shall also be constituted to study theeconomic condition of the Panchayats.2

It was hoped that it would begin 'a newera of real representative and participatorydemocracy' with nearly three and half millionelected representatives - one-third of them women- being involved in governance all over India

would bring power to the people where itbelonged.3

Biju Babu and the Panchayati Raj SystemIn Orissa, the three-tier system of

Panchayat Raj was introduced in 1959 with thepassing of the Panchayat Samiti and Zilla ParishadActs. But prior to this, Panchayats werefunctioning at the village level in our Stateaccording to Orissa Panchayat Act of 1948. Withthe introduction of Panchayati Raj in Orissa, thePanchayats in the village level were noworganically linked up with the Panchayat Samitiesand Zilla Parishads.4 As per the new PanchayatSamiti and Zilla Parishad Acts of 1959, electedPanchayat Samities and elected Zilla Parishadswere formed in January 1961 and March 1961respectively. In the Block level, the B.D.O.remained under the non-official elected Chairmanof the Panchayat Samiti. The Zilla Parishads alsostarted working under the elected Chairman.5

Thus these three-tier systems of Panchayat RajInstitutions were introduced in Orissa in the year1961.6

This was the year when Biju Patnaikbecame the Chief Minister of Orissa. Hefunctioned as Chief Minister from 23.06.1961 to02.10.1963 apart from his second spell as ChiefMinister from 5.3.1990 to 15.3.95. This first spellof Biju's Chief Ministership in 1960s brings outhis mind set and vision on this great experimentof democratic decentralization of power andresponsibility at the grassroots level. His vision ofrural development through the PanchayatIndustries Scheme which is an importantdimension of the work of Panchayati Rajinstitutions also comes out in bolder reliefepitomizing his far-sighted and development -oriented mindset.

Biju's speech delivered in Orissa LegislativeAssembly on November 20, 1961 is a valuablepiece of literature, which shows his democratic


3


mind and vision on this great experiment ofPanchayati Raj.

In his view, Panchayati Raj constitutes the'People's Parallel Executive Apparatus'. He haddeep faith that this parallel executive apparatusmade up of the representatives of the commonpeople could perform better than our presentadministrative apparatus' in carrying outdevelopment work.

Biju was a unique mass leader who livedand moved, and had his being in the context ofthe hopes and aspirations of his people. He calledupon the members of the Orissa LegislativeAssembly to share his trust and confidence in thepeople and in their elected representatives underthe Panchayati Raj system. As he said on thePanchayat movement : 'we are on the thresholdof a very great experiment, perhaps the lastexperiment whether we can trust our people ornot, whether our people with proper guidance andassistance can prove to be more efficientcollectively than our present administrativeapparatus ..'.

Biju Babu was a committed exponent of'democratic decentralization or Panchayati Raj asis popularly known in our country' which aims atmaking democracy real by 'bringing millions intothe functioning of their representative governmentat the lowest level'. He realized that this movementcan only succeed if 'we give that authority to peopleright down from the bottom of our social ladderwho can exercise effective leadership'. It is 'apeople's movement' he said. Leadership buildingor 'building up leaders of men from the lowestrung of our society' was what he conceptualizedin his vision of Panchayati Raj.

Biju was dead-against any directinterference in the normal administration of theGram Panchayat Movement either by the MLAsor MPs. What he said in his own words wouldunravel the man and his vision of Grama PanchayatMovement in the most befitting manner. As he

articulated his vision : " .. I do not see anyreason why the members of this House orParliament should have any direct interference inthe normal administration of the Gram PanchayatMovement. We, from this house by our ownjudgment, are creating a child, a new democraticchild with the hope that with the growth of thischild it would be able to develop the leadershipwhich our people need; the leadership ofexecution . In the process of development, Isubmit that we would hamper if we do not allowthat development movement to grow in its ownway without attempting directly to interfere ordirectly interest ourselves in the affairs of thatmovement whereas I heartily welcome theassociation of the members of this House in thedeliberations of the committees of PanchayatSamiti and Zilla Parishad, I would not like thatmembers of this house would participate in theelections or the voting of the office bearers of thePanchayat Samities and Zilla Parishad or evenvote for a decision of some creative activities orthe locations of such activities. It would not beproper that this house which has given rise to amovement with one hand and would take thepowers and its own apparatus of developmentby another hand. It would be wrong in principle;it would be wrong in concept'.

Biju Babu apprised the broad democraticethics and ethos of the Panchayati Raj Movementto members who felt apprehensive of their statusand position sans voting right or power of directdeliberation in the PRIs. He also addressed totheir aggrieved concern that Sarpanchs andPanchayat Samities could execute theirdevelopment agenda 'withoutany reference' tothem or any consultation with them. He said tothem : "I would like to tell those Hon'ble memberswho think on those lines that we are taking aterrible restricted view of a movement to whichwe ourselves give birth. I would like the Hon'blemembers to think with me and feel with me thatwe are unleashing or attempting to unleash thegreatest latent powers of the people by giving an



4

authority to Panchayati Raj conceived by theFather of the Nation long long ago, we havealready originated this idea and this thought. Weare merely trying to give it some shape. Let usnot pollute that idea by trying to put our fingers inthe heart of that movement by trying to directlyintervene.7

As indicated earlier, the three tiers ofPanchayati Raj Institutions were introduced inOrissa in the year 1961. 'By the end of 1961, asmany as 13 Zilla Parishads and 314 PanchayatSamities started functioning and through theserepresentative institutions development plans andprogrammes were implemented. It is to note thatSarpanchs were called as Chief Ministers of theirGram Panchayat.8

Biju Babu as a progressive and dynamicChief Minister of 1960s, seriously pondered overthe problem of poverty in the rural areas and itseradication. For this, he conceptualized aninnovative scheme of agriculture based smallindustries to be implemented in Mofusil or ruralareas under different Panchayats. Out of thisconceptualization was born the scheme ofPanchayat Industries. It was the brain-child of Bijuepitomizing his dynamism and vision in the realmof rural development.

Under this innovative scheme of PanchayatIndustries, seven sugar mills, twenty tile makingunits, ten carpentry units, ten small foundries, apaper mill and factories based on agriculturalproducts were established in a single year.9

In adopting this idea of PanchayatIndustries, he had an idea to industrialize eachBlock in due course, to utilize the availableresources and to generate employment for therural people.

To encourage and promote this scheme forindustrialization at the Block level, a number ofprizes were declared for every district and thePanchayats were called upon to compete inimplementation of development programmes in

their areas. Those Panchayats and PanchayatSamities which showed excellence were givenprize money, that ranged between Rs.25000 toRs.1 lakh. It was no small amount at the time forsmall-scale industries. Over and above, thosePanchayats and Panchayat Samities which wonprize money could avail of loans fromCooperative Banks and other capital investingfinancial institutions to establish small scaleindustries. That apart, the three revenue divisionsof Orissa declared prize money of one crore eachfor the best Panchayat Samity for its achievementin development and industrialization.

It was an innovative scheme of ruraldevelopment and a practical village based povertyeradication programme. By conceptualizing thisscheme in 1960s he became the torchbearer ofthe 'Garibi Hatao' programme subsequentlynurtured by Mrs Indira Gandhi. This PanchayatIndustries Scheme was greatly admired by thePlanning Commission of India and wasrecommended as a model to be followed by otherStates. Many lecturers in the faculty of economicstook it up as a research project for the award ofPh. D Degree. Even, journalists of repute madespecial study of this scheme and published articles.It was said : "It will complement in a good measurethe back to the village call of Gandhiji".10

This scheme of Panchayat Industries of Bijuin the arena of rural development in the grassrootslevel was greatly admired by no less a personthan Chester Bowles, the then ambassador ofU.S.A. in India. He highlighted, it in his reputedbook 'Making of a Great Society and significantlysaid that had this scheme been properly pursuedand implemented, Orissa would have achievedthe same excellence with Japan in the field ofindustrialization.11

Apart from Chester Bowles, Jaya PrakashNarayan was also attracted by this innovativescheme of Panchayat Industries. He came downto Orissa as Biju's honoured Guest and stayed atTulasipur to study this scheme.12


5


This Panchayat Industries scheme of Bijuacquired an importance of its own in the nationallevel. It was said that "if Balwant Rai Mehta wasthe father of Panchayat Raj, then Biju Patnaik isthe father of Panchayat Industries in India.

This scheme of Panchayat Industries hasbeen rightly considered as 'a unique scheme meantto eradicate rural unemployment'. Bengalis say'what Bengal thinks to-day, India thinkstomorrow'. In the same vein we can say whatBiju thinks today, India thinks decades after'. Asit were, Biju thought of eradicating unemploymentthrough small scale and cottage industries in1960s. On the other hand, Govt. of India startedwork in the second part of 1970s and establishedDistrict Industries Centres for development ofsmall-scale village industries. Biju took up aprogramme of constructing tile-roof houses andprovision of tap water in villages during 1960swhen he was Chief Minister. Even though it wascriticized by the Opposition Parties and the socalled economists and intellectuals, it was arevolutionary social security and social justice -conferring measure in rural areas epitomizing theBiju vision of 1960s. The Indira AwasProgramme and the Govt. of India Plan ofproviding safe drinking water in villages, beingstressed upon now was thought of, by Biju in1960s.14 That simply speaks of the man and hisfar-sighted vision.

Thus, Biju was the first leader to take verybold steps in regard to grassroots leveldemocracy. In early 1960s as Orissa's ChiefMinister, he restructured the rural and urban localbodies with suitable amendments in the existingActs of 1948, 1959 and 1960.15

Biju Babu became Chief Minister of Orissaon 5.3.1990 and functioned in this august officeupto 15.3.1995. During this second phase asChief Minister of Orissa in 1990s, Biju Babuwanted to broad-base and enrich Indiandemocracy by ensuring political participation of

women in the three-tier Panchayat RajInstitutions. He wanted to see that women becomepartners in the decision-making processconcerning development. For this, he made Orissathe laboratory of his new experiment. Instead ofsermons and slogans he saw to it that womenwere given thirty-three percent reservation in thethree-tier Panchayat Raj institutions in Orissa.True to his vision, the Orissa Assembly passedthe three Panchayat Raj Bills, the Orissa ZillaParishad Bill 1991, the Orissa Panchayat Samiti(amendment bill 1991) and the Orissa GramPanchayat Bill 1991 in March 199116 providingthirty-three percent of reservation for womenincluding SC and ST women.

In this respect he was the pioneer - thebeacon-blaze as no other State or evenGovernment of India took any such step of womenempowerment in PRI institutions till then.

What is significant is that 73rd and 74thConstitution Amendment Acts of 1992 providedfor similar provisions in rural and local bodies.Biju led and India followed.

Thus, Orissa became 'the first State tostreamline the Panchayati Raj and Local-selfgovernment institutions to make democracyparticipatory and not the aristocracy of a fewnitpicking intellectuals.17

In this connection, it may be said that 'since1990, Biju's government took steps to revive the3-tier Panchayat Raj system in order to strengthengrassroots democratic institutions. Under Biju'sleadership, the Orissa Gram Panchayat Act 1964and the Orissa Panchayat Samities Act 1959were amended in 1991, 1992 and 1993. TheOrissa Zilla Parishad Act 1991 was also enactedin 1991 to constitute Zilla-Parishads at the districtlevel. This act has been extensively amended - tobring it in conformity with the provisions of theConstitution Amendment Act 1992.18 It also addsto the credit of Biju's government that 'after a lapse



6

of eight years', it conducted elections to GramPanchayats in the year 1992 for 5264 GramPanchayats in the State.19

Some salient features of Gram Panchayat,Panchayat Samities and Zilla Parishad deservemention as these were the outcome of theamendments made during Biju's ChiefMinistership to which we have referred.

In case of Gram Panchayat three mentionablepoints are

(a) 'The post of Naib Sarpanch is reserved forthe women members, if the Sarpanch is a male';

(b) 'One third of the total wards are reservedfor women candidates including S.C. and S.T.women candidates';

(c) Gram Panchayats have been vested withthe power of supervision of women and childwelfare programme, social forestry, rural housing,small scale industries and public distributionsystem in addition to other normal functions.20

As regards Panchayat Samities thefollowing features deserve mention :

(a) One third of the total seats are reservedfor women members including women membersof S.C. and S.T. Category.

(b) Provision has been made to the office ofthe Vice Chairman for a woman in case theChairman is a male.

The Zilla Parishad ceased to exist in thestate with effect from 1968. The StateGovernment enacted the Orissa Zilla ParishadAct, 1991, in order to transfer the power ofplanning, control and supervision ofdevelopmental activities to Zilla Parishads at thedistrict level'. Obviously, credit is due to BijuPatnaik for reviving Zilla Parishads and endowingthem with power in the district level. After theenforcement of the Constitution Amendment Act,

1992, it became necessary to amend the OrissaZilla Parishad Act,1991.

The following features after necessarychanges need mention:(a) Reservation of seats for S.C. and S.T.members has to be done on the basis of their ratioto the total population of the districts.(b) One third of the seats are to be reservedfor women members including S.T. and S.C.women.(c) The post of Vice-President should bereserved for women if the President is not awoman.21

The State law has provided that no personhaving more than two children will be eligible tocontest in the election to Zilla Parishad. Similarlypersons having more than one spouse have beendisqualified from contesting the election.22

It is also said that the government of BijuPatnaik set up quite a few commissions of financefor the Panchayat Raj Institutions in order to offermethods and mechanisms for resource fundingthus unleashing some purpose to thedecentralization of power.23

Thus Orissa under Biju Patnaik became thefirst State to streamline the Panchayat Raj andLocal-self government institutions. That hisgovernment held election after a lapse of eightyears in Gram Panchayats showed Biju'scommitment to restore status and dignity to thisvaluable unit of self-government at the grass-rootlevel. In a way, the amendments to GramPanchayat, Panchayat Samiti and Zilla ParishadActs in Orissa in his second spell as Chief Ministerbear the mark of his farsighted personality - as apath indicator in respect of empowerment ofwomen in the Panchayati Raj system. The areaof participation was not only expanded and mademeaningful through association and empowermentof women under Biju's inspiration; he also


7


rejuvenated the Panchayati Raj and local self-government institutions to function as meaningfulunits of self-government by endowing them withpower and authority in the process ofdevelopment. It may be recalled that he had alsorejuvenated the Panchayati Raj Institutions in the1960s and described each Sarpanch as ChiefMinister of his Panchayat.24

Conclusion :We have before us the vision of Biju Babu

on the Panchayati Raj system or the scheme ofdecentralization of power to make rural self-govt.a real experience. He prioritized the imperativenecessity of actualizing people's power ingovernance and development at the grass-rootlevel. The 73rd constitution amendment act of1992 also seeks to take this great experiment ofPanchayati Raj to greater heights of democraticexcellence. To what extent, the Biju vision or 73rdAmendment guidelines have been implementedin both letter and spirit and at all levels is the milliondollar question. Let Orissa - my beloved Orissabe the best model in this great democraticexperiment which Biju wanted it to be.

References :1. B. C. Das, 'Zilla Parishads in Orissa' Ed. A. P.

Padhy, Indian State Politics, B. R. PublishingCorporation, Delhi,1985, p.298.

2. Subhas Chandra Kashyap, Our Constitution,National Book Trust, New Delhi, 2005 pp.337-338.

3. Ibid.4. P. K. Deb, 'Working of Panchayati Raj in Orissa'

Indian State Politics, Op. cit., P.256.5. Ravindra Mohan Senapati, (Orissare Prashasanik

Byabastha', Sahitya Sangraha Prakashan,Cuttack, 2003, p.165.

6. Annual Report 2003-2004, Panchayat RajDepartment, Government of Orissa p.2.

7. Excerpts from Orissa Legislative AssemblyDebates, Vol.I, No.33, 1961 speech delivered inOrissa Legislative Asembly on November 20,1961, Orissa Review, March 1993 J1-247B OrissaState Archives, Bhubaneswar.

8. Ravindra Mohan Senapati, 'State Politics & StateGovernments in Orissa - A study of the period1936 to 2003, Oriya Foundation, Satyanagar,Bhubaneswar, 2003 pp.47-48.

9. Debadatta Mohanty, 'Biju Patnaik : The colossalLeader of Orissa' Ed. K. P. Mohanty, LegendaryBiju : The Man & Mission, Kaveri Books NewDelhi, 2002 p.101.

10. Nilamani Routray, 'Smruti O Anubhuti, GranthaMandir, Cuttack, 1986 pp.351-352.

11. Ainthu Sahu, 'Panchayat Silpa, Biju Babu',Samay, April 18, 1997 Accession No.4 StateArchives, Bhubaneswar.

12. R. P. Shastry, Biju Patnaik - A Great Son of Orissa',Jayanti Abhinandan Grantha, Biju PatnaikJayanti Committee, Cuttack, 1987, p.95.

13. Dr. G. K. Srichandan, 'Biju Patnaik : Eka BiralaByaktitwa' Ed. Sashanka Chudamani, HeMahajivan, Biswamukhi Prakashan,Bhubaneswar, 1998 p.143.

14. Natabar Khuntia, 'Satabdira Mahanayak Biju' Ed.Natabar Khuntia Binsasatabdira Binsa Odia,Best Seller Publications, Bhubaneswar, 2002,pp.123-124.

15. Dr. Srinibas Pathi, 'Biju Patnaik & Women'sEmpowerment'. Ed. K. P. Mohanty LegendaryBiju, Op. Cit., p.139.

16. Sun Times, March 24, 1991.17. Bhaskar Parichha, 'Biju Patnaik A Political

Biography ' Har-Anand Publications, New Delhi,1995, p.108.

18. Anuradha Acharya, 'Salient Features ofPanchayat Raj in Orissa', Orissa Review, May,94, p.9.

19. Ibid.20. Ibid.21. Ibid.22. P.C.Mohanty, 'Democratic Decentralisation and

Panchayati Raj System in Orissa', An Overview',Orissa Review, June 1994 p.3.

23. Bhaskar Parichha, Op. Cit., p.108.24. Gopal Mishra, 'Tribute to a Legend' Sun Times,

April 18, 1997.

Dr. Shridhar Charan Sahoo is a Reader in PoliticalScience, Ravenshaw Junior College, Cuttack



8

Particularly, in the developing countries, to operatea highly democratic form of government, local selfgovernment institutions can play very vital role inthe process of political legitimisation and developa sense of public participation for the bestimplementation of the political as well as the socialand economic integrity of the local environments.The effectiveness of democracy greatly dependson the association of the people at diverseadministrative fields. The Panchayati Raj has beenintroduced in India with a view to associatingpeople with administration at the grassroot leveland people have been assigned an active role inthe formulation and implementation of their plans.

The Panchayati Raj has been introducedin India in pursuance of article 40 of theconstitution which directs the government to takenecessary steps to organize village panchayats andendow them with such power and authority whichmay be necessary to enable them to work as unitsof self government. Accordingly, the governmentappointed a committee, under Balwantrai Mehetawhich recommended a three-tier system of rurallocal self government institutions. On the basis ofthese recommendations, Panchayati Rajinstitutions were introduced in a number of states.Meheta's Three Tier System

The Panchayat is an executive body of thevillage ward members headed by the Sarapanch.

It mainly consists of the representatives electedby the people of the villages. There is also aprovision of two women and one schedule casteand schedule tribe if they do not get adequaterepresentation in the normal course. Thepanchayat is a body accountable to the generalbody of the villages known as Gramasabha. Asregards the main function performed by the villagepanchayat, they include maintenance of roads,wells, schools, burning and burial grounds,sanitation, public health, street lighting, libraries,reading rooms, community centres.

The panchayat also keeps records of birthand deaths. It takes necessary measures forpromotion of agriculture and animal husbandry,Cottage industries, Co-operative societies etc.Some times minor disputes among the denizensof villages are also settled by the village panchayat.

Panchayat Samitis or Block Level Bodies

The block is the intermediary in the threetier system and is the centre of developmentalwork. The panchayat samiti consist of by taking

(a) about 20 members elected by all thepanchayats in the block;

(b) two women members and one memberfrom SC and one from ST, if they do not possesadequate representation otherwise by the process.

Effectiveness of Panchayati Raj Systems,Problems and National Declaration

Harihar Sethy


9


Panchayat Samiti is headed by a chairman electedby the members of the samiti.

The main work of the panchayat samiti isto co-ordinate and to supervise various activitiesof the panchayats. It also looks after thedevelopmental aspects within it's jurisdiction.

Zilla ParishadZilla parishad is at the apex of three tier

systems and treated as the higher developmentalagency in the State. The organization of zillaparishad differs from state to state. Still, it consistsof the elected members of the panchayat samitis,members of the state legislature and parliament,medical officers of the district, district collector,officers of agriculture, veterinary, educationengineering, public works, public health etc. Beinga developmental body, its main function issupervisory within its areas. It approves budgetsof the panchayat samitis in certain states and alsogives necessary advice to the governmentregarding the implementation of programme anddevelopmental works. Besides this, it deals inmaintenance of education, dispensaries, hospitalminor education etc.

Significance of Panchayati Raj

The democratic decentralization took itsshape with a view to better administration anddevelopmental perspectives for quick ruraldevelopment and co-operations of local people.State government does not possess adequatewisdom of local affairs and problems. In thissense, it constitutes a significant contribution tothe theory and practice of nation building activitiesin the developing areas.

ProblemsDiverse and huge problems in the functions

and working patterns of the Panchayati Raj systemwhich we are facing in the day to day activitiescan be broadly described as mentioned below.

Initially, the domination of the bureaucracyover PRIs. The agent of implementation of allmajor programmes (CDP or IRDP) has alwaysbeen the State administration, various parallelbodies that have grossly undermined theimportance of the PRIs.

Secondly, inadequate financial resources tocarry out the administration is a serious problem.The grant-in-aid is the major component of thePRI revenue. The government should realize thisdifficulty and try to solve it permanently.

Besides, other major problems are alsoaffecting the structure. These are

(a) incompatible relations among the threetiers;

(b) undemocratic composition of various P.R.institutions;

(c) political bias; and

(d) un-cordial relation between officials andpeople.

National Declaration for Local SelfGovernance

In the year April 2002 there was aconference regarding Panchayati Raj held in NewDelhi. It was significant for two reasons.

(a) It diagnosed the problems of panchayats.

(b) Recommended the prescriptions which, ifimplemented, can ensure proper devolution ofpower form the State Governments to the grassroot levels.

Inaugurated by the Prime Minister, theconference was attended by 1600 elected headsof 3,40,000 panchayats from across the country.The conference called for amending theconstitution if necessary. So that the panchayatscould become autonomous both financially andfunctionally.



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The vital theme of the conference was theadoption of a 15 point recommendation or thenational declaration for local self governance. Themajor highlights include :

1. The District Rural Development Agency(DRDA) and other parallel bodies should bebrought under the control of respective ZillaParishad with the chair person of the parishad ashead.

2. The State Government should implementthe recommendations of the state financialcommissions and enable the Panchayati RajInstitutions (PRIs) to raise requisite resources.

3. The centre should provide non budgetaryresources as loans to PRIs.

4. The panchayat should have a panchayatplanning committee to advise the panchayats informulating the developmental plans

5. The district planning committee should bemade functional by December 31, 2002.

6. The centre and state will make provisionsfor training panchayat representatives

Harihar Sethy is a Research Scholar in A & AEconomics, Utkal University, Vani Vihar, Bhubaneswar.

ORIYA FILM & CULTURAL FESTIVAL AT BANGALORE

At the initiative of the Minister, Information & Public Relations Shri Debasis Nayak,an Oriya Film and Cultural Festival is being hosted at Bangalore from March 7 to 9 asa part of inter-state cultural exchange programme. Slated to be organised at the ChowdiahMemorial Hall, G.D.Park Extension under Bangalore Sangeet Nataka Akademy, theprogramme could be a gratifying experience for the thousands of non-resident Oriyas inBangalore who hunt for a taste of the language, art and culture of their own.

Earlier, this programme has been organised at Thiruvantapuram, Goa & Mumbaiwith huge success. This has helped to strengthen the cultural ties of other states withOrissa. The Orissa Information & Public Relations Department orchestrates suchcelebrations to facilitate a pan-Indian presence for Orissan art, music, culture and heritage.


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India's democratic structure has three levels ofgovernance - national or federal, state or regional,and the grassroots level called the Panchayati Rajand Nagar Palika systems. The Panchayati Rajsystem covers the village, the tehsil and the district,and the Nagar Palika system serves towns andcities. If democracy means people's participationin running their affairs, then it is nowhere moredirect, clear and significant than at the local level,where the contact between the people and theirrepresentatives, between the rulers and the ruledis more constant, vigilant and manageable. LordBryce said : "The best school of democracy andthe best guarantee for its success is the practiceof local self-government". Decentralisation is aprime mechanism through which democracybecomes truly representative and responsive. Thedemocratic ideals of decentralization,development, and increased, continuous andactive popular participation in the process ofnation-building can be secured only through theworking of an efficient system of local government.Without a well organized system of localgovernment, no democratic political system canbe expected to become stable and reallydeveloped.

Panchayati Raj : An EvolutionaryPerspective

Panchayats as institutional vehicles fordevelopment have been part of the Indian systemfor ages. In ancient times, Panchayati Raj systemprevailed during the Chola period. In fact,Rippon's Resolution of 1881 and 1882 can bebe taken to be the origin of modern localgovernment in India. It was seen as Gram Swarajby Mahatma Gandhi. Interestingly, Dr. B.R.Ambedkar was not in favour of the PanchayatiRaj institutions; yet, he agreed to give it a place inthe Constitution of India in Part IV throughDirective Principles of State Policy.

In the year following the independence(1947), Prime Minister Nehru inaugurated theCommunity Development Programme (CDP) onthe birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi(October 2) in 1952.

The CDP was followed by the NationalExtension Service in 1953. NES blocks wereearmarked as the lowest unit of development ofadministration. But both the programmes had aflaw : neither of the two was free from the controlof bureaucracy. This shortcoming prompted thegovernment to appoint a committee headed byBalwant Ray Mehta in 1957. The committeerecommended a three-tier system of Panchayati

Panchayati Raj : Grassroots Democracy

Siddhartha Dash



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Raj from village to the district level - GramPanchayat at the village level, Panchayat Samitiat the block level and Zilla Parishad at the districtlevel.

As per the Balwant Ray Mehta CommitteeScheme, Panchayati Raj was launched on 2ndOctober 1957 in Nagaur district of Rajasthan.Andhra Pradesh and many state governmentsfollowed Rajasthan. Yet, by the mid-sixties thehype to strengthen the Panchayati Raj Institutions(PRIs) gave way to a growing tendency ofcentralization and the PRIs descended to groundzero.

In 1977, the Janata Government tried torevive the PRIs. Accordingly a committee headedby Ashok Mehta was appointed to review theworking of the PRIs.

The committee suggested a minor changein the Balwant Ray Mehta Scheme. The three-tier system of PRIs was to be replaced by a two-tier i.e. Zilla Parishad at the district level andMandal Panchayat (consisting of a number ofvillages) below it. In addition, the committee alsorecommended the creation of Nyaya Panchayat.

However, owing to the disintegration of theJanata Government in 1980, the recommen-dations of the Asoka Mehta Committee could notbe implemented. (Though Karnataka Govt.established mandal Panchayats). For the next fiveyears or so, no progress was made.

One committee under the chairmanship ofG.V.K. Rao reported in 1985, suggestingappropriate improvement in the representativecharacter and strengthening of the capability ofthe people's representatives and administrativepersonnel in the PIRs. In 1986, the L.M. SinghviCommittee of the Department of RuralDevelopment, Government of India,recommended constitutional status for Panchayati

Raj. In July-August 1989 the then Congressgovernment introduced the 64th ConstitutionalAmendment Bill with a view to streamline thePanchayati Raj. However, the bill was defeatedin the Rajya Sabha. V.P. Singh government alsotried to push a bill in 1990 on Panchayati Raj, itlapsed with the dissolution of the Lok Sabha.

Panchayati Raj under the 73rd ConstitutionalAmendment

At last P.V. Narasimha Rao's governmentenacted the 73rd Constitutional Amendment,which was passed by Parliament on 23rdDecember 1992 and became effective on 24thApril 1993. This Act has added Part - IX to theConstitution of India. It is entitled as 'ThePanchayats' and consists of provisions fromarticles 243 to 243-0. The Act has given apractical shape to Article 40 of the Constitutionand gives a constitutional status to Panchayati RajInstitutions. The Constitutional Amendmentensures, a three tier structure at the zilla, blockand village levels, an election commission to holdelection periodically, a state level financecommission to find out ways and means toincrease resources for local bodies, reservationof 1/3 of seats in all the position of the three tierfor women, reservation of seats for SC/ST inproportion to their population in all the positionsof the three tiers, establishment of Gram Sabhafor enhancing people's participation for their owndevelopment, and establishment of planningcommittee for local bodies; and an earmarkedlist of 29 items under 11th schedule.

Now, the world's most populousdemocracy has the constitutionally mandated2,32,332 village panchayats, 6,000 intermediatepanchayats and 534 zilla panchayats. The threetiers of these elected bodies consist of as manyas 27, 75, 858 village Panchayat members,1,44,491 members of intermediate panchayats


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and 15,067 members of zilla panchayats. This isthe broadest representative base which exists inany country of the world. (India Panchayati RajReport, 2001, NIRD). Besides breadth, depthof these figures can be gauged from the fact thatmore than fifty percent of these grassrootrepresentatives are from the downtrodden andmarginalized sections of the society, namelywomen (one third of the total), the SCs, STs andOBCs (as per their proportion of the population).

This kind of constitutional provision hascreated a scope for accomplishing developmentwith social justice, which is mandate of the newPanchayat Raj system. The new system brings allthose who are interested to have voice in decisionmaking through their participation in PanchayatRaj Institutions. The Panchayati Raj system isbasis for the "Social Justice" and "Empowerment"of weaker section on which the developmentinitiative have to be built upon for achievingoverall, human welfare of the society.

Problems and Prospects of Panchayati RajInstitutions

To reach a viable Panchayat three hurdleshave to be overcome. These have remained whatthey always have been.

First, is the domination of the bureaucracyover the PRIs. The agent for implementation ofall major programmes (CDP or IRDP, to name afew) has been the bureaucracy. Various parallelbodies such as the DRDA have grosslyundermined the importance of the PRIs. Eitherthey have to be disbanded or made accountableto the PRIs.

Second, is the lack of adequate financialresources to carry out the administration. Grant-

in-aids is the major component of the PRIsrevenue. This need to be supplemented with theadequate collection of taxes by the PRIs and acompulsory transfer of some of the stategovernment's revenue on the recommendation ofthe state finance commission duly established forthe purpose.

The last hurdle is related to the lack oftraining programmes for the participants of thePRIs. Without proper training, they lack thedirection and know-how of the administration.

To conclude, admitting that the PRIs inIndia are weak and assuming that it will not besmooth sailing for them even after the 73rdAmendment, they do have an important role toplay in India's development. Already, the PRIshave several achievements to their credit. Theseinstitutions have enhanced the politicalconsciousness of the people and initiated aprocess of democratic seed drilling in the Indiansoil. What the government should attempt nowis gradually to delimit the role of bureaucracy, topromote local leadership, to remove structuraldeficiencies, encourage PRIs to strengthen theirfinancial resources, bring in effective coordinationamong these institutions and between PRIs andthe state governments and give them effectivepowers in relation to planning and itsimplementation. For this, the will to decentraliseand delegate, on the part of the state governments,is a prerequisite. Action on these lines is the leastthat is expected of the rulers proclaiming their faithin and loyalty to Gandhian principles.

Siddhartha Dash lives at N4-205, IRC Village,Bhubaneswar-15



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Laxman Naik, the well known martyr of QuitIndia movement, though a tribal by birth and wasfar away from modern education and urbansociety, had joined the historic movement inresponse to Gandhiji's call "Do or Die". He foughtfor truth, non-violence, justice, and gave his lifeheroically on the gallows set upby the imperialist BritishAdministration.

Laxman was born in theyear 1893 to Sri Madhab Naikof village Tentuligumma near thebanks of River Kolab and underMathili Police Station in theKoraput district of Orissa,which abounds in flora andfauna. In his earlier child-hood,he learnt the witch craft, huntingand the art of herbal medicinaltreatment. By the application ofherbal medicine, Laxman couldcure the diseases of the peopleand thereby gained theirconfidence and love. Laxmancould notice the sorrowful plight of the peopleunder the British Raj and made up his mind tofight back against the oppression and tyranny ofthe foreign rulers. He believed that Swarajya couldbe attained only through non-violent methods and

therefore joined the training centre of Nuaputvillage. He learned the spinning and listened tothe speeches of the Congress Leaders with raptattention and followed the strict Gandhianprinciples in his daily life.

On 1st August 1942 the All India Congresscommittee passed the famous"Quit India" resolution andgave a call for mass struggleunder Gandhiji's leadership. Onthe same night Gandhijideclared :-

"I am not going to be satisfiedwith any thing short of completefreedom. Here is a mentra, ashort one that I give you. TheMantra is "Do or Die". Weshall either free India or die inthe attempt. We shall not liveto see the perpetuation of ourslavery."

On 9th August Gandhi andother Congress Leaders were

arrested. In Orissa, all the Congress Offices weredeclared unlawful and the movement soon spreadto rural areas. People started Satyagraha in allcorners of the State and attacked Post Offices,Police Stations and Tehsil Offices to paralyse the

Laxman Naik - The Immortal Martyr ofQuit India Movement

Braja Paikaray


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Government and force the British to quit India.The British authorities never apprehended massupsurge of this magnitude and under the slightestprovocation, resorted to lathi charge and firing.

On 21st August, 1942 Laxman respondedto Gandhiji's quit India call and alongwith hispeople started a peaceful agitation in front ofMathili Police Station defying the prohibitorylaws. The agitators tried to unfurl the national flagon Mathili Police Station and four Satyagrahiswere killed as a result of people firing. Laxman,the leader of the Satyagrahis, though not killed,was severelly wounded by the police bayonet anddue to profuse bleeding became unconscious.Considering him dead, the police left him on thewayside alongwith other dead persons. After along time, Laxman regained his consciousness andwalked 32 miles to Jaypore. He met BalabhadraPujari, a Congress worker, and stayed in his homefor some days. By Pujari's advice, Laxman wentto Ramgiri hills to hide himself from the eyes ofthe police. But, when he learnt about the policeatrocities on the people, he returned to his village.

Police got the news of Laxman's return andsorrounded his house and arrested him with hand-cuffs.

A false case was registered againstLaxman accusing him for the murder of one forestguard namely Ramaya. The Court verdict wentagainst him, although, he pleaded himself notguilty.

On 29th March 1943 Laxman was hangedin Berhampur Jail. His last words uttered beforethe execution was "When Swaraj comes, allinjustice will end."

Laxman Naik, the great patriot is no morewith us. But his brave personality and heroicstruggle will be inspiration to the youth of this landfor many years to come.

Braja Paikaray lives at 342/B, Jagamara (Barabari),Khandagiri, Bhubaneswar-751030.

ORISSA TABLEAU TOPS IN THE REPUBLIC DAY PARADEAT NEW DELHI

The tableau that represented Orissa at the Republic Day Parade - 2007 at NewDelhi has been awarded the first prize for best presentation. This is for the first time thata tableau from Orissa was conferred the top honour.

It is noteworthy to mention that the design of the tableau was conceptualised byChief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik himself. The State Information & Public RelationsDepartment crafted the tableau design with direct supervision of State Information &Public Relations Minister Shri Debasis Nayak, Commissioner-cum-Secretary ShriDigambar Mohanty and Director Shri Baishnab Prasad Mohanty.

While showcasing the traditional folkart, toy and mask crafts of Orissa, the tableaualso displayed some spectacular dances like tiger dance, horse dance, bull dance andcolourful hand-made artistic images like Nabagunjar and ten headed Ravana. Besides,the musical songs of Orissa was also adjudged another best award.



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"All the world's a stageAnd all the men and women are merely players,They have their exists and their entrancesAnd one man in his time plays many parts"

-William Shakespear-

And, there are men on this earth who makehistory by their consistent endeavour and selflessservice to mankind. Twice the Chief Minister ofOrissa, Biju Pattanaik, anepitome of courage andadventure from childhood, wasborn on 5th March 1916 in themillennium city of Cuttack atAnanda Niwas, Tulasipur. Hewas the son of an illustriousfather Laxmi Narayan Patnaikand mother Ashalata Roy. Bijuwas a brave and unchallen-geable boy, who was educatedfrom the famous CuttackCollegiate school that boasts ofSubhash Ch. Bose as one of itsillustrious alumni and then moved to Ravenshawcollege for doing his B.Sc and then joined theRoyal Air Force as a pilot. From school days,Biju was prominent for his love towards game,sports and adventure. He was also a good footballand hockey player. He was thrice Ravanshaw

College athletic champion. His Ravenshavian daysare notable and nostalgic for the interveningCuttack-Peshwar cycling. He persuaded andpampered friends, and made them agree to thisadventure freak and set out on the odyssey ofcovering 4000 kilometres. The marathon cyclingthat speaks of their dream, aspiration and ambitionis historic and sets an adventurous path breakingrecord. Ravenshaw College, infact, matured and

perpetuated the young Biju thathad an aspiring future.

Once, it so happened that hewas on the same boat withUtkalmani Pandit Gopabandhufor distribution of foodgrains andclothes for the marooned villagesof Ali-Kanika area. Due toslrong wind, Das's umbrella felldown on the swelling river andeverybody was helpless. Bijujumped into the dreaded riverand recovered the umbrella from

the swelling water. Everybody exclaimed that onlyfor the shake of one umbrella an youngman's lifewas in danger. Biju remarked, "it was not a simpleumbrella, it was Das Apane's umbrella and itcarries the fragrance of Orissa's culture in it".Pandit remarked that this small boy would be afuture statesman of India one day.

Biju - A Living Legend

Jayakrishna Tripathy


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During Biju's days, a bicycle riding was ahandsome piece of luxury and symbol ofaristocracy. But, when a helicopter touchedCuttack ground with one British military officeron ride, Biju, with his friends, was inspired toatleast touch the "Puspakjan" as it was told onthose days. Biju, the young tall boy, brimmingwith enthusiasm and ecstasy, surveyed ahead tobe as near as the helicopter as possible. Hewondered to see the magnificent white bird andwas determined to, one day, fly such an aircraftand the days were his. He became the mostsuccessful pilot even to lift president Sukarno fromJogdjakarta.

After his taking over charge as ChiefMinister of Orissa in 1961, their was flood inMahanadi delta i.e. nearly eight kms. upstreamwest of Sambalpur. The catchment area ofMahanadi was experiencing incessant rains andthe Hirakud reservoir was rising alarmingly. Thedam officials were nervous and frigid with fearthat further rains might ingress more water intodam and opening of sluice gates in dam wouldadd to the agony of the vast delta dewllersdownstream. Pressure surmounted on the ChiefMinister Biju Pattanaik to order for opening ofmore sluice gates to release more flood waters.Officers and officials flocked to him and floodedwith disastrous messages and with thecommunications received from the dam site.

But Biju, the dare devil, was firm in hisdecision. He nearly encountered un-surmountabledilemma. He could estimate the suffering andmisery, the agony and outcry of millions of peopleand livestock in coastal belt of Orissa. He couldconcieve that the danger to Hirakud dam wouldbe so much that it could wash away and wouldfail to retain the influx of water to this dam. All thebureaucrats and political people watched him insilence. But, determined in this decision, Biju

exclaimed "let us wait and see." In fact, there wasno rain in the catchment areas and no opening ofsluice gates and no havoc of the people. He wasBiju, the decisive head.

Biju, as a freedom fighter, was famous forIndia's Independence and was imprisoned onJanuary 13, 1943 and after two years of jail hewas released on parole. He could feel that onceKalinga was the most prosperous and powerfulkingdom in ancient India. In military might andmaritime activities, in trading merchandise andproducing silk and spices, in mastering Pali andSanskrit languages, in the preaching andpropagating religions like Budhisim and Jainisim,Kalinga was in its excellence. Why not today. Heformed Kalinga Airlines, Kalinga tubes, the mostcoveted Kalinga prize and built the infrastructureof Kalingan development by completing theParadeep project. The Prime Minister of IndiaPandit Nehru found the excellence in him andappointed him as the crisis manager in Indonesianfreedom movement to help the Sukarno regime.He had a formidable industrial empire of 179crore rupees with OTM, Kalinga Tubes, KalingaPipes, Kalinga Iron works at Badbil, KalingaAirlines and Kalinga Refractories. As a pilot hewas straigh and lovely. He loved to fly for themen around him and for the public. As a pilot, he



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intimately followed the foot steps of PanditJawaharlal Nehru, who always influenced andencouraged the tall pilot from Orissa.

June 23, 1961 witnessed the swearing-in-ceremony of the Kalinga Ratna Biju Patniak asChief Minister by the then Governor of OrissaSri A.N. Khosla. Biju's dream of being elevatedto the august office of Chief Minister of Orissawas a precursor to be the king of Kalinga. Themonarch of a vast and prosperous Kalingaempire. Mahamegha Bahana Aira Kharavela,Kapilendra Deva, Lalatendu Keshari and JajatiKeshari, Gajapati Ananga Bhim Dev were theancient emperors who annexed territories,expanded tread and commerce, establishedcolonies overseas in Java and Sumatra.

As Chief Minister, he dreamt of upliftingthe rural mass of Orissa including the rural womenwho lived in sheer emaciated circumstances. Toeradicate the frightening and fatiguing provety ofOrissa, massive industr ialisation andmodernization was his dream and panacea. Apartfrom his efforts for modernisation andindustrialization, what emboldened him was hispersonal proximity to Pandit Nehru, the PrimeMinister of India. With his hold and accomplishedoperation in Indonesia, he was endeared to Nehruwhich was also the cause of envy to many frontranking leaders of India. The Chinese aggressionon India on 20th October 1962 unfolded anotheropportunity to Biju. He planned military strategiesin tandem with Generals; and Marshal. B.K. Kaul,the then Army Chief was quite unequivocal inpraise to the legendary hero. Nehru wisely bankedupon Biju to chalk out operational aspect ofChinese war. At his instructions, Biju flew to USAto persuade JFK, the then president of USA, to

supply weapons and other needed equipment tofight against the Red Army. He persuaded theunion government to set up the MIG factory atSunabeda, REC, Rourkela and REC,Bhubaneswar with magnificent grant from theCentral Government. He founded the OrissaUniversity of Agriculture and Technology. Heearmarked a vast chunk of land for the REC,Rourkela with the ambitious design of making it asprawling and prestigious institute of Engineeringand Technology at par in excellence as theMassechusettes Institute of Technology in USA.

Biju was dear to every body includingBidhan Ch. Roy, Pratap Singh Kairon, MorarjiBhai Desai. G.B. Panth, S.S.Sukla and alsodearer still to the oppressed millions of Orissaand the village women under Purdda system sanseducation and social status.

He was rightly adjudged and awarded theBhumiputra Samman by the IndonesianGovernment. One thousand millions of Indiansknow Biju Patnaik as the savour of Orissa andthe builder of destiny of modern Orissa. He wasthe most prominent political figure in India andabroad. Man are born free and are made greatby dint of their act of sacrifice to the mankind.Biju Patnaik will be remembered as the KalingaKharvela for all the time to come.

Jayakrushna Tripathy lives at MIG-51, Rajiv Nagar,Aiginia, Bhubaneswar - 751019.


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Recently, former Indonesian PresidentMeghawati Sukarnoputri was on a special visitto Bhubaneswar. The visit was indicative ofemotional attachment of the family members ofthe late legendary Indonesian leader and PresidentMr. Sukarno with the family of another legendaryfigure of Orissa, late lamented Biju Patnaik. Therelationship dates back to late 1940s, when theIndonesians were carrying on their freedomstruggle against thecolonialist Dutch. It wason the advice of theIndian Prime MinisterJawahar Lal Nehru, BijuPatnaik took up thechallenging task, andsafely escorted and flewthe Indonesian leadersout of Indonesia under askilled and ingtelligentflying opeeration. Itspeaks of volume aboutthe capacity of Patnaikand also the confidence reposed in him by thePrime Minister of India.

Late Biju Patnaik belonged to a rare breedof politicians. He was a politician amongstatesmen and a statesman among politicians. Hewas and is a household name in Orissa and shall

continue to remain as same as long as the presentherd of politicans remain in currency. Thus, hehad emerged as a legendary hero during his lifetime and will continue as a phenomenon.

Biju loved adventure. The evidence of hisadventurism was writ large in his dare devil cyclejourney from Cuttack to Peshawar during hiscollege days. When top brass among the Congress

agitationists wereconfined in theAhmednagar jail, Bijucould intercept thesystem and contactedthem. Further, he couldland with the first groupof security personnelwhen Pakistan launcheda deceptive limited warto annex Kashmirimmediately afterindependence.

He was a multi-nationalfreedom fighter. Not only did he play a significantrole in the Indonesian freedom struggle, but alsoexhibited the similar enthusiasm when situation inNepal demanded action.

The institution of UNESCO-KalingaAward bore testimony to his love for science and

The Biju Phenomenon

Prof. Surya Narayan Misra



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technology. His association with JBS Haldanewas not between a politician and scientist, ratherit was between a visionary statesman who wasahead of age and class in terms of scientific temperand a research scientist.

The Balimela Dam, Paradeep Port andExpress Highway give us a taste of Biju Patnaikand the material which made such a great soul.When he led Congress to a decisive victory inthe first midtermpoll held in 1961,not only manyeyebrows wereraised in theopposition circle,but the erstwhilecoalition leadersMahtab and SinghDeo startedchoosing a newcourse in theirpolitical career -founding of JanaCongress, andmerging of princelyparty ganatantra parishad with All India Swatantraparty respectively.

Where as Jana Congress could not makea major dent in the non-Congress oppositioncircle in the country, the Utkal Congress formedby Biju could become a centre of future non-Congress formation through Pragati Party; thenBharatiya Lok Dal to Janata Party and the JanataDal.

Biju was a crisis manager. He was afrontline legislator. The remarks and observationsmade by late Patnaik on the floor of assembly

and union parliament were of quality participation.Once during Desai government, the oppositiongrilled the party in power and the then SteelMinister Biju Patnaik's strong defence of thegovernment on the floor of the House speaksabout his capacity to respond during crisissituation. V.P. Singh could become PrimeMinister because of Mr. Patnaik and the centreof the activity was Orissa Bhawan during earlyDecember 1989.

Mr. Patnaik'ssecond term asChief Minister wasof stupendouslegislative support.He personally couldcause 123 out of147 seats fall in hisbag. The samePatnaik wasrejected twice in1980 and 1985 byOrissan voters.Even Biju lost all theelections he fought

in 1971. But within less than a year he bouncedback with a record margin in the by-election heldfor the Rajnagar seat. Since then he never lostany election he fought. On couple of occasion hewas the match winner. The Biju Phenomenoncontinues unabated when a regional outfit wasconstituted under the banner - Biju Janata Dal.

Surya Narayan Misra is a Professor in the Departmentof Political Science, Utkal University.

Discussion regarding Bhubaneswar InternationalAirport with Union Aviation Minister


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Bijaya Nanda Patnaik, very well known as BijuPatnaik, is a great son of mother India. He was aman of sagacity, political wisdom, courage andhis contribution towards the freedom struggle isremarkable. He raised voice against Britishimperialism. People called him "Biju Babu" withrespect. He made significantcontribution to the social,cultural and political life ofOrissa and whole country aswell. Biju babu was a massleader. He was a born leader.Due to his heroic personalitypeople were att ractedtowards him. He was a greatpatriot and nationalist.

Biju Babu was born onMarch 5, 1916 at AnandaNivas, Tulasipur, Cuttack.Laxmi Narayan Patnaik andAshalata Ray were his fatherand mother. Biju babu was thesecond son of LaxmiNarayan's three sons. He wasvery brave from hischildhood. He studied in Ravenshaw Collegiateschool. In his school days, he was famous for hislove for games, sports and adventure. He was agood football player. Ravenshaw collegiate school

football team won the inter-school championshipfor three years when Biju babu was a key playerof the team. Then, he studied his I.Sc. and B.Sc.in Ravenshaw College, Cuttack. But, he did notappear the final exam of Bachelor Degree. Hejoined as a trainee pilot in the Royal Air Force of

British Empire. In his collegedays, a remarkableachievement of Biju babu wasa journey from Cuttack toPeshawar by cycling.Peshawar is situated in thenorth-western tip of Bharat.The city tells us about thelegends of Purus andAlexander. That city was alsothe capital of Kaniska, theBouddha emperor.

After completion of training,Biju babu joined the Royal AirForce as a pilot in 1937. Thatevent changed entire life of Bijubabu. He was inspired by themass movement from the verybegining. His mother Ashalata

Devi told him about heroic achivement of freedomfighters. In 1940 he came in contact with theeminent freedom fighters. In 1942 "Quit IndiaMovement" started by Gandhiji. That was the last

Eminent Freedom Fighter - Biju Patnaik

Pabitra Mohan Barik



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weapon of Gandhiji based on truth and non-violence against British power. The Quit IndiaResolution was passed on 8th August in theworking committee of National Congress party.After that, to supress the mass movement, theBritishers arrested the fire brand leaders of thenational movement like Mahatma Gandhi,Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Ballav Bhai Patel etc.In this critical period, the socialist leaders cameforward to fight for the motherland. Socialistleaders like Jaya Prakash Narayan, AchyutPatwardhan, Narendra Dev, Ram Manohar Lohiaand Aruna Asaf Ali took responsibility to continueagitation against the Britishers in disguise. Oneday in the time of Quit India movement,Jayaprakash Narayan met Biju babu and wantedhis co-operation and support for freedom struggle.Biju babu had great interest and respect towardsthe freedom movement and fighters. After that,Biju babu helped the national struggle in the variousways. He endeared himself to the revolutionaryactivities. Prominent freedom fighters weresecretly carried from one place to other place inhis plane. He performed his job in the nationalfreedom struggle by reaching brochures, posters,and other publicity materials to different personsand destinations. The freedom fighters carried ontheir struggle safely by the help of Biju babu. Hedid that national duty courageously. Biju babusheltered the freedom fighters who were on thehide to avoid arrest and imprisonment. Aruna AsafAli once had taken shelter at Ananda Bhawan inCuttack in the house of Biju babu. In that periodthe British Government declared a reward of 40thousand rupees to capture Aruna Asaf Ali. JayaPrakash Narayan travelled in Biju babu's planein the guise of professor Vatacharya andProfessor Banarji. By the trick of Biju babu, the

nationalist leaders freely and safely travelled inhis plane. Britishers could not arrest the aboveleaders because of trick and plans of Biju babu.In course of time, Britishers suspected him andappointed spy to watch his activities. Lastly, Britishspy came to confirm that Biju babu directly andindirectly engaged in the mass movement. Thenhe was nabbed and imprisoned on 13th January1943. He stayed in Lalkilla for some days andthen was transferred to Phirozpur. In the menatimehis elder brother requested Parala MaharajaKrushna Chandra Gajapati Dev for his release.Maharaja also discussed with Governor Generalabout the release of Biju babu. Governor Generaldid not show any interest to relase Biju babu. Aftertwo years in jail, he was released on parol in 1945.His name is associated with the war ofindependence of Indonesia. His Indonesia airvoyage and his Srinagar expedition amply displaythat he was a patriot of first order. Biju babu, bythe direction of Pandit Nehru, saved the life ofSariar Khan and Srihatta, the freedom fighters ofIndonesia. Biju babu brought them to India in hisplane from Indonesia. The colonial Dutch did notget any information about it. It proves his bravery.Biju babu dropped Indian soldiers from his planein Kashmir in 1947 when Pakistani forces andtribals attacked it. Biju babu was a great hero inthe war of Indian Independence movement.

Pabitra Mohan Bairk is a Lecturer in History, S.H.Mahavidyalaya, Madanpur, Khurda, Orissa.


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It is one of the primary objects of the Five YearPlan to ensure fuller opportunities for work andbetter living to all the sections of the ruralcommunity and, in particular, to assist agriculturallabourers and backward classes to come to thelevel of the rest.

One of the most distinguishing features ofthe rural economy of India has been the growthin the number of agricultural workers, cultivatorsand agricultural labourers engaged in cropproduction. The phenomena of under-employment, under-development and surpluspopulation are simultaneously manifested in thedaily lives and living of the agricultural labourers.They usually get low wages, conditions of workput an excessive burden on them, and theemployment which they get is extremely irregular.

Agricultural workers constitute the mostneglected class in Indian rural structure. Theirincome is low and employment irregular. Since,they possess no skill or training, they have noalternative employment opportunities either.Socially, a large number of agricultural workersbelong to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.Therefore, they are a suppressed class. They arenot organised and they cannot fight for their rights.Because of all these reasons their economic lothas failed to improve even after four decades ofplanning.

Agricultural Labour in India - A Close Look

Dr. Kulamani Padhi

This can also be seen from the PrimeMinister's speech made in Lok Sabha on August4, 1966. The Prime minister emphasized -

"We must give special consideration to the landlessagricultural labour. Although there has beentremendous progress in India since Independence,this is one section, which has really a very hardtime and which is deserving very specialconsideration."1

Seasonal unemployment is a characteristicfeature of Agricultural Industry and underemployment of man power is inherent in the systemof family farming. According to first A.L.E.C.,adult male agricultural labourers were employedon wages for 189 days in agricultural work andfor 29 days in non-agricultural work i.e. 218 dayin all. They were self-employed for 75 days.Casual male workers found employment for only200 days, while attached workers were employedfor 326 days in a year. Women workersemployed for 134 days in a year.

Unlike industrial labour, agricultural labouris difficult to define. The reason is that unlesscapitalism develops fully in agriculture, a separateclass of workers depending wholly on wages doesnot come up.

Difficulties in defining agricultural labour arecompounded by the fact that many small and



24

marginal farmers also work partly on the farms ofothers to supplement their income. To what extentshould they (or their family members) beconsidered agricultural labourers is not easy toanswer.

However, it will be useful to refer some ofthe attempts made by experts in this connection.

1. The First Agricultural Labour EnquiryCommittee 1950-55 defined AgriculturalLabourer as - "Those people who are engagedin raising crops on payment of wages"

2. The Second Agricultural Labour EnquiryCommittee 1956-57 enlarged the distribution toinclude -

"Those who are engaged in other agriculturaloccupations like dairy, farming, horticulture,raising of live-stock, bees, poultry etc. "In thecontext of Indian conditions the definition is notadequate, because it is not possible to completelyseparate those working on wages from others.There are people who do not work on wagesthroughout the year but only for a part of it.

Therefore, the first A.L.E.C. used theconcept of agricultural labour household. If halfor more members of household have wage,employment in agriculture then those householdsshould be termed as agricultural labour household.This concept was based upon the occupation ofthe worker.

The Second Committee submitted that toknow whether a household is an agriculturallabour household, we must examine its mainsource of income. If 50% or more of its incomeis derived as wages for work rendered inagriculture only, then it could be classed toagricultural labour household.

According to the National Commission onLabour "an agricultural labourer is one who is

basically unskilled and unorganised and has littlefor its livelihood, other than personal labour."

Thus, persons whose main source ofincome is wage, employment fall in this category.Mishra and Puri have stated that "All thosepersons who derive a major part of their incomeas payment for work performed on the farms ofothers can be designated as agricultural workers.For a major part of the year they should work onthe land of the others on wages."

Classification of Agricultural Labourers :

Agricultural labourers can be divided intofour categories -

1. Landless Labourers, who are attached tothe land lords;

2. Landless labourers, who are personallyindependent, but who work exclusively for others;

3. Petty farmers with tiny bits of land whodevote most of their time working for others and

4. Farmers who have economic holdings butwho have one or more of their sons anddependants working for other prosperous farmers.

The first group of labourers have been moreor less in the position of serfs or slaves, they arealso known as bonded labourers.

Agricultural labourers can also be dividedin the following manner :

1. Landless agricultural labourers

2. Very small cultivators whose main sourceof earnings due to their small and sub-marginalholdings is wage employment.

Landless labourers in turn can be classifiedinto two broad categories :

1. Permanent Labourers attached tocultivating households.


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2. Casual Labourers.

The second group can again be divided intothree subgroups :

(i) Cultivators(ii) Share croppers(iii) Lease holders.

Permanent or attached labourers generallywork on annual or seasonal basis and they workon some sort of contract. Their wages aredetermined by custom or tradition. On the otherhand temporary or casual labourers are engagedonly during peak period for work. Theiremployment is temporary and they are paid atthe market rate. They are not attached to anylandlords.

Under second group comes small farmers,who prossess very little land and therefore, hasto devote most of their time working on the landsof others as labourers. Share croppers are thosewho, while sharing the produce of the land fortheir work, also work as labourers. Tenants arethose who not only work on the leased land butalso work as labourers.

Characteristics of Agricultural Labourers

Before any attempt is made to evolve arational policy to improve the living conditions ofagricultural labours which happens to belong tothe lowest rung of social and economic ladder, itis essential to know the distinguishing featuresthat characterize agricultural labourer in India.

The main features, characterizing Indianagricultural labour are as follows :

1. Agricultural Labourers are Scattered

Agricultural labour in India is being widelyscattered over 5.6 lakh villages, of which half havepopulation of less than 500 each. And therefore,any question of building an effective organization,like that of industrial workers, poses

insurmountable difficulties. Thus as the vastnumber of agricultural labour lies scattered all overIndia, there has been no successful attempt forlong, to build their effective organization even atthe state level not to speak of the national level.

2. Agricultural Labourers are Unskilled andLack Training

Agricultural labourers, especially in smallervillages away from towns and cities, are generallyunskilled workers carrying on agriculturaloperation in the centuries old traditional wages.Most of them, especially those in small isolatedvillages with around 500 population, may not haveeven heard of modernization of agriculture.Majority of them are generally conservative,tradition bound, totalistic and resigned to theinsufferable lot to which according to them fatehas condemned them. There is hardly anymotivation for change or improvement.

Since, there is direct supervision by thelandlord, there is hardly any escape form hardwork and since there is no alternative employment.The agricultural labourer has to do all types ofwork-farm and domestic at the bidding of thelandlord.

3. Unorganised Sector

Agricultural labourers are not organizedlike industrial labourers. They are illiterate andignorant. They live in scattered villages. Hencethey could not organize in unions. In urban areasworkers could generally organize themselves inunions and it is convenient for political parties totake interest in trade union activities. This is almostdifficult in case of farm labour. Accordingly, it isdifficult for them to bargain with the land ownersand secure good wages.

4. Low Social Status

Most agricultural workers belong to thedepressed classes, which have been neglected for



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ages. The low caste and depressed classes havebeen socially handicapped and they had neverthe courage to assert themselves. They have beenlike dump-driven cattle.

In some parts of India, agriculturallabourers are migratory, moving in search of jobsat the time of harvesting. Government measuresto improve their lot by legislation have provedineffective so far due to powerful hold of the ruralelite classes in the rural economy.

5. Demand and Supply of Labour

The number of agricultural labourers beingvery large and skills they possess being meager,there are generally more than abundant supply ofagricultural labourer in relation to demand forthem. It is only during the sowing and harvestingseasons that there appears to be nearfullemployment in the case of agricultural labourers.But, once the harvesting season is over, majorityof agricultural workers will be jobless especiallyin areas, where there is single cropping pattern.

6. Less Bargaining Power

Due to all the above mentioned factors, thebargaining power and position of agriculturallabourers in India is very weak. In fact, quite alarge number of them are in the grip of villagemoney lenders, landlords and commission agents,often the same person functioning in all the threecapacities. No wonder, the agricultural labour isthe most exploited class of people of India.

7. At the Bidding of the Landlord

There is generally direct and day to day'contact between agricultural labourers and thelandlords' on whose farm they are working. Unlikeindustrial workers, this direct contact between theemployer and employees is a distinct feature ofagriculture labourer.

The above mentioned few importantcharacteristics distinguish agricultural labourers inIndia from industrial workers. Thus partly becauseof factors beyond their control and partly becauseof their inherent bargaining weakness, the farmlabourers have been getting very low wages andhave therefore to live in a miserable sub-humanlife.

Agricultural Serfs or Bonded Labourers

At the bottom of the agricultural cadre inIndia are those labourers whose conditions arenot very different from those of serfs. Agriculturalserfdom has been most prevalent in those partsof India where the lower and the depressedclasses and most in numerous. The ethniccomposition of villages which governs the socialstratification is responsible for the survival of theslavish conditions. In Gujarat, Maharashtra,Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Bihar, Orissa,Madhya Pradesh, a large aboriginal populationlive and the condition of this agricultural laboursis very much like that of slaves. These are calledin different names in different States.

The following table-3 indicates the numberof bonded labourers identified, released andrehabilitated as on 31.12.1995.

Statement showing the number of bondedlabourers identified and released as on31.12.1985 as per the reports received from theState Governments.Name of State No.of bonded Identified,

labourers freed &Rehabilitated

Andhra Pradesh 61,336 14,017Bihar 11,002 9,472Gujarat 61 38Haryana 195 21Karnataka 62,689 40,033Kerala 829 820Madhya Pradesh 4,655 2,912


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Maharashtra 772 319Orissa 41,065 27,817Rajasthan 6,813 5,770Tamil Nadu 32,581 31,591Uttar Pradesh 16,199 13,420

Total 1,93,197 1,46,230

Balance 46,967

According to 1981 census, the number ofagricultural workers was 55.4 million, which

means 22.7% of the total labour force. Similarlyas per 1991 census, the total number ofagricultural labourers was increased from 92.5million in 1981 to 110.6 million in 1991. Thismeans the percentage of agricultural labourersover total labour force, increased from 22.7 in1981 to 26.1 in 1991. This can be seen in thefollowing table.

Population and Agricultural Workers

Year Total Annual Rural Cultivators Agricultural Other TotalPopulation Compound Population labourers workers(millions) growth rate (millions)

(%)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1951 361.1 (1.25) 298.6 69.9 27.3 42.8 140.0(82.7) (49.9) (19.5) (30.6) (100.0)

1961 439.2 (1.96) 360.3 99.6 31.5 57.6 188.7(82.0) (52.8) (16.7) (30.5) (1000.0)

1971 548.9 (2.20) 439.1 78.3 47.5 54.7 180.5(80.1) (43.4) (26.3) (30.3) (100.0)

1981 685.2 (2.22) 525.5 92.5 55.5 96.6(a) 244.6(76.7) (37.8) (22.7) (39.5) (100.0)

1991@ 844.3 (2.11) 627.1 110.6 74.6 100.2 285.4(74.3) (38.8) (26.1) (35.1) (100.0)

2000 987.3 (1.02)

* Estimated population, as on 1st March 2000.

@ Figures of total/rural population include theprojected population of Assam, whereas inrespect of data on workers, Asam has beenexcluded.

(a) Includes marginal workers.

Note : Figures in brackets give percentage to total.

Source : Registrar General's Office for the data of years 1951 to 1991

Causes for the Growth of AgriculturalLabourers :

There are a number of factors responsiblefor the continuous and enormous increase in thenumber of agricultural labourers in India.

The more important among them are :1. Increase in population2. Decline of cottage industries and handicrafts



28

3. Eviction of small farmers and tenants fromland

4. Uneconomic Holdings5. Increase in indebtedness6. Spread of the use of money and exchange

system7. Capitalistic Agriculture8. Displacement of means of subsidiary

occupations9. Disintegration of peasantry10. Break-up of joint family system.

Measures taken by the Government toimprove the Conditions of AgriculturalLabourers :

The Government has shown awareness ofthe problems of agricultural workers and all plandocuments have suggested ways and means toameliorate the lot of these people. Measuresadopted by the Government for ameliorating theeconomic conditions of Agricultural labourers are1. Passing of minimum wage Act.2. Abolition of Bonded Labourers3. Providing land to landless labourers4. Provision of Housing cities to houseless5. Special schemes for providing

employmenti) Crash Scheme for Rural Employment

(CSRE)ii) Pilot Intensive Rural Employment Project

(PIREP)iii) Food for works programme (FWP)iv) National Rural Employment Programme

(NREP)v) Rural Landless Employment Programme

(RLEP)vi) Drought Prone Area Programme (It was

known as Rural Works Programme)

6. Jawahar Rojgar Yojana (which come inwith the merger of NREP and RLEGP)

7. Desert Development Programme8. National Scheme of Training of Rural Youth

for Self Employment (TRYSM)9. Development of Women and Children in

Rural Areas (DWCRA)10. Abolition of Bonded Labourer Act11. Integrated Rural Development Programme

(IRDP)

Suggestions for the Improvement ofAgricultural Labours :

The following suggestions can be made forthe improvement of the socio-economic positionof the agricultural labourers :1. Better implementation of legislative

measures.2. Improvement the bargaining position.3. Resettlement of agricultural workers4. Creating alternative sources of employment5. Protection of women and child labourers6. Public works programmes should be for

longer period in year7. Improving the working conditions8. Regulation of hours of work9. Improvements in Agricultural sector10. Credit at cheaper rates of interest on easy

terms of payment for undertaking subsidiaryoccupation.

11. Proper training for improving the skill offarm labourers

12. Cooperative farming

Dr. Kulamani Padhi is the Asst. Registrar, Dairy Co-op.Societies, Directorate of A.H. and V.S., Orissa, Cuttack.


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Agricultural Credit : A Core Component ofRural Development

Prafulla Chandra Mohanty

To reduce the broader dimension of poverty, weneed to focus on rural development, particularlyin agriculture,employment, health, education andnutrition. It is known that agriculture growth isimportant in India with around 70 percent of totalworkers still depending on this sector. The growthrate of agriculture in the last ten years has beenless than 1.5 percent per annum. It is seen fromthe past that the overall G.D.P. growth was highwhenever agriculture growth was high. Unlessagricultural growth is improved, one can't achieveG.D.P.growth of 8 percent or more andsubsequent reduction of poverty. Industry andservices also may not grow on expected lineswithout agricultural growth. The terms of tradetoo deteriorated and many farmers have beencommitting suicides in several parts of our countryfor crop failure and of low production andincreasing indebtedness.

Timely and adequate agricultural credit isimportant for increase in fixed and working capitalfor farmers. In order to provide sufficient creditto the farmers, many institutional and noninstitutional agencies are working. Underinstitutional agencies-cooperative, commercial,regional rural banks and different Governmentorganizations are supplying credit to the needyfarmers on priority basis. But, it is seen that

cooperative carries the largest network inagricultural credit supply in the country.

There is an urgent need in the era ofliberalization and globalisation to fully exploitavailable natural, material and human resources inthe most efficient and effective way. In order toexploit all these resources, it is essential to have asound financial or banking system. Even afternationalization of banks (1969), the spread ofbanking imbalance is not yet fully reduced, andinadequate growth in all levels of trade andindustries. Infact, in the rural areas, the rural orientedbanks such as PACBS, RRBS, Lead Banks etc.,are not effectively responding to the problems ofrural clients, rural industries and customers.

In the above context, a paper has beenprepared to focus on institutional agriculturalcredit, in rural India. The article also tries to givea comparative study on the credit agencies, theirproblems and ends with some suggestions forimprovement.

The study has been divided in two parts suchas the importance of agricultural development inthe economy and rural development of India andthe second part works on the supply of credit tothe agriculture as a factor of rural development.The study is based mostly on the secondarypublished data. Some of the simple mathematical



30

and statistical tools like percentages, averages etc.have been used in the study.

Importance of agriculture in India's economicdevelopment :

As described earlier, India is a country ofvillages and farmers. The share of agriculture inthe total GDP is very high (24%) in comparisonto other developed and developing nations. Whilestudying the planwise annual growth rate inagriculture with the growth rate of overall GDP.It is seen that the GDP growth is directly relatedwith the growth of agriculture sector. Again onlocating the decadal growth of agriculture since1950-51, it is seen that, this sector shows nosignificant remarks in growth. The annualcompound rate of growth remains in between 1.7percent to 3.9 percent. After globalization, thegrowth is some how reduced from 3.9% to 2.8%,which is not sufficient to achieve high rate ofgrowth and again it can be concluded in sayingthat globalization neglects agriculturedevelopment.

Productivity :

India is poor and the country is comingunder the developing category. This happens onlybecause of our low productivity in agriculture. Inthe production of wheat, France produces morethan 71 Quintals. Similarly in paddy productionU.S.A.tops the list with 70.4 quintals where aswe produce only 30 quintals per hectare. Thecondition is also very precarious in seeing theproductivity of cotton and groundnut. So, it isrequired to improve the productivity of differentcrops of India by improving the factorsresponsible for high production. But a point tomark is that the production is in increasing trendfor the period under globalization. The basic factorfor producing more from agriculture sector issupplying credit to the needy cultivators. To

highlight on the investment it is seen that the publicinvestment is reducing year after year i.e from39%(1980-81) to 26%(2001-02), where as theprivate sector investment is bridging the gap oninvesting more and more. This shows a cleargovernment withdrawal from investing in theagriculture sector in the period of reform. Duringthe period of globalization, on implementation ofhigh yielding technology, our country not onlybecomes self sufficient in food production but alsoable to export to some of our neighbours.

Credit supply :

But, anyway, to improve our economicalcondition, we must try to improve the financialcondition of our farmers who can bring ruraldevelopment. So, an easy and sufficient creditfacility should bring all round development to thenation.

The farmers of our country except a feware very poor and so they do not adhere to investthe required finance for agricultural production.Again if, they do, also, they are to go for monylenders who will generally exploit them. In orderto check this, after independence a lot of stepshave been taken by the Government i.e.,nationalizing Banking sector, establishment ofcooperative Banks, NABARD, and RegionalRural Banks, Priority sector lending, etc.

Credit Estimates :

Government also estimates the total creditrequirements for agriculture sector from time totime and accordingly frames the policies for creditsupply. In the year 1970-71, DantawalaCommittee estimates the credit requirements atRs.1460 crores which was enhanced to Rs.4000crores in the year 1973-74 by the Rural ReviewCommittee established for the purpose.


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Expenditure Pattern :

The credit requirement is highly related withthe expenditure pattern of the farmers. Theygenerally spent 32 percent of the borrowings oncapital expenditure and 13 percent on currentexpenditure on the farm. But, other 47 percentmostly consumed by them on family expenditureand the rest 8 percent in other non-farmexpenditures. This drowns the poor Indian farmersin indebtedness and so they require more andmore credit to go for agriculture production.

Purpose of Loan :

The Rural Credit Follow up Survey (1969)has divided the purposes of Loan according tothe class of borrowers like i) Rural families, ii)cultivators and iii) non-cultivators. It is estimatedthat the rural families spent 43.7 percent inproductive and the rest 56.3 percent inunproductive purposes. But the cultivators spent46.6 percent in productive purpose andnoncultivators spent only 25.9% of the loan inthe productive way. So the rest is unproductivewhich adds nil or negatively to the borrowers.So, a consciousness about the use of borrowedloan funds should be arisen among the ruralborrowers. In the earlier times the credit supplywas handled mostly by money lenders andMahajans. But, after independence, thegovernment stated some institutions inorder toprovide agriculture lending, later on the year 1969and 1975, banks were nationalized and wereinstructed to lend especially to the priority sector.Before 1969 the priority sector lending was lessthan 15 percent of the total loans. But from theyear 1985, it was enhanced to 40 percent, andout of this 40 percent, a minimum of 16 percentmust be after the Agriculture lending. Again thistarget has been enhanced to 18 percent.

The institutional credit was 7.3 percent inthe year 1950-51, it is 18.7 percent in 1961-62,

again rose to 40 percent in 1973-74. After thesecond phase of nationalization of banks theinstitutional credit percentage was increasing in1980-81 to 57 percent and to nearly 59.8 percentin the 1990-91 year. Further, this percentage isincreased upto 67 percent in the year 2003-04and so the non-institutional credit dominancegradually goes on decresing from the track ofcredit supply.

Among the institutional agencies theimportant credit supply institutions for agricultureare the Government, the Cooperative banks,Commercial banks, and Regional rural Banks.Government finances to agriculture in the periodof distress in the name of taccavi loan at lowerrate of interest i.e.6% p.a. to the distressed farmersonly. It is seen that, this taccavi credit by thegovernment was very less i.e. in 1951-52 only3.3% of the total borrowings, in 1961-62, it was2.6 percent, in 1980-81 it was 3.2% but in 1990-91 it came down to to 1.2%. Henceforth,Government discourages this loan for budgetaryconstraints. The oldest agricultural lendinginstitution is cooperative. The cooperative lendingoccupies a pivot place in credit supply. In the year1954-55, it was 3.1%, but increased to 15.5%in 1961, 36% in 1980-81, and in 2002-03, itcounts 43% of the total borrowings. The newlyfound RRBS(1975) have a credit supplypercentage of 6% to 7% only. But commercialBanks play an important role in rural credit. In1951-52, it started with 0.9 percent and in 1961-62 it was 0.6 percent. But it increased to 15.4percent in 1973-74 and again to 19.2% in (1980-81) and to 50 percent in 2002-03.

It is observed that till 1970-71,cooperatives had virtually a monopoly in meetingagricultural credit needs of the farmers in India.From the data plotted for years 1997-98 to 2003-04, it is seen that the total institutional credit for



32

the 1997-98 was Rs.31,956 crores and this figurefor 2003-2004 year was Rs.80,000 crores. Thisgives an average increase of more than Rs.8000crore per annum. It is also marked that due toadvent of commercial and rural banks into thecredit market, the overall percentages of creditsupply through cooperatives were decreasingfrom 44 percent (1997-96) to 37 percent (2003-04). Accordingly, the rate of credit supply bycommercial banks are increasing from 50 percent(1997-98) to 55 percent (2003-04).The shareof RRBs in credit supply is limited to 6% (1997-98) to 8 percent (2003-04). As per the creditrequirement estimates, the short term creditsupply is always more in comparison to mediumterm and long term supply. It is nearly 70:30percent for cooperatives, 55:45 for commercialBanks and it is 3:1 in RRBs.

Conclusion & suggestions :

1. Credit norms and scales of finance should beincreased.

2. Security to be reduced from the presentmargin of 25% for poor and marginal farmers.

3. Crops can be the security but no othersecurity to be demanded.

4. Defaults to be reduced.

5. Need for coordination among credit supplyinstitutions required.

6. Deposit credit ratio should be enhanced.

7. Soft interest rate,etc. concessional andsubsidized credit supply should be made toenhance the productivity of low and marginalfarmers.

References :1. Economic and political weekly, April 2-8, 20052. Kurukhetra, Oct, 04, vol.52, no.12, p.203. Tyagi, Dr. B.P., Agriculture Economics, ed. 2005,

p.6104. Dutta, Ruddar, Sundaram, K.P.M., Indian

Economics, ed. 2004.5. Economic Survey, 2003-046. The competition master, Sept., 2004, p.170.

Prafulla Chandra Mohanty is a Sr. Faculty Member ofCommerce, Aska Science College, Aska, Ganjam.

ORMAS TO ORGANISE SISIR SARAS FEST

In an effort to give a boost to the marketing of rural Orissan products, the OrissaRural Marketing Society (ORMAS) has planned to organise a national level festivalknown as Sisir Saras from 5th to 15th March 2007 at the exhibition ground inBhubaneswar. A decision to this effect was taken in a meeting presided by Minister forPanchayati Raj & Parliamentary Affairs Shri Raghunath Mohanty on February 16.

Sponsored by the Ministry of Rural Development, this mega event will help promotethe products of Self Help Groups (SHGs), especially, the handloom, handicraft andfood products. As many as 250 well designed stalls would be built to showcase theitems. About 600 self-employed rural artisans from across the country will participate.During the festival, the state Horticulture Department will organise a flower show. TheCulture Department will present a folk dance & music programme.

The event will facilitate the exchange of inter-state culture, indigenous productdesign and process.


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The old undivided district of Phulbani is one of thecentrally located districts of Orissa which liesbetween 190.34'N and 200.54' N latitude, andbetween 830.30'E and 840.48'E longitude. It isbounded by Suvarnapur and Dhenkanal districtsin the North, Ganjam and Rayagada districts in theEast, Ganjam and Nayagarh districts in the South,Rayagada, Kalahandi and Suvarnapur district in theWest and is having a geographical area of 11093sq. kms., out of which, an area of 7336 sq.kms. iscovered by forest. The tribal population constitutesabout 25% of the total population. This district ispredominated by Kondh tribe, who belongs toProto-Austroloid race.

Archaeogical exploration has not beendone adequately in this district . Somearchaeological investigations have been made bysome scholars in Boudh sub-division (presentBoud district), which yield a rich treasure ofinformation to researchers. Moreover, somehistorical sites with rich archaeological ruins arealso noticed, which could not be studied byscholars properly and some of them are still outof the sight of the scholars. This researcher hasgiven some informations to the Secretary,INTACH, Orissa Regional Chapter and came toknow that those have been listed by theINTACH.

The aim of this paper is to high-light thepre-historic archaeology of the old PhulbaniDistrict, which is divided into two districts, namelyBoud and Kandhmal. But, only explorations havebeen made by scholars in Boudh area whodiscovered many pre-historic implements ranging

from Palaeolithic to Chalcolithic period. Dr.K.C.Tripathy has studied the lithic culture ofPhulbani district by discovering an old stone agesite in village Kankala (Dash 1991:89) He hasalso reported one single site of pebble industry atManamunda in 1972 (Ota: 82-83: 168)

S.B.Ota also explored the area from riverBagh to Khadang and discovered Palaeolithicopen-air sites in 1981-82 at Gurvelipadar,Kankalidunguri, Rangoli hill, Kantamal, Sunadeihill and Barapadar. Except the site of Kantamalwhich is situated on the bank of river Tel, the restare foothill sites (Dash :91:84).

The Palaeolithic Period is the formativeperiod of human culture which flourished in south-western Orissa as well, under which comes theold district of Phulbani. Palaeolithic implementslike hand axe,cleaver, scraper, point, blade andburins were discovered from these sites (Tripathy:1982:13)

The Palaeolithic sites explored by S.B.Otayielded horse-hoot cores, flakes, kamanrs,Kanifacial and unifacial choppers etc. associatedwith red soil (locally known as Rangamati) at adepth of 2 to 4 meters from the surface. But inlater days Ota changed his views about thepalaeolithic origin of the implements (Dash1991:85). Further, he opines that there lived ahunting and food gathering community as most ofthe sites are situated on the foot hill zones rangingfrom 3 to 4 kms from the river Tel, which bearsplants like Bahada (Teraminalia Belerica), Ber(Zizyplus Jujuta), Char (suchanamia latiflora), Tuki

Pre-historic Archaeology ofUndivided Phulbani

Raghunath Rath



34

(Deospyras Mesanoxylam), Amala (PhyllanthusEmblick), Jhad khajuri (Phanix Acaulis), Mohuaflowers (Bassia Letifolia), Kusum fruits (schleicheraFrijhuga), Jamun (Syzygium Caumiari) etc. on thefoot-hill zones. Hence, the area offered a verietyof plant and animal foods for explicitation by pre-historic groups (Ota 82:83: 172).

Mesolithic Period: Mesolithic culture ismore prominent than palaeolithic culture inPhulbani district as evident from the extensivesurvey of the North Boudh-Kondhmals by Otafrom 1981 to 1984. He has excavated atKhomananta on the bank of Adopathar Jore nearthe village Kalarajhuli and identified open-air siteson the bank of river Bagh and Guduguda andMeherian nallahs and some sites on the foot-hillzones. They are "Kuchuni Ghugura, Dunguri,Gurvelipadar, Kankalidunguri, Rengali ReserveForest, Kantamal,Sunadei Hill, Barapadar,Mohuli, Digi, Mundipadar, Shantipalli, Raluri,Sadanandpur, Boulasinga, Dhourakud andGolurapalli, Thatipali, Jamatangi, Sabupara,Sobhapaluli, Jamaghati, Chhelibahal, Talupali,Karadapadar, Jampali, Telapadar, Burlikon road,Tuaniamunda, Badajharmunda, Sialimal andDolabali. Some of the small sites like Asurgarh,Panaka, Benamunda, Jhankarpada,Pudamarghat, Kasurbandh and Kusumpadar arealso noticed by Ota (Dash 91:91) This researcheralso discovered a chopper from open-air site ofvillage Tileswar.

The microliths discovered from the sites aremade up of quartz (both milky and crystalverieties) and to some extent chert andchalcedony, which have been obtained in the formof river pebbles and noduls. Some of the artifactsare made up by granites, granite grianeises,charnockites and Kondalites also.

The artifacts include both geometric andnon-geometric types such as triangles, trapezes,lunates, points, backed blades, retouched blades,verities of scrapers, hammer stones, anvils, ringstones, and retouchers etc. Most of the artifactsare associated with red soil which are found from

soil erosianic nallahs . Almost all the sites haveyielded microlithic equipments with heavy stonetools like horsehoot cores, choppers, and pointedtools. (Ota 1986:80-81) The technology is basedon the production of blades, vaying from about1.5 cm to 4.00 cm and small flakes (Ota 86:80)

The Mesolithic Man was utilizing theartifacts mainly as wood working implements andwere employed for a veriety of tasks involvingthe operations of cutting, splitting, boring,chopping, scraping, butchering of big animals,pounding and grinding etc.(Ota 1986:81)

At first, Ota hold the view that the artifactsbelong to Palaeolithic Period. But subsequentlyhe changed his opinion attributing the implementsdiscovered from North Boudh-Kondhamals toMesolithic Period citing evidences of primitivegroups of Australia, Kalahari and New Guinea,who used to employ heavy stone tools for woodworking and veriety of other works in their day-to-day life. He also thinks that as he found theheavy tools on the river valley with dense forestback ground, which are very much heavy anddifficult to be carried to a distant place, they mighthave been confined to a limited region. As such,they must have depended upon the forest productsand hunting. Hence he called the Mesolithic Manof North Boudh-Kondhamals of Phulbani ashunting and food gathering community (Ota: 82-83:175)

Neolithic Period:- One Neolithic site hasbeen discovered by Ota in 1984-85 at MalaparaGhat from which he has collected a few mesolithicimplements (Dash 1991:93). Tripathy alsocollected some microliths from Baudh(Dash:1991:6). Nayak reports about availabilityof celts, hammer stone, chisel and club(gada) ofMesolithic Period from Asurgarh on the confluenceof river Tel near Manamunda (Nayak:1983:14).This writer has been informed by Pramil KumarMohanty of Ranagarh and Sarat Kumar Majhi ofDebagarh about availability of ring stones in theirvillages and also at village Salakote with other pre-historic implements like pottery etc. The ring stones


35


are locally known as "Bhamuri Pathar" which arebeing tied around the neck of domestic animals tocure them from some diseases.

Chalcolithic Period:- Chalcolithic Periodbegan when Mesolithic Period was in aculminating stage. In this period, urbanized cultureflourished at Asurghrh on the confluence of riverTel near Manamunda which is evidenced fromthe excavation taken up under the joint auspicesof Department of Archaeology, Deccan College,Pune and the P.G. Department of History,Sambalpur University for about three weeks inFebruary 1981 (Behera 1982:18).

In course of trial excavation of two brickstructures each measuring 16.80 meters x 12.45meters, two hollow pillars made of gricle wereexposed. The bricks used were 35 cm x 26 cmwhile some other bricks are 50x26x9 cms in size.Manmunda Culture is assigned to the post-Guptaperiod. The potteries discovered may be datedto 1st-2nd century A.D.(Behera 1982:2)

Besides Asurgarh on the confluence of riverTel; potteries and other archaeological materialsare also noticed from Nimkud, Parasutaghat,Nimaghat, Kurumpadar, Nuapali, Bausuni,Budhikon, Narghanta hill and Kurtipalli.Archaeological materials noticed from the aboveplaces include sherds of pottery, stone artifacts,domestic materials, jewellery made up of earth,copper and bronze, stone beads, punch-markedcoins etc. (Chhotaray and Khuntia: 1980:453)

Among the potteries discovered from thesites are triangular terracotta cakes, dish on stand,gray ware, black and red wares, some potterybearing drawings of single centered circle andinner side like Roman pottery type and somepottery having drawings like wave (Chhotaray andKhuntia : 1980:554)

Besides the above earthen wares, earthenjars with high curling face, sputed earthen jar andplates, heads of cow and horse made up of earthhaving four legs, were also discovered. (Chhotarayand Khuntia 1981:508-9). There is no doubt thatthe brick structure is a part of the fortified township.

During the survey, six earthen pots were discoveredfrom the bottom of the hollow pillar at a depth of30 feet and the discovered six pots were arrangedone upon other which can be attributed to a ritualisticperformance. There was a layer of sand at thebottom and a huge deposit of charcol and jawbones of a goat.The association of jaw bones withthe charcoal at the layer of wooden chips burnt byfire give indication of ritualistic sacrifice, which wereobviously conducted there at that time. Inside ahallow pillar, skeleton of a human child wasdiscovered.

The excavation yielded some pieces ofpotteries like North Black Pottery of inferiorvariety, black grooved ware and Black Red ware.A circular brick structure having 6.35 innerdiameter has been found, which seems to be aplace of rituals in the latest phase. Some iron andcopper implements have been also discoveredfrom the above sites. Beads and lockets made ofearth and stone, and rings made of silver andcopper, as well as bangles of bronze were alsodiscovered from the sites.

This researcher also noticed some iron slagesand black wares etc. at village Purunagarh and alsoon the bank of river Salanki in the year 1987 andgot information about availability of beads in villageKujuramunda at a depth of 4 to 5 feet.

According to scholars, the triangularterracotta cakes were used during fire and otherworships in Harappan Culture. Some earthenfigures are also found which bear testimony oflocal culture (Chhotaray and Khunt ia1981:19).Then the Neolithic people werecremating the dead body by digging trenches. Tokeep the memory of the departed soul they usedsome symbols on the cremation ground. For thispurpose they built stone heaps, stone circles,menhirs, which are called Megaliths.

Sites assosiated with Megalithic Culture arealso found in different part of present Baud District.Some of these sites are in village Kurumapadarnear Manamunda, Khairmal, Sinduriabahal andJamtangi. A menhir is found at Khairmalghat which



36

is worshipped by the villagers as "Kalarapat Devi."Some stone circles are noticed at village Jamatangion the bank of river Bagh. About fifteen stonecircles are found near Guduguda Nallah withinthe boundary of Budhikon village. Five stonecircles are also noticed at village Kurumpadar andhuman bones were recovered at the time of diggingone stone circle for construction of Lift IrrigationPoint there. (Chhotaray and Khuntia1982:830:31)

This researcher also probably found amenhir in villge Tileswar. The stone pillar is aboutfour feet high from the surface and pointed on thetop having a trident mark on it. It is said to be thegate keeper of "Bauti Devi", the village deity.Scholars opine that some megaliths are nowworshipped as village deities in Baudh andSonepur area. (Chhotaray and Khuntia1982:831)According to scholars megalithicculture belongs to Mundari tribe.Conclusion :

The Palaeolithic Man, as we know, wasdepending on hunting and was moving from oneplace to other. He was not maintaining a settledlife, but confined to a granted area and mostlydepending on food gathering and hunting. Theneolithic man gave up nomadic habits and usedto maintain settled life and depended uponcultivation, hunting and food gathering also. Thechalcolithic Man invented copper and ironimplements and Megalithic Culture.

Exploration reveals that human habitationsexisted in the old undivided Phulbani district,particularly in Baudh area since PalaeolithicPeriod. But discovery of scanty palaeolithicimplements reveal that towards the end ofPalaeolithic Age and just before beginning ofNeolithic Age human culture flourished in theNorth Phulbani region and from that period,continuity of human habitation are evidenced downthrough the ages. The urbanization culture of

Manamunda on the confluence of river Tel andMahanadi show us the rich cultural heritage whichflourished at the beginning of the Christian era., inthe Tel and Mahanadi Valley. From thearchaeological explorations made in Baliguda andKandhmal sub-divisions, this researcher thinks thatmany lithic remains can be discovered in the Rahuland Salunki river valleys, which may throw newlight on the lithic culture of the undivided PhulbaniDistrict..

References :1. Behera S.C (Ed) Interim Excavation

Reports,1982,P.G. Deptt. of History SambalpurUniversity.

2. Chhotaray P.K. and Khuntia K.K. (i) SonepurAnchalar Prachin Sabhyata, Jhankar, Vol. 32,No.6, September 1980. (ii) Sonepur AnchalarPrachin Mati Patra, Jhankar, Vol. 33, No.6September 1981. (iii) Sonepur AnchalarPratnatattwik Chitra, in Shahakar, Vol 6, No.3,Nov-Dec 1981 (iv) Tel Mahanandi UpatyakarBruhat Prastar Khand Sabhyata, Jhankar,Vol.34, No.9, Dec.1982.

3. Dash R.N., (i) Prehistory of South Orissa OrissaHistorical Research Journal, Vol. No. XXXVI,No. 1 to 4, 1991. (ii) Nutan Prastar JugaraSanskruti, Utkaliya Sanskruti, Vol. IV,1991,Kedarnath Sabesana Pratisthan, Bhubaneswar.

4. Nayak D.P. Tel Mahanadi Upatyakar PrachinSabhyata, Hirakhand Vasant Milan, 1983.

5. Ota, S.B. (i) New Findings Designs in thePrehistoric Research of Orissa With SpecialReference to Pebble Industry of North Boudh-Khandamal District, Manav, Vol. I, No. 1, 1982-93, Anthropologcal Society of Orissa,Bhubaneswar. (ii) Mesolithic Culture of thePhulbani District (Orissa) With Special Referenceto the Heavy Tool Component in Bulletin of theDeccan College, Pune, Vol. 45, 1986.

6. Tripathy K.C., The People of Orissa, Souvenirof Orissa Sahitya Akademy, Silver Jubilee, 1982.

Raghunath Rath lives at Panasapadi Sahi, Baliguda,District- Kandhamal


37


Kurt Waldheim, Secretary General, UNO, onceobserved, "Humanity owes to the child the best ithas to give. I appeal to all to participate in theactivities directed towards creating a secure andhappy future for all our children".

During the International Year 1979 theslogan adopted by the Government of India was"Happy Child- Nation's Pride". The distinguishedauthor Mr Oscar Wilde also aptly said, "The bestway to make children good is to make themhappy". It is, therefore, felt that by making ourchildren good and happy, our country will behappy and prosperous, and in this nobleendeavour it is felt necessary to develop suitableliterature for children. But unfortunately, inspiteof our several efforts, the children's literature indifferent Indian languages has not developed uptoour satisfaction. Therefore appropriate strategiesare to be developed for promoting children'sliterature. It is not necessary to discuss thedeficiencies and difficulties in the children'sliterature at present. But it is felt desirable to spellour new opportunities and challenges that we arefacing in the field of promoting suitable juvenileliterature.Opportunities for Promoting Children'sLiterature

Firstly, there has been unprecedentedexpansion of education at all levels, particularly,

at the school stage. At present there are aboutthree hundred million children in the age group of0-14 years, who constitute more than one-thirdof Indian population. We are also making attemptsfor realizing the target Education For All (EFA),Universalisation of Elementary Education (UEE).Hence it is required to produce books both textualand supplementary for these children as a part oftheir curricular programmes. Under the Scheme"Operation Blackboard" (OB), the Governmentof India have also been providing ample fundsfor providing good children's Literature in theprimary school.

Secondly, due to availability of modernprinting technology, it has been possible to bringout very attractive and well designed children'sbooks and journals with multi colour illustrations.It is a fact that modern printing mechanism needsto print thousands of copies at a comparativelycheaper rate in spite of increasing prices of thematerial and printings costs. Besides, many stategovernments have declared printing of books asan industry and young entrepreneur can get loansat a low rate of interest for investment onpublications of children's books.

Thirdly, in the past writers were left tothemselves in writing their books. But, now-a-days a large number of institutions and

Alternative Strategies for PromotingChildren's Literature

Prof. Jagannath Mohanty



38

associations have come forward for organizingtraining and orientation programmes for them.Similar is the case with artist, editors and publishersof children's books and journals. Theseprogrammes enable these functionaries to improvetheir skills and proficiencies in their respective fields.

Fourthly, previously there was no incentivefor writers or publishers. They were doing theirwork for their own interest and self satisfaction.But, at present competitions are being organizedat their regional, state, national and even atinternational levels and excellent books for childrenare receiving awards. Artists and publishers aswell as writers are also given recognition andfelicitations at various levels for their publicationsto the field of children's literature.

Fifthly, since we are in the midst of thefourth Revolution of Communication, namely, allkinds of electronic media like Radio, Television,Audio, Video and Computers, we cannot affordto ignore the importance in the field of children'sliterature. Besides, their impact on young childrenis enormous. Hence, we have to develop suitablematerials for them not only for printing but forfeeding various electronic media. Thus, children'sliterature has to be made very attractive, moreintereating, multi-dimensional and multi-mediamaterials.

Alternative Strategies :

In view of the immense importance ofchildren's literature for cognitive, ethical and socialdevelopment of children, it is felt essential forutilizing the above opportunities to the maximumand effectively involving parents, writers, artists,editors, publishers etc who are responsible forpromoting children's literature. Hence, variousalternative strategies are to be developed both atgovernment and non government levels. At

present various organizations and associationshave been set up, and with active guidene andinspiration they could be made effective forimplementing these strategies.

(a) Desirable Awareness : It is found thatnot only the public but also the lecturers andprofessors and even literati are not fully awareabout the meaning, scope and objectives ofchildren's literature. Children's literature is stillneglected and is given lower status than otheraspects of literature. Although some men of letterswrote many good books for children for whichthey were awarded or felicitated, they have lefthis field only with the fear that they would be givenlower status in the society if they would continueto write children's books.

On the other hand, many writers forchildren have not only written literature for thepublic, but also have been awarded and felicitated.But their very writing for children is regarded as astigma and they are not given due respect by theso called writers of poems, stories and otherliterary works. Hence, it is felt desirable to bringabout adequate awareness about the children'sliterature and remove the misconceptions that arelooming large in the minds of our authors teachingin schools, colleges and universities. EminentWriters like Biswakavi Rabindranath Tegore andPadmabhusan Kalandi Charan Panigrahi havecontributed significantly to children's literature.This awareness can be brought about throughindividual studies, conference and seminars. Allshould be enlightened about the concepts,perameters and utility of children's literature andbe motivated to contribute their mite to thedevelopment of children's literature.

(b) Research and Evaluation : Adequateresearch studies have not been conducted in the


39


field of children's literature though it is essentialfor developing suitable guidelines for writing andproduction of books and journals. Particularly,studies are to be conducted in vacabulary,reading interest and impact of good reading habitson academic growth of children and also indifferent aspects of physical features. Themanuscript developed for children should be triedout and published for mass circulation inconducting these studies. Writers, Artists, Editorsand Publishers should be involved in developmentof children's literature.

(c) Publication and distribution : It is a factthat publication of books and journals for childrenis expensive and needs utmost care goodwriting, printing, illustrations and other factors thatcannot be overestimated while developingchildren's literature. Hence, huge investing isnecessary, and for that government and banksshould provide loans at cheaper rates of interest.Government and other organisations shouldpurchase a large number of suitable books andjournals and provide them to the primary schoolsand also to libraries. But, unfortunately corruptpractices interfere and the very purpose isdefeated although adequate funds are madeavailable by the Central Government.

(d) Journal Editing : Journals are thenursery for developing writers and readinginterests of the clientele. Children journals areessential for developing their (children's)readinghabits but also for better academic performance.Besides, writers are encouraged and guided fordeveloping suitable literature not only for the youngreaders but also adults in future. But at presentmost of the journals are edited by young andinexperienced persons having little knowledge andgenuine interest in this area. Consecuently, a lotof errors have crept in the fields of printing,

subject matter and even in get up. It is, therefore,felt that editors should be oriented and trainedthrough workshops, seminars for developing suchjournals. They also should develop theirknowledge and interest in children's writing beforethey can take up editing work. Because, themistakes both in respect of them and languageadversely affect children's growth. Such journalsharm more than they help. Furher, governmentshould provide assistance and loans forproduction and distribution of standard journalsfor children.

(e) Children's Association andorganization : Although associations andorganizations are helpful for promotion ofchildren's literature, it is often found that these arestarted without much planning and sincerity ofpurpose, and die out sooner or later. Therefore,persons with with genuine interest and love forchildren's literature should be entrusted with themanagement of such organizations. Theseorganizations, besides, trying for developingthrough literary interest should also work fordeveloping through expertise and skills.

(f) Incentive and Recognition : Althoughour Shrimad Bhagwat Gita says one should workwithout expecting its outcome, in the modernsociety no work is done without any gain whethermanual or intellectual or mental satisfaction. It isexperienced that writers for children are not giventheir due recognition and their work is underestimated or not taken at par with other genres ofliterature. Hence it is felt that such mis-conceptionand prejudicial views regarding the children'sliterature should be done away with as early aspossible not only in the interest of this literaturebut also for literature in general. Writers, Editors,Artists, Publishers should be given duerecognition, felicitations and incentives for their



40

over all contributions and efforts for promotionof children's literature.

Conclusion :

All-round development of children'sliterature is essential and the strategies asdiscussed above, need to be pursued /implemented with right earnest. Promotion ofchildren 's literature is a co-operative andcollaborative effort involving parents, guardians,authors, artists, editors and publishers andprinters. Hence, suitable programmes need beorganized in different aspects of children'sliterature for various functionaries, Besides, all-out efforts should be made for making children'sliterature using both multi-media and multi-purpose technologies.

References :Hick, Charlotte & Young, Donn A : Children's Literaturein the Elementary Schools, Halt Rinehors Wingstom,New York 1961.

Jafa, Manorama : Writing for Children's LiteratureNational Book Trust, New Delhi, 1982.

Mohanty, Jagannath : Child Development andEducation Today (Literature, Art, Media and Materials)Deep and Deep Publications, New Delhi 1968.

Mohanty, Jaganath : Children's Literature in Orissa,Orissa Sahitya Academy, Bhubaneswar 1993

Mohanty, Jaganath : The Book Through, J. Mohapatraand co Cuttack 1972.

Prof. Jagannath Mohanty lives at 2935, Gouri NagarBhubaneswar - 751002

What are they ?Dr. R.S.N. Murty

Two big and white circleson a black backgroundhave been an obsessive questsince my very childhood.

Innocence and ignorance in mealways hinder my progressto understand beyondmere observation.

Supposedly to be wise enough,religious pundits,when approached to solve the enigma,stay mostly tight lipped.

Their ego,Conception and misconceptions,Bias and prejudicesand at times, I think, their ignorancemake them silent.

To me, the two big, white circleson the black background arethe gateways to salvation,Eternity and everything.

Dr. R.S.N. Murty is a Cardiologist in the Capital Hospital,Bhubaneswar.


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The nature's mega biodiversity is inassessable asif embraces large number of faunal and floralspecies of various types and are different fromone another, belonging to several genera andfamilies. By natural distribution, they occupydifferent territories. The animals do frequent todifferent areas on advent of adverse period dueto ecological variation. Being guided by instinct,they either change altitudeor move out to otherareas very common inthe natural world for foodand shelter. Suchmovements, known asmigration of animals andbirds, provide ampleopportunity to the animaland bird lovers to observetheir habit, habitat andbehavioural patternoutside their natural habitat during certain part ofthe year.

At times, we find the winter sky is coveredwith many flocks of birds move high in the sky ina definite direction and time, being guided byinstinct, to reach their destination, after leavingtheir habitat due to severe winter in Polar andArctic regions. They migrate to warmer areashaving safe shelter, food and breeding sites. Theirmoving site in flocks, making chirping sound,

attracts the attention of the bird lovers, researchscholars and ornithologists who used to be in theirtoes to gear up their activity, after long wait forseasons after seasons.

The bird watchers in this season move fromthickets to thicket, gardens to gardens, and foreststo forests early in the morning before the sun riseto observe the birds. Being well equipped, they

move out carrying thehaversack containing -bird book, note book,pencil, knife, cameraand a pair of lookingglasses to protect eyesand binacular hangingfrom the neck for easyand quick sighting.Besides these, someprecautions are taken,like - slow breathing,

soundless stepping to locate the bird withoutdistrubance, to observe and record calmly andshoot in the camera, if wanted. The bird watchingis not only a good hobby but also a nice sport.More entertaining is to be in the serene, quietenvironment inside a forest, amidst the singing ofbirds, and call of wild animals gives you celestialhappiness. The cool breeze full with pure Oxygen,refresses you. Hence, one long to spend moretime inside the strand. Many might have

Winged Guests of Winter

Balabhadra Prasad Das



42

experienced the impact of the mother nature whichare uncommon in urban life. However, moreinteresting and thrilling are jungle stories, told bywildlifers and naturalists. This author had oneunexpected occassion was to spend about fourdays in the company of late Dr. Salim Ali, theinternationally adorned Ornithologist during hisaugust visit to Orissa in search of the endangeredrare "Quail" in Orissa forests. Several books onbirds were authoured by Dr. Ali and was foundermember of Bombay Natural History Society(BNHS) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF),Bombay (now Mumbai).

For birds, Dr. Ali had immense likenessand affection. Even in an advanced age withbroken health, he used to move out early in themorning before sunrise, with proper dress, armedwith the requisites to watch the birds. That wasobserved during his stay at Forest Rest House,Tikarpara of Purunakote Range of Angul ForestDivision. The forest on Mahanadi bank wasdebarred of calmness due to lot of activities overthe area. In the lunch table, it was decided to visitthe Similipal Hill Forests in Mayurbhanj District.He was aware of this hill that embraces all typesof forests ranging from scurb to evergreen savana,comprising of 2250 sqkms with varied flora andfauna and Peninsular and Himalayan regions. Thishill range houses many rare and endangeredspecies-plentiful of song birds, hill Mayana andquails of all verities. After negotiating rough, zigzag, winding forest road, we reached Meghashani,1158 mts. high above M.S.L. We moved throughthe tropical broad stretch of forest and otherforest types, which made him confident to spotthe bird in the hill forest. So, Dr. Ali moved hereand there inside the forest in search of the bird.For wider vision, he went to the hill top, there hisfoot slipped. But, Sri G.M. Dash, IFS, the thenwildlife warden, Orissa, immediately caught holdof him, saving him from a fatal fall of 3000 ft.down the precipetating slope. All of us were

shocked. The escape was miraculous due toprovidence. All of us including Dr. Ali wereinterested to see the quail. But it could not bespotted. Yet Dr. Ali was hopeful to find it elsewhere. A vivid description of the bird was givento us by him with a request to keep a vigilant eyeduring field visits.

Our group in the company of Dr. Ali movedfor Nalabana Island, one of the Islands insideChilika declared as sanctuary under the Wildlife(Protection) Act 1972. On the way, we went toNandankanan. Sri G.M. Dash, IFS, the then theChief Wildlife Warden, Orissa and the AssistantConservator of Forests, Nandankanan, briefedon the functioning and management of theBiological Park.

While proceeding towards the enclosuresof animals and birds, the courtship of a pair oflion attracted our attention. Without disturbingthem, we watched the love making. After that wasover, there was mating, the lioness rolled three tofour times on the ground soon after the mating.That rare sight was accidental. The animals haveseasonal sex unlike human beings. After visit tothe other enclosures and brief interaction, we leftNandankanan for Nalabana sanctuary to boardthe motor launch from Balugaon.

The wish of the group was to move fasterto reach Chilika as early as possible to have aglimpse of the panoramic view of the blue lagoonwith varities of birds therein. The weather wascool and chilly. We arrived at the coast of Chilikaat Balugaon. Several people were waiting to greetDr. Ali. The mild breeze created wrinkles overblue water of the lake, on it the sea gulls floating,appeared dancing in gay. We boarded the motorboat, it moved for Nalabana sanctuary. Severalwater fowls were busy in feeding, not being scaredby movement of the launch making sound closeby. That indicated, they are not unsafe. The millionsof birds in flocks those come here every year frompolar and Arctic regions on advent of the severe


43


winter, move gayfully and freely in the sky. Thesight of these birds with 'ka' 'ka' and chirping soundattracts attention to stare at the birds in sky. Onway to their destination, they rest at places, feedon crops too however, succumbing to the bulletshots of hunters; is a matter of concern.

After proceeding some distance inside thelake the weather suddenly changed. The wrinkleson the water became waves; with strong wind,the waves became rough and high, dashed againstour boat, made it unstable as well as unsafe. TheChief Wildlife Warden, Orissa did not dare totake risk and decided not proceed further, andwith the consent of Dr. Ali, we had to return backto the shore. Our hope to see and watch the birdsof continental and inter-continental origin,migrating from as far as the Caspian Sea, LakeBaikal, Arabian Sea, and other remote parts ofRussia, Kirghiz steeps of Mangolia, Central andSouth-East Asia, Ladakh and the Himalayas gota setback. The availability of various types of foodin abundance for adults and youngs having nodearth of nesting and resting sites attract the birdsto Chilika lagoon which spreads over 165 sqkms.in monsoon and 906 sqkm during summer and isconnected to the sea in the east coast of Orissaby a narrow outer strip of 32 kms. long that,influences the salinity level of lagoon.

Dr. Ali said, "we are at Chilika, the greatestwetland of Indian continent : the largest winteringground of varities of water fowls of national andinternational origin is a Ramsar Site." It caters tothe needs of millions of avifauna. In fact, Chilikais a hot spot of Biodiversity, with unique floraland faunal composition namely : Phytoplanton -43 spp., Algae community-22 spp., Vascularplants -150 spp., the Funal spp., are : Protozoa61 spp., Plautheinthes-29 spp., Nematodes-37spp., Polychaetes-31 spp., Brachvura-28 spp.,Decapoda-30 spp., Mollusa-136 spp., Fish-225spp. and reptiles 37 spp., birds 166 spp., Mamals18 spp. have been recorded by Government

agencies and the Botnica and zoological surveyof India. BNHS also undertook survey of speciesof the lagoon.

Chilika is a highly productive ecosystemwith rich fishing resources. This fishing groundsustains the livelyhood for more than 1,00,000(one lakh). Fishing folk, living around the lake in117 villages, are a threat to the lake ecosystem.Besides fishing, some of them catch, trap or killthe migratory winter birds to sell in the local marketto earn money. However, it is now under controlfor intensified regular patrolling of the mobilesquads of the Chilika Wildlife Division of theForest Department as well as by the localvoluntary organisation youth clubs, formed aroundthe lagoon, in different villages, for protection ofthe winged guests. The offenders nabbed arebooked under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.Considering the rich Biodiversity and socioeconomic importance, Chilika lake was designatedby the Government of India as a Ramsar Site in1981, under the convention of the Wet Lands ofInternational importance, as water fowl habitat.

The co-ordinated effort of the ForstDepartment jointly with the Chilika DevelopmentAuthority, taking several steps for preservationof the lake ecosystem. For awareness of thegeneral public, eco-camps, meetings at differentplaces, documentary film shows, seminars arebeing organised on various problems of the lake.

In the present scenario, it is highlyimperative, youths and local people need to makeall out efforts to help Government to preserve theglamour and beauty of rich ecosystem of Chilikaas it was, "The Marala Malin Nilambu chilika,Utkal Kamal Bilasa Dirghika", is to bemaintained as that, for all time to come.

Balabhadra Prasad Das lives at Surya Vihar, Link Road,Cuttack - 7531012.



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Orissa attained its political identity as a provinceof India on 1st April 1936. The integration of the24 erstwhile feudatory states completed theprocess of unification by 1st January,1949. Alinguistic state of Oriya speaking people had takenshape. It provided a bold all-India identity andplace of pride. What would be the projectedpicture of Orissa in 2036" presents a perspectivefuturistic run-up to 2036. Every vision statementmust take cognizance of the strengths,weaknesses, opportunities and threats that loomlarger on the developmental horizons of Orissa.The most accurately projected calculations maygo wrong due to unforeseen and unforeseeablecatast rophes, disasters, cont ingencies,developmental initiatives and techno-scientificinnovations.

Size of the State:

The size of the State is not going to change.It would continue to be 4.74 percent of India'sland mass.

Demography:

The population of Orissa was 36.7 millionin 2001; and the growth rate was around 1.6%.The literacy of women stands at 51%. Almosthalf the women of Orissa are illterate. The numberof female illiterates in 2001 was 79,35,529; andthe female polulation in the age-group of 0-6 years

was 24,45,505 who await elementary education.The rate of population growth can at best go downup to 1.2% and not more.

Projected Population:

In 1936, the population of Orissa was1,31,29,000 and by 2036 it would be around5,77,59,000 at a constant growth rate of 1.2percent during this entire ensuing period. All theminimum needs including education have to beprovided.

Vision : The demographic pressure would surelymount. Urbanization would take place in a bigway. The population growth may create thecompulsive need of reorganizing the present 30districts, which may go up to 40. Law and ordermachinery needs to be geared to deal with theincreased population. The Panchayati RajInstitutions are likely to play a very active role inevery sphere of local administration.

Natural Resourees:

Forests:

Orissa was proud of its forest wealth; butthis precious ecological protection is fastdiminishing due to rapid population growth. In2001-02, the forest area stood at 53,135 sq. kms.Or 37.30% of the total area of the State. Theforest cover is sure to shrink by 2036 due to

Vision Orissa : 2036

Dr. Bharati Mohapatra


45


demographic pressure and developmentalactivities. Forests influence climate and are hometo the rich flora and fauna. This is likely to beadversely affected due to mindless deforestationand lack of planned afforestation in adequatemeasure.

Vision : The State must ensure that the forestcover does not diminish below 30% of its totalarea. Afforestation must be taken up on a warfooting to avoid gross ecological imbalances. Thevaried species of flora and fauna must beprotected. The treasure of bio-diversity must bepreserved.

Mineral Wealth:

Orissa occupies an important position inthe mineral map of India, and has rich deposits ofcoal, iron-ore, manganese, bauxite, choromite,etc. Utilization rates are around one percent incase of most of the minerals. This is a sun-shinesector and exploitation of mines shall form animportant and formidable economic activity by2036. The districts of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar,Sundergarh, Kondhamal, Rayagada, Gajapati,Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Kalahandiand Bolangir are likely to be centres of buzzingminerals exploitation and related industrialactivities. The oil reserves in the Orissa coast awaitexploration; and if rich hydro-carbon deposits arefound they would greatly change the economy ofthe State. The value of mineral production inOrissa 2000-20001 was 2776.15 crore rupeesconstituting 5.23% of India. It lags behind suchStates as Madhya Pradesh (12.68%) Gujarat(8.9%), Andhra Pradesh (6.76%) and Assam(6.30%).

Vision : Concerted efforts need to be made toaugment the utilization rates of minerals from 1%to at least 10%. We must try to be a frontrankingstate in this field.

Marine Fishing:

Orissa has a coastline of 480 kms; andoccupies the 8th position in marine fish productionamong the nine States of India on the sea-board.

Vision: Orissa must adopt state-of-the-art fishingtechniques and utilize remote sensing techniquesto increase marine fish production.

Water Resources:

The water resources of Orissa are one ofthe highest with 11% of the country's total surfacewater resources. In 2000-2001, 61% of the totalcultivable area was rainfed and lacked irrigationfacilities.

Vision : The water resources of the state shouldbe scientifically managed to mitigate thedependence of agriculture on the vagaries ofmonsoon and to ensure safe drinking water for all.

Agriculture:

Agriculture is Orissa's culture and itsmainstay. It contributes 28.13 percent of the Stateincome (Net State Domestic Product). Thepercentage of net area sown to total area (1998-99) was 38.8 percent; and of it, only 34.6 percentwas irrigated area. In providing irrigation facilities,Orissa is lagging behind Punjab (94.5%), Haryana(78.3%), Uttar Pradesh (72.2%), Tamil Nadu(53.6%), Bihar (49.9%), Andhra Pradesh(41.4%) and west Bengal (35.1%) and the Indianaverage of 40 percent. The consumption offertilizers (2000-2001) was 40.5 kg per hectareas against Punjab (116.6), Andhra Pradesh(158.8), Bihar (97.5), West Bengal (113.7),Chatisgarh (43.0) and the Indian average of 86.3kgs. The yield rate of rice per hectare of Orissawas only 10.41 quintals as against 29.31 quintalsof Andhra Pradesh, 25.59 quinals of Haryana,21.6 quintals of Kerala, 35.06 quintals of Pnjab.The percentage share of food production was



46

only 2.54. The state of agriculture is in disarrayand presents a highly depressing picture.

Vision: The net area sown to total area shouldincrease. Irrigated area should increase up to atleast 50 percent of the cropped area and dripirrigation should be widely used. The increaseduse of fertilizers is a must and its consumptionmust go up to the all-India average of 86.3 kgsper hectare. These steps would automaticallyincrease the yield rate of agricultural produce andincrease Orissa's share of food production. Itwould provide the much needed food security-net by 2036.

Communication:

This is the age of communication. In thiscritical sector, Orissa lags behind as evident fromthe following statistics.

Total Road length (in kms)(1999) - 2,62,513Total Railway Track (in kms)(1999)- 2,186

Number of Busses (1998) - 11,726

Number of two Wheelers (1998) - 6,18,419

Number of cars (1998) - 34,471Number of Post Offices (2000) - 8,135

News Papers sold per 1000 persons- 22

Telephones per 100 persons (2001)- 1.71Internet connections per 100 - 0.012

Vision : Connectivity is the lifeline in this age ofglobalization. Rural connectivity is mostdissatisfying, and all the 51,349 villages need tobe connected by roads, telephones and inter-net,This will break the isolation of the villages andheighten their awareness and acceleratedevelopment.

Economy:The per capita income of Orissa is

Rs.9273.00. It is the lowest in the entire country.

It stands nowhere near States like Panjab(Rs.25,048), Haryana (Rs.23,742), Maharashtra(Rs.23,726) or any of its neighbouring States.

Poverty:

The Below Poverty Line (BPL) populationof India was 26.1% in 1999-2000; but in Orissaits magnitude was the highest with 47.2% peoplebelonging to BPL. More than 154 million peopleare under the Below Poverty Line in Orissa.

Vision : This dismal economic situation can becorrected if the politicians, administrators and thepublic make concerted efforts. Corruption, whichhas become endemic and eats away much of thedevelopmental resources needs to be curbed.Orissa must strive to reach atleast the all-Indialevel of per capita income and no person shouldremain under the BPL by 2036.

Education:

Elementary Education:

The school-age population @20% of thetotal projected population would be around1,15,15,8000 by 2036. If a "ComprehensiveStraight Through School" is established withclasses 1 to VIII and with an intake of 40 studentsin each class,an Elementary School canaccommodate 320 school-age children. Thisrequire 9 teaches each. So the requirement ofteachers would be 4,33,2000.

The establishment of 48,200 schools wouldensure universalization of Elementary Educationi.e. classes I to VIII of children in the age-group6 to 14. In addition to these, another 5,2000 smallrural schools need to be established to cater tothe needs all villages and make universalization ofprimary education a reality.

Secondary Education:

Twenty percent of the elementary schoolpass-outs are expected to go for Secondary


47


Education. So, the estimated Secondary Schoolpopulation would be 23,10,360. if the intake of asecondary schools would be around 7,700. Allthe present High Schools need to be upgraded toHigher Secondary level to meet the educationalaspirations of the people.

Changing the Negative Mind-set towardsEducation:

The present day politicians, administratorsand the opinion leaders of the community havedeveloped a highly negative mind-set regardingeducation. They are making educationalinstitutions the scapegoates for all socio-economicevils. Further, there is evident reluctance to bearthe heavy financial burden. Educational systemof Orissa is fast loosing social support andfunding.

Vision : Educational Institutions of all stagesshould increase. To arrest qualitative deterioration,the urban and rural Local Self-governing bodies,private entrepreneurs, and benevolent peopleshould be encouraged to take over themanagement of education.

Conclusion:

Orissa'a population is in manageable limits.But, the growth rate needs to be checked byproviding universal elementary educatuion and awell-spread network of hospitals, dispensariesand other public health facilities before 2036.

Illiteracy among women and Tribals is veryhigh which has to be eradicated by 2036.

The inter-district imbalances are glaring.The developmental distances generate frustration,distress and social tensions. The present daymovements in parts of Orissa for sepatrate

Autonomous Couneils for west, North and SouthOrissa regions; and even total separation; are dueto accumulated neglact. Balanced developmentmust take place to cheek regional dissatisfaction.The urban-ruraldivide needs to bridged.

There are three decades ahead to continueconcerted deveopment of Orissa. Either we wakeup to solve the harsh realistic problems and usherOrissa to a new Century of Hope by 2036; orneglect and commit socio-cultural suicide. TheCentenary Year 2036 beckons us to awake, ariseand commit ourselves to the concerted andmultipronged development of Orissa.

References:1. Economic Survey - 2002-2003, Government of

Orissa, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, P& C Department.

2. Cencus of India, Series 19 - Orissa, Socio-CulturalTables, Directorate of Cencus Operations, Orissa,Bhubaneswar, 1998.

3. Census of India 2001, Series - 22:Orissa.ProvincialPopulation Tables, Directorate of CensusOperations, Orissa, Bhubaneswar, 2002.

4. Vision - 2020: Orissa, Task Force Report,Department of School and Mass Education,Government of Orissa, Bhubaneswar 2003.

5. Manorama Year Book - 2004.

6. India Book of the Year 2004. EncyclopaediaBritannica and the Hindu. Chennai, 2004.

Dr. Bharati Mohapatra is the Principal of N.D.W. Collegeof Teacher Education, Bhubaneswar - 751001.



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Kataka, being the capital city of ancient Utkala,has been the nerve-centre of Orissan history,politics and culture since 989 A.D. witnessingthe rule of the Somavamsis, the Gangas, theGajapatis, the Afghans, the Mughals, theMarathas, the British and finally the electeddemocratic Government of Independent Orissa.During the long span of one thousand years, thecity imbibed the quintessence of cultural wavesfrom eastern, northern, central and southern Indiaand thus mingled in her cultural waves fromeastern, northern, central and Southern Indiaand thus adapted in her cultural matrix all theheterogenous elements. Under the successive ruleof the medieval dynasties, the boundaries ofOrissa extended from the river Ganga in the northto the river Godavari in the South. There afterthe State saw the sudden decline for internecinestruggle during the rule of an unworthy dynastynamed the Bhoi, and next, the inevitabledownfall due to external invasions, followed bythe rulers of the Afghans, the Marathas andfinally the British, who reduced the one timefar-flung Orissa to three coastal districts ofBalasore, Cuttack and Puri. Situated at the apexof deltaic land formed by the bifurcation of theMahanadi and its main branch, the Kathajori,Cuttack has witnessed the vicissitude of its rules.It long acted as Military stronghold as well asthe Capital of Orissa.

According to Madala-Panji, Raja NrupaKeshari, a martial and ambitious prince, whowas always fighting with his neighbours, is said tohave first planted the city on site of the modernCuttack about 989 A.D.

The city was in the past connected with theimportant centres of the country by Rajapathasand by the water ways leading to the Bay ofBengal and in the modern period by the railwaylines and motor communication.

Like other important capital towns ofmedieval India, its Court was embellished withthe illustrious poets, musicians, kinsmen, courtiers,commanders, sports men and other dignitaries.Cuttack was then well protected having beencircumscribed by rivers in three sides whichprovided natural defence.

Orissa came under the British rule in 1803.After the advent of British rulers, Zamindars,Paikas and some tribal people started theirmovements against the foreigners. Most of thepeople could not welcome the Britishers. Britishpeople very bravely and cleverly won theresistance. They had to develop it in differentdirections. Obviously the progress of educationin the Cuttack city received maximum attention.The Primary Schools in the Cuttack city met theneeds of the pupils. The Secondary Schools in

Cuttack City : Promotion of Education inOrissa in the Pre-Independence Era

Dinabandhu Dehury


49


the Cuttack city served the educationalrequirements of the Cuttack City and the rest ofthe Cuttack district as well. The Colleges, trainingSchools and technical institutions in CuttackCity were intended to cater to the needs of thewhole of Orissa.

Upto 1866 there was almost total absenceof attempt on the part of the Government toprovide the people with the means of moderneducation. In 1841 Government opened ahigher English School at Cuttack. Through agood deal of hardship it survived as the Principalseat of education in the province. In the terriblefamine of 1866 it was well-known, how thewant of educated persons aggravated thesufferings of the people of Orissa. By the year1905, the National Movement for Freedom andUtkal Union Movement for the unification of theOriya - speaking areas were launched. Underthe impact of these two movements, the progressof education in Orissa received a great impetus.

During the Governor Generalship of LordWilliam Bentik (1828-1835), English educationin India received a great impulse. The longcontroversy between the orientalists andAnglicists was settled at last in 1835. WilliamBentik decided in favour of English as a mediumof instruction. It was the aim of the Britishersthat people getting the education through Englishwould get the service in the British administration.English being the international language andthe link language of Indian States was introducedas the medium of instructions.1

The British Government felt the necessityof establishing English Schools. An EnglishSchool and a Sanskrit School were opened atPuri on experimental basis to attract people.People showed their interest in such education.An English School at Puri was not adequate toserve the purpose. Therefore, the Government

decided to open more English Schools in someother district headquarters including at Cuttack,the headquarters of the State.

Primary Education

Primary Education constitutes thefoundation on which the entire super structureof education is built. Education at this stagepossesses two-fold problem in this state, on thesatisfactory solution of which depends to a verylarge extent the development of the community.The aspect of the problem is to evolve a suitablesystem of education which may help to awakenthe dormant faculties of the child and the other toprovide this education to every child of theschool-going age. Primary education is providedin Primary Schools and Junior Basic Schools.2

The lack of well-trained teachers waskeenly felt in the endeavour to develop Primaryeducation. A training School at Cuttack wasopened in 1863. In 1864 there were 23students under training on the completion of thestudy they were appointed elementary villageSchools.

In 1867 the Cuttack Training Schoolwas thoroughly reorganized in accordance withthe scheme of Bhudeb Mukherjee. Henceforth,this was called First Grade Training School.The School was placed under a Superintendent.The School had mainly two department, one fortraining Pandits, and the other for training gurus.In the Pandit training department, teachers wereundergoing training for one year only, while in theguru training department, there was a three years'course. It proved to be a very useful institution.3

In order to meet the want of certificatedgurus, a Central training class for training ofthe Gurus of upper Primary Schools was addedto First Grade Training Schools at Cuttack in1891. Two classes were opened in it for the



50

training of English teachers for SecondarySchools in 1896. Henceforth, First GradeTraining School at Cuttack was also known asSecondary Training School, Cuttack.4

In order to popularize primary education,efforts were made in the direction of introducinga simpler curriculum. In order to improve thequality of teaching, the salary of primaryteachers was enhanced from time to time.

It was realized by 1921 that a largenumber of pupils in the Primary classes nevergot beyond the lowest class and were withdrawnbefore they had learnt even to read and write.This resulted in a wastage of money and effort,and led to stagnation in the development ofPrimary education. Several steps taken toovercome it were too inadequate to serve anyuseful purpose.

The Muhammedan pupils not onlyattended ordinary Primary Schools but alsoSpecial Schools known as Maktabs or PrimaryUrdu Schools intended for them. The number ofUrdu Primary Schools or Maktabs in theCuttack City was 40 in 1947. These were allaided by the Government. The Primary Schoolshaving Urdu Section numbered 7 in 1947. Therewas one elementary training School forMuhammadans maintained by the Governmentat Cuttack.5

Secondary Education

Secondary education was imparted bythe Middle Schools and High Schools. For thepromotion of Secondary education, theGovernment relied mainly on Private enterpriseassisted by Grant-in-aid and subject to certaincontrol.

Middle Vernacular Schools taughtvernacular course. Middle English Schools taughtthe same vernacular course and in addition,

English during four years study from Class IVto Class VII. There was growing demand fromparents and pupils themselves for increasedfacilities for English education. So, the middleEnglish Schools were popular and demandswere frequently made for the conversion ofmiddle vernacular Schools into middle EnglishSchools. The number of Middle English Schoolin Cuttack city was 6 in 1900 and 10 in 1947.In order to improve the efficiency of middleEnglish Schools and also incidentally of HighSchools, it was decided to extend to middleEnglish Schools, with effect from the year 1927-28, the scheme for a Public Middle Examinationfor a School Certificate.

It had always been the policy ofGovernment to aid private enterprise in providinghigh Schools. But it provided and maintainedone high School in each of the districtheadquarters to serve as models to otherSchools. By 1900 there was one GovernmentHigh School in the Cuttack town known asCuttack Zilla School, one aided high School atCuttack known as Mission School, run by theMissionary and a Private School known asCuttack Academy.6 By 1947 the number ofaided high Schools in the Cuttack town rose tosix. But Cuttack Zilla School, subsequentlyknown as Cuttack Collegiate School continuedto be the only Government High School till theend of the British rule.

From 1896, the First Grade TrainingSchool at Cuttack was the only institution inOrissa which provided facilities for the trainingof the teachers of the Post-Primary Schoolsi.e. Middle English Schools. For the training ofthe Masters for purely high Schools of educationthere was not any special provision at all for along time.7 In 1923 the Cuttack Training Collegewas started. It provided a course of training


51


for graduates intending to work as teachers inthe High Schools and Sub Inspectors ofSchools. It prepared students for the Diplomain Education Examination.8 The course of studyextended over one academic year andcomprised both theory and practice in teaching.The Ravenshaw Collegiate School and the PyaryMohan Academy were used as practicing HighSchools. The number of students on the roll was26 in 1947.9

The Curriculum of the high Schools waslargely examination - oriented and studies wereaccordingly literary. The department encouragedvocational and practical education in the Schools.During the period 1942-1947, Agriculture,Botany introduced in the Mission High Schooland carpentry was introduced in Cuttackpracticing School.10

The Senior and Junior Madrasa werepractically Secondary school on Islamic basiscombining religious and secular education. TheMadrasa Sultania at Cuttack was the only SeniorMadrasa in the province. It received grant-in-aid from Government. In 1943 there was areduction of fees in the higher class as anexperimental basis to encourage a large numberof Muhammedan boys to take oriental education.Pupils of the lower classes were not chargedany fees.11

Collegiate Education :

One of the most significant achievementsof the period from 1858 to 1905 was thepromotion of Collegiate education. This resultedin the establishment of a College in Cuttack. Aproposal was made for raising the GovernmentZilla School at Cuttack to the standard of acollegiate School in 1868.12 At the initiative ofT.E. Ravenshaw, the Commissioner of Orissa,the College department of the High Schoolwas converted into a College in which students

would be able to complete the entire coursenecessary for attaining the B.A. degree in 1876.13

The magnificient gift of Rs.20,000/- given bythe late Maharaja enabled the Government tomake the institution permanent. The name ofthe College was changed into RavenshawCollege, in commemoration of Ravenshaw'scommendable services as Commissioner ofOrissa. The history of Ravenshaw College isvirtually the history of modern Orissa and it issaid that anybody who is somebody in Orissais a Ravenshavian.

Science was taught in this College uptoIntermediate Standard. But in course of timethere arose a strong demand for provision ofB.Sc. course. So the B.Sc. (Pass) course wasopened in 1912. Gradually the public opinion inOrissa began to demand opening of B.A.(Hons.), B.Sc. (Hons.) and M.A. classes. By1947 the College had secured affiliation in mostsubjects at B.A. and B.Sc. (Honours) level andEnglish, Economics, Mathematics and Oriya forthe M.A. and Chemistry for the M.Sc.14

In July 1921, Ravenshaw College wasmoved to a new infrastructure at Chauliaganj. Thenumber of students at the Ravenshaw Collegecontinued to rise. It was 158 in 1905, 375 in1917 and 1171 in 1947. The number ofWomen students was 39 in 1947. The numberof boarders in the hostel under the control ofthe College was 183 in 1947. Law Classeswere attached to the Ravenshaw College atCuttack which had 48 students in the roll in 1940.The College had a number of vigorous societiesand clubs which attracted to their meetings someof the prominent persons of the town. Theresearch workers in different departmentscontinued their activities. The provincial museumcontinued to be housed in the College. TheCollege had a Governing Body with a non-Official as Presidents.



52

Apart from Ravenshaw College, thepremier College of the province maintained bythe Government, there were two private Collegesin the Cuttack City namely Christian College,Cuttack and the Stewart Science College,Cuttack respectively.

The Utkal Christian College was startedby the Christian Education Board, Cuttack in1944 as an Intermediate in Arts and was raisedto the status of a first grade College in 1946.It was managed by a Governing Body andreceived aid from Government. This was the firstPrivate College started in North Orissa. Withthe rich Co-operation of the Public, it had madePhenomenal progress within three years.

It hoped to have its extensive buildingprojects completed so as to move to its owninfrastructure before the commencement of theSession in 1949-50. Its roll strengths was309 in 1947. The College had a Students'Union and some important Societies.

The Stewart Science College, Cuttackwas an Intermediate College maintained by theBaptist Missionary Society and was managedby a Governing Body. The College had anumber of Societies and provided Specialfacilities for games which were compulsory.There were 110 students on the rolls of theCollege on 31st March 1947.15

From the beginning, the Calcutta Universitywas the affiliating and examining body of theRavenshaw College. From 1917 the PatnaUniversity took the place of Calcutta University.The Utkal University came into being in 1943.It was located in Cuttack. Dr. P. Parija wasthe first Vice- Chancellor of this University.Henceforth, Utkal University became theaffiliating and examining body of the Collegesof Orissa.

Female Education :

By 1905 state of female education inCuttack city was far from satisfactory. Mostof the girls attending the Schools were inelementary stage. Apart from some Girl'sPrimary Schools, there were two aided MiddleEnglish Schools for girls under the managementof American Baptist Mission in the Cuttackcity in 1905. The factors such as the want ofadequate state aid, intense conservatism of thepeople, system of child marriage and scarcityof educated female teachers continued to hinderthe smooth development of Women education.

In order to meet the deficiency of femaleteachers, a training School for mistresses wasopened in Cuttack in 1906. It was properlymanaged by the Baptist Missionary Society andreceived substantial aid from Government. Inaccordance with the recommendations of theFemale Education Committee of 1914,, atraining School for Hindu Women was openedat Cuttack in 1919. It proved successful.16

The Girl's High School at Cuttack wasopened in 1906 by Mr. Reba Roy. Subsequentlythe institutions became a fullfledged HighSchool. The control of the Ravenshaw Girls'School was assumed by the Government witheffect from 1 March 1913. In 1917 it wasmoved to a building acquired for the purposeby the Government.17 In 1919, hostel andPrincipal's quarters were built for theRavenshaw Girls' High School. Music anddomestic Science were taught in the School assubjects for the Matriculation examination from1933-34.

During the year 1915-16, acommencement was made in Orissa with thecollegiate education of Women when I.A.classes were opened in connection with the


53


Ravenshaw Girl's School at Cuttack. TheSchool was placed on a permanent footing in1925. The number of students in theIntermediate Classes at the Ravenshaw Girls'School was 8 in 1934 and 10 in 1936. Thelimited number of Women students in the I.A.Classes, which had never exceeded a dozenby 1936, indicated that all students who passedthe matriculation did not come up for Collegiateeducation. A very small number of womenwho wished to take a degree course, werehaving co-education in Colleges for men wherethey had greater choice of subjects, efficientand an academic atmosphere.

The Intermediate in Arts Section attachedto the Ravenshaw Girls' High School was raisedto the degree status in 1944. It was maintainedby Government and was the only Women'sCollege in the province. It was affiliated to theUtkal University. The strength of the Collegewas 23 in 1941-42 and 64 in 1946-47. Thisshows that Women have began to take specialinterest in higher education.

Technical Education :Two most important technical institutions

of Orissa were located in Cuttack city. Thesewere, Cuttack Survey School and CuttackMedical School which developed into OrissaSchool of Engineering and Orissa MedicalCollege in course of time. The Cuttack SurveySchool was opened in 1876. Period undertraining was fixed for two years. Almost all thesuccessful candidates found employment asamins. It was converted into a School ofEngineering in 1923.

The Orissa School of Engineering wasthe only an esteemed technical institutions inthe province which trained candidates for theSubordinate Engineering Service. It usuallyprovided education for 40 Civil engineering

subordinates. The number of students wasincreased to 57 in July 1946. There were inaddition 20 students for the Industrial Diplomacourse. The majority of the students whocompleted their training found employment.18

Since the introduction of the scheme fortraining of war techniques, the IndustrialDiploma course was held in abeyance.Accordingly, there were no students in theIndustrial Diploma classes from 1943. Furtherto recruit men for the public works departmentin connection with Post War works, a schemefor the Emergency Training of Sub Oversearshaving short-term course was sanctioned. Itworked in 1946-47.

The total number of students on the rollsin 1946-47 was 142. Of the 35 candidatespresented for the Civil Engineering SubordinateExaminations in 1946-47, 23 came outsuccessful. Twenty one candidates passed outof 27 who appeared at the emergency suboversear examination.

An innovative expert committee wasappointed in 1946-47 to suggest a couse oftraining for the Civil, Mechanical and PublicHealth Engineering and financial implications ofthe scheme. Pending finalization of details bythe expert Committee, the School was providedwith furniture and other equipments worthRs.36,855.00 in 1947.

The Orissa Medical School, Cuttack wasestablished in 1876. It was the only institutionin the province for imparting Medical educationon the Western Lines. It was effectivelymaintained by Government and was under thecontrol of the Medical Department. The courseextended over four years. Those students whopassed final examination from the institution wereawarded degrees of licensed to medicalpractitioners.



54

Matriculation Examination of the PatnaUniversity or any equivalent of any otherUniversity had hitherto been the minimumstandard fixed for students seeking admissioninto Orissa Medical School. But with a view toincreasing efficiency of the esteemed institution,the standard had been raised to the passing ofthe I.A. or I.Sc. examination failing this, to thefirst division in the Matriculation or S.L.C.examination in 1937. The arrangement forteaching had also been reorganized and broughtup to a higher level as recommended by theMedical Education Conference held in Delhiin 1938.

The number of students on the rolls on31st March 1941 was 124. No fresh studentswas admitted into the School during the year1946-47 owing to the gradual abolition of theSchool. At the end of 1946-47, there wereonly 16 students on the roll.

The Cuttack Weaving School wasestablished in 1911. The following free handdrawing, design, fabric structure, dyeingpreparation of yarn and yarn calculation. Thecontrol of the Schools was transferred fromthe Director of Public Instruction to theRegistrar of Co-operative Societies inSeptember, 1915. It may be mentioned herethat fancy weaving of several descriptions wasused to taught in these Schools. But it was foundby experience that there was no sufficientdemand for the materials turned out, and it wasnot profitable for the Weavers to turnout silk fancycloth in large quantities. The Registrar, therefore,directed towards teaching the students to weavesuch clothes as could command a ready sale.

It was becoming more and more evidentthat the stationery Schools by themselves wouldnot achieve their object in popularizing the use offly-shuttle looms. To compass this end in view,

the system of a peripatetic agency in place ofthis Stationery School was considered moresuitable. Hence, the Weaving Schools atCuttack were closed on 31st January 1920.

The Industrial Section of the Mission Girl'sSchool at Cuttack was opened in 1920. Itwas called shelter. It trained girls in basketmaking, weaving, spinning, sewing andembroidery work. In 1930, it was reported tohave made satisfactory progress. But the numberof students in the Shelter Industrial Schoolbegan to diminish gradually.

Rai Bahadur B. C. Patnaik was thepioneer of the Orissa poor industry Cottage atCuttack. It chiefly aimed at training students indifferent handicrafts using raw materials availablelocally. The number of students in this institutewas 25 in 1936. It had got the followingSections :

1. Weaving Section, 2. Baskets, Cane andMat Sections, 3. Toy Section, 4. Eri Section5. Tailoring Sections, 6. Women Section

In 1936-37 fourteen students appearedin the final examination in different branches andall came out successful. In 1935 the institutionmade an excellence research into the processof burning bricks and the experiments made inthis connection proved fruitful. In 1936-37, anew industrial institution called "The MadhusudanVillage Industrial Institute" was started at Cuttackby a private association, with the financial aidof Rs.23,620.00 from Government whichundertood to maintain it for first five years. Therewere altogether eight sections in the institute,detailed as follows.19

1. Cotton and Eri Spinning,

2. Cotton, Wool or Silk Weaving,

3. Toy making,


55


4. Cane and Wood work,

5. Paper making,

6. Oil Pressing,

7. Soap making,

8. Dying and printing.

The courses of study of each sectioncovered a period of one year. The Session beganin January and ended in December every year.As the number of students in the MadhusudanVillage Industries began to diminish gradually,it abolished the training classes and worked asa commercial concern from 1946-47.20

References :1. K. C. Sarangi, "Educational Institutes in Cuttack

City", Cuttack One Thousand Years - Vol.II,Cuttack, 1990, P. 61.

2. B. Das, "Progress of Education in Orissa" -'Orissa Review" Vol. XXXI, No.6 Jan. 1974, P.P.7 -8.

3. Bengal General Proceedings (Education), May1868, No. 52, Inspector of Schools, SouthWest Divison to Director of Public Instructions,No. 633, 9 August 1867.

4. General Report on Public Instruction in Bengal,1893-94, P.P. 81-83.

5. Quinquennial Report on the Progress ofEducation in Orissa for the Quinquennium,1942-47, P. 56.

6. Annual General Administration Report of theOrissa Division, 1881-82, P. 60.

7. W.W. Hornell, Progress of Education in Bengal,1902-03-06-07, Paras 330-331.

8. Report on the Progress of Education in Biharand Orissa, 1928-29, Chapter-V, Para - 59.

9. Quinquennial Report on the Progress ofEducation in Orissa for the Quinquennium1942-47, P. 43.

10. Ibid., P.P. 27-28.

11. Ibid., P. 59.

12. K. C. Sarangi, op.cit., P.62.

13. General Report on Public Instruction in Bengal,1875-76, Paras 380-383.

14. Quinquennial Report on the Progress ofEducation during the quinquennium, 1942-47,P. 39.

15. Ibid, P.P. 39-40

16. Rai Sahib Jadunath Mohapatra, Orissa in 1936-37 to 1938-39, P.P. 67-68.

17. G.E. Owen, Bihar and Orissa in 1921, P. 131.

18. J. K. Samal, "Development of Education in theCuttack City during the British Rule" CuttackOne Thousand years - Vol.II, Cuttack 1990, P. 56

19. Ibid, P. 57

20. Ibid, P. 58.

Sri Dinabandhu Dehury is a Senior Ph.D. Scholar in theP.G. Dept. of History, Utkal University, Vani Vihar,Bhubaneswar.



56

Orissa, famous as ancient Kalinga, has a longmaritime history and tradition, which haddeveloped owing to its close association with Sea,stretching to a length of more than 500 kms on itsEastern front beginning from the river Ganga inthe North to Godavari in the south. The glorioustradition is intimately linked with some of itsreligious practices and festivals. Although Orissalost its maritime trade activities during the Britishperiod, the oriyas today remember their ancienttradition by observing "Boita Vandana Utsav"as National Festival which reminds the gloriouspast. Balasore, a sea coast town of Orissa, playeda significant role in maritime activities of Orissaduring British period.

The wealth and opulence of the provinceallured the Englishmen to set up factories atHariharpur in Jagatsingpur district.1The Englishwere eager to trade in Bengal Subah. As W.W.Hunter remarked, "True to our natural characterwe settled in Orissa as merchant long before wemade our appearance as rulers." One of theearliest British factories in India established atHariharpur in Orisssa was in 1633 A.D.Subsequently, other factories were established atBalasore on the river Burabalang, and Pipili on

the river Subarnarekha. "These two parts formedthe basis of our future greatness in Bengal."2 TheBritish factory at Balasore developed into athriving center of maritime trade. In 1670, amongseveral factories in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa,Balasore was the seat of their business council.The pre-emience of Balasore as a commercialcentre continued for a long time.

In the first quarter of the 19th century,Balasore and Dhamara were used by sloops andvessels for carrying rice and sale. The record of1810, refers to port of Balasore. Vessels comingfrom Laccadive, Maldive Islands brought coirs,coconuts, and cowries, and took back rice andearthen pots.

As a result of which a custom house forthe collection of duties in Orissa under regulationof 1810 were established in Balasore.

In 1858, a comprehensive plan wasprepared by the Government of India for theregulation of Orissa ports. Balasore has a coastline of 58 miles. The New Act of 1858 declaredall the ports such as Balasore, Churaman,Chhanua, Saratha, Subarnarekha and Dhamra as

Nineteenth Century Ports of Balasore

Manas Kumar Sahoo


57


a single port, that was Balasore port. The portdues were to be collected at the rate of 6 annasfor every 100 pounds of cargo of any description.Amount of port dues, received as per new rate,was required to be credited to a common fund,called Balasore port fund.

Geographical location of ports

Chandbali : The Chandbali port was establishedin 1872. The credit of the fondation of Chandbaliport goes to captain Mat Nail, who firstdiscovered its adaptibility for the passenger traffic.The Baitarani was within the limit of the Dhamraport, although situated at considerable distancefrom the sea coast. The channel of Dharma andBaitarani, as far as Chandbali, was completelymarked out with buoys and beacons, with movingbuoys in the midchanel at chandbali. The part wassituated on a high but narrow sand bridge whichstretches from the north to the south in a directionparallel to the sea coast for a distance many milesand terminated on the northern bank of the river.

Dhamra : The river Dhamra discharge unitedwater of Baitarani, Brahmani and Kharasuan rivers.The Dhamra port included the navigable channelof all the rivers as far as they were affected by thetidal waters. The survey reports of 1870, placedfirst among navigable rivers of Orissa. The entranceto the port was marked by the Kanika buoy intwenty one feet. Tripad becon in the extreme north-east dry portion of the palmyras reefs.

Subarnarekha : The port of Subarnarekahconsisted of a demarcated port ion ofSubarnarekha. It was situated 12 miles from thesea by the water route. In early times it was byfar most important port in the Orissan coast. A

colony was established here by the Portugese inthe beginning of the 16th century A.D.

Saratha and Chhanua : Saratha & Chhanua portsituated fifteen miles from south-east ofSubarnarekha rivers. The Saratha & Chhanuariver were frequented by native river sloops, theformer was navigable, one mile from the seameasuring a direct line. There was much diffcultyin landing of sloops due to soft muddy banks.

Balasore : The most important part in Balasoredistrict was Balasore port, it is consisted of portionof Burabalanga river fronting the town of Balaosre.The port was about three quarters of a mile inlength. It was situated seven miles from the coastof direct line.

Ships from the Madras coast from theceylone, Laccadive and maldive Iselands annuallyresorted to Balasore port in large number for ricetrade. The Laccadive and maldive islandsdepended principally upon the Balasore districtfor their annual supply of grain. Ships of a largesize ancher at the Buoy, and were loaded fromcargo boats.

Laichanpur and Churaman : The port ofLaichanpur was situated twenty three miles fromthe south of laichanpur. These two ports arebranches of Kansbans, which bifurcated at Birupa,seven miles from the last. The northern Branch,on which the port of Laichhpur was situated,keeps the name of Kansbans, the southern onwhich Churnman situated called Gammai. TheBalasore Collector of customs in 1820, wrote that"Churaman is considered a safe and convenientport on the coast of Orissa and carries on a seagoing trade exceeding that of Balasore".



58

The opening of Railway in 1896 was apotent factor for the decline of maritime trade inOrissa. Because, maritime trade was shifted torailways. It went on reducing with the spend andsuccess of Railway Network in the country. Therailways competed ruthlessly with the natural andcheap facility of water of transport. The BritishGovernment was interested in the financial successof railways, which could have been done at thecost of other means of transport. So, afterdevelopment of railways in Orissa, maritime tradecame to an end.

References :

1. Maritime Orissa As depicted in Ancient literatureby Bhagaban panda published by Orissa StateArchives.

2. Port of Balasore during the British period ByGaneswar Nayak, published by OrissaStateArchives.

3. 1 Ibid, Page No. 35

4. 2 Ibid Page No. 35

5. W.W. Hunter, History of Orissa, vol.II, London1872 P-39

6. Bengal Judicial Proceedlings © No. September5, 1810

7. Bengal Judicial Proceedings © P. No.7 of 13 April1810, Regulation 9 of 1810

8. Bengal Judicial Proceedings © 18th, 19th August1829

9. Balasore custom house reports, 1842

10. Bengal Orissa Famine commission Report, 1866Vol. II Page -9

11. P. Acharya, OP Cit

Manas Kumar Sahoo is a PG Student of AIHCA, UtkalUniversity, Bhubaneswar

FIRST ORIYA MAJOR GENERAL

Brigadier Partha Mohapatra, Chief of Signals, Eastern Command, Kolkata hasbeen promoted to the rank of Major General and posted as Addl. Director General,Integrated Headquarters in the Ministry of Defence, New Delhi. He is an alumni ofBhubaneswar Sainik School and is the first Oriya in the corps of signals in Indian Armyto occupy such a coveted position.

After passing out from the National Defence Academy, Major General Mohapatrajoined as a Commissioner in the Indian Army in 1971 and earned many distinguishedpositions. He worked as a Colonel at the Army Headquarters. His dedication andpatriotism are echoed in the fact that both his sons and the daughter-in-law have joinedIndian Army.

Major General Mohapatra is the son of late Mahesh Chandra Mohapatra, aneminent Oriya literateur.


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The system of Indian higher education is thesecond largest in the world. It caters theeducational needs of millions of students belongingto different socio economic strata of the societyand provides leadership in different walks of life.In order to achieve the basic aim of highereducation, there exists a strong need to bring outthe best from the individual s personality. This greatpurpose requires selection of appropriate courseswhich should always be in consonance with theinterest and hidden potentialities of the students.1

It is quite obvious that students are theprime stakeholders in any system of highereducation. Quality is the end product ofresponsiveness to their educational andprofessional needs and also to the need ofpersonal development which has been the primaryconcern of the traditional systems of education inthe country. Student aspirations and goals changein a fast changing world. That system of highereducation, which is ready to honour them andshape its curricular and administrat iveperformance accordingly is alone relevant. It canmake student stakeholders partners in planningand governance rather than keeping them as docilerecipient of that which is imposed on them withoutsensitivity to their changing needs and aspirations.2

Present Scenareo of Higher Education in India

India has a massive system of highereducation. At the time of independence, therewere only twenty universities and 500 colleges inthe country. But at present the Indian HigherEducation system could be said as the secondlargest in the world with 8 million students, morethan 3 lac teachers, 300 universities and morethan 12,000 colleges affiliated to them and manyDeemed Universities and Institutions of nationalimportance. Inspite of having a massive systemof higher education, only 7 percent youth of therelevant age group of 17 to 24 years is receivinghigher education as compared to France (50%),U.S.A (81%) and Canada (99.8%). At the sametime the system has been failed to cater to theheterogeneity of the society.

Every where, higher education is faced withgreat challenges and difficulties related to financing,equity of conditions at access into and during thecourse of studies, improved staff development,skilled based training, enhancement andpresentation of quality in teaching, research andservice, relevance of programmes, employabilityof graduates, establishment of efficient co-operation agreements and equitable access to thebenefits of international co-operation. At the sametime higher education is being challenged by newopportunities relating to technologies that are

Attainment of ExcellenceThrough Higher Education

Dr. Jyotsnarani Kuanr



60

improving the ways in which knowledge can beproduced, managed, disseminated, accessed andcontrolled. Equitable access to these technologiesshould be ensured at all levels of educationsystems.

Research study on the development of highereducation reveals that India s position is 76 out ofthe 94 developing countries of the world3.

Few in India are thinking creatively abouthigher education. There is no field of highereducation research. Those in government as wellas academic leaders seem content to do the sameold thing. Academic institutions and systems havebecome large and complex. They need good data,careful analysis and creative ideas. India hassurvived with an increasingly mediocre highereducation system for decades. Now as Indiastrives to compete in a globalised economy inareas that require highly trained professionals, thequality of higher education becomes increasinglyimportant. So far, india s large educatedpopulation base and its reservoir of at leastmoderately well trained university graduates havepermitted the country to move ahead4.

Today, there is a strong feeling that theskills of graduates don t match the needs and theexpectations of the employment sector. In thedeveloping countries, unemployable graduatespose a greater problem than unemployment itself.What are these skills, which are expected by theemployers of the graduate work force? What arethe skills, which describe quality education andwhich such an education is capable of fostering inits process?5 If we do not take care of this, wewill be restricting out our own youth fromblossoming into great actors in the modernknowledge economy6.

Taking stock of the higher education scenein the developing countries the taskforce reportedthat despite vigorous steps, very few are enrolled

in educational programmes of a high quality. Therest are taught by poorly qualified, poorlymotivated, poorly compensated faculty withinadequate facilities and outmoded curricular. Yet,it is this large majority which is called upon tograpple with the huge task of nation building. Theyare called upon to provide good governance,develop future business, build health andeducational infrastructure needed for raising thestandard of living and improving the quality of lifeand excellence. How can the ill equipped begetquality? It is therefore imperative for thedeveloping nations to focus on the quality ofeducation they impart7.

Emerging Need

Nations are struggling to cope with thedemands of quality education and a phenomenalincrease in the number of students wanting to goin for higher education. Both the quality andquantity of education require better academic andphysical infrastructure and greater financialresources.

Though significant progress has been madein recent years in India in information technologysector, engineering, computer science, commerce,still there is a long way to go. The world will belooking for trained persons in all basic fields witha sound knowledge base in their core disciplineand with the ability to adapt to new demands.

Not only Science, Technology, Commerceand Economics, even Languages are beingdemanded in newer context for business,tourism, multicultural interactions etc. The worlddemography is changing. To take advantage ofthis change, we need to produce trained personson par with global standards8.

The quantitative improvement, however,has not resulted in simultaneous improvement in


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quality. There is apparently a need now to makeit more relevant and effective for achieving thenational goals9.

Restructuring Higher Education to AttainExcellence

The Chinese Philosopher Confucius statedthat the goal of education was to produce men ofquality who combined competence with virtue.Thus quality is multidimensional and throughhigher education it strives to develop humanresources of global standards. Perceived thus,quality defines the goals and purpose ofeducation. Quality impacts the content of highereducation. Its processes, its output or product asit seeks to develop human resources with requiredskills, excellent in performance and capable ofdelivering the goods as a unit of the work force.

In a developing country like ours, thediametrically opposite demands of qualityeducation and the increasing numbers of studentsdemanding higher education are in conflict. Thisgrowing demand for higher education has broughtto the fore the problems of access, equity andquality.

As the developing countries addressthemselves to the problems of access and equity,the problem of quality gets acute. An independenttask force set up by UNESCO in 1998 has in itsreport entitled Higher Education in developingcountries, Peril and Promise , said that todayhigher education has become basic educationdemanded by the masses and can no longer beconfined to a tiny elite. This is more so, in thedeveloping world due to three factors at workhere. Firstly, the incredible growing thirst forknowledge, secondly the growing importance ofknowledge in society and thirdly, the inexorableand often cruel logic of globalisation10.

Suggestive Measures for AttainingExcellence

A. Teaching, Learning and Evaluation

(i) Clarity and transparency in the process ofadmission and recruitment of faculty should bemaintained. The most crucial factor in ensuringexcellence of teaching, learning and evaluation isthe quality of the faculty. If merit is the only criterionfor recruitment, and no other influences areentertained, it will automatically ensure outstandingacademic performance.

(ii) Faculty development programmes, such asconditions of service, participation in seminar,symposia, conferences, orientation programmes,refresher courses, publications are important incontinuous updating of quality teachers.Monitoring and periodic performance appraisalincluding access to feedback mechanism willimprove the quality of attaining excellence,objectivity and accountability of the teachingfaculty.

(iii) Visible welfare measures will motivate theteachers in achieving greatest academic pursuits.So, measures should be taken into account toreduce stress and strain of the faculty members.

B. Curricular Aspects

India is a country of diverse geographicalfeatures, multi religious communities andmultilingual population and a different socio-economic and cultural background. Unity indiversity is the basis of Indian society. In thecurrent decades with much emphasis oneconomic development accompanied bytremendous explosion of knowledge in all sphereshave led to economic differences. Always, thereare regional imbalances in the country. Realizingsuch irregularities, the curriculum should beframed. The courses available through highereducation must be consistent with goals and



62

objectives of the country and aspirations of thestudents. The changing social, educational andeconomic environment are important determinantsof curricular options so as to meet the challengesof the present day society.C. Research, Consultancy and Extension.

Today, education and research are highlyinterdisciplinary. Research is diligent inquiry andcareful search for new knowledge or facts througha systematic scientific and analytical approach inany branch of knowledge. It is an undisputed factthat research and economic development of anycountry always go hand in hand as both areinterdependent on each other. In addition toteaching the prescribed curricula, under-takingresearch projects on various socio-economicresearchable problems by teachers, has beengiven considerable recognition11.

Research work should be done in a largescale by providing financial support and theadditional infrastructure facilities. Forward andbackward linkages should be established foraugmenting research and mobilizing fund.Community extension programme should bearranged in the university to develop socialinfrastructure and learning resources.D. Infrastructure and Learning Resources

One of the most important areas for qualityimprovement is the development of infrastructureand learning resources. Infrastructure shouldinclude a wide range of supporting services suchas gymnasium, playgrounds, canteen, computercentre, multimedia conference hall, library andhostel etc. while conceptualizing the institution ofhigher education, it is important to plan not onlyfor today but also for tomorrow. Infrastructureshould be both adequate and appropriate as perthe norms of the UGC/AICTE etc. Students, staffand faculty members should have access to theuse of new technology including internet12.

E. Student Participation and Progression

There are several hopeful trends in thecourse, which support the student involvement inquality enhancement. Firstly, the employers preferinstitutions that have demonstrable academicquality along with value adding activities involvingthe students. Secondly, those students who haveparticipated in the institutional quality processesare able to make rational career choices andthirdly the performance of such students in facingupto the job interviews and placement exhibits ahigher degree of self-confidence and maturity.Therefore, it is imperative that every institutionmakes a conscious effort to associate students intheir quality enhancement programmes13.

F. Organisation and Management

An Institution / University should offerfacilities for over all development of the students.Higher Education is not only in the concurrent listbut also in the joint sector. The central and stategovernment play an important role in laying downthe policy and offering financial support for smoothmanagement of the institution.

Faculty development programmesincluding promotion etc. are to be implementedby the government / management based on meritand without any discrimination. It is mandatoryfor the managing authority to strictly adhere tothe University Act. Statutes, Ordinances,Regulations and Rules for healthy and efficientfunctioning of the colleges14.

Enhancing quality is a holistic process. Thesynergistic relationship among the studentsteachers, management, parents, public,government and the production system is essentialto achieve an enduring multiplier effect on qualityenhancement15.


63


Conclusion

Education is a big service industry becauseit cultivates human mind and makes them importantand useful players in the economy of a nation. Onthe threshold of the 21st century, global publicspending on education tops on trillion US dollars.This figure represents the cost of over 50 millionteachers, ten billion pupils and hundreds ofthousands of educational institutions through outthe world. But in recent times things are changingincreasingly. Large number of nations, as aconsequence of the impact of liberalization oftrade, are in favour of curtailment of the role ofthe government. This is true in case of highereducation16.

In this changed scenario, it is necessary thatour planners and educational administrators mustexpedite the process of reforms and encourageinnovation. We must replace the feudal, traditionalBritish system of higher learning and adopt a newmore dynamic educational approach that is a mustfor survival growth17.

The world of higher education in the 21st

century can truly be a borderless world ofknowledge and ideas, which will yield reciprocalbenefits for all nations. There is no single simplepath for reaching this new global future, butinstead, multiple pathways that lead towards aworld in one nest18.References :1. Ahmad Nabi Guidance and counseling : A

Missing Component of Higher EducationUniversity News, Vol. 43 No.08, February 21-27,2005.

2. Prasad V. S. Student Participation in QualityEnhancement NAAC NEWS, Vol.V. Issue-3,July, 2005.

3. World Conference on Higher Education(UNESCO) Paris 5-9 October, 1998.

4. Phillip G. Altbach, Higher Education in IndiaThe Hindu, 12th April, 06

5. Khanna Pratibha, Changing Scenario of HigherEducation : Challenges to Quality Assuranceand Sustance University News, Vol.43 No.7 Feb 14-20, 2005.

6. S. Sen Towards Global Culture in HigherEducation Institutions of India NAAC NEWS,Vol.5 Issue, 3 July, 2005.

7. Supra N 58. Supra N 69. Pranab Mukherjee, Role of Universities in

improving the quality of life. Convocationaddress at the 20th annual convocation of VelloreInstitute of Technology, Deemed University,Vellore, on 12th Nov, 2005.

10. Supra N 5, at p.411. M. R. Patil, Faculty development : An Avenue

to Quality Enhancement in Higher EducationUniversity News, Vol.44 No.25 June, 19-15, 2006.

12. M. R. Kurup, Quality Assurance in HigherEducation : Role of College ManagementUniversity News 44 (27) July 03-09, 2006.

13. Dr. M. Ananda Krishnan, Imperatives ofStudent Involvement in Quality Enhancement ,NAAC NEWS, April Sept, 2006.

14. Supra N.12.15. Dr. M. Ananda Krishnan, Imperatives of

Student Involvement in Quality EnhancementNAAC News, April September, 2006.

16. A Souvenir of Law Teacher s Congress, Indiain the Globalised world, challenges andopportunities .

17. I Valanaarasu. Impact of Globalisation andWTO on Higher Education in India Universitynews Vol. 43 No.32 August 8-11, 2005.

18. S. N. Sen Towards Global Culture on HistoryNAAC News.

Dr. Jyotsna Rani Kuanr is working as a Senior Lecturer,Deptt . of Education, S.V.M. (Auto) CollegeJagatsinghpur-754103, Orissa.



64

Bhitarkanika, a store house of nature's bounty,harbours a rich and unique bio-diversity. Thisunique ecosystem of Orissa is surrounded byrivers Baitarani, Brahmani, Dhamara, and is criss-crossed by several creeks-creeklets. The delta,river mouth, the sea, estuarine forest, mangroves,avifauna, reptiles, amphibians, varieties of faunaand flora are various aspects which contribute tothe richness of its biological diversity.

This wonderland support s densemangroves (63species), largestpopulation of estuarinecrocodiles (1130 asper 2001 census) andis the home to thelargest 22-23feet longcrocodiles, rare whitecrocodiles (locallyknown as Sankhua),poisonous snakes suchas King cobra,Banded krait, Cobra, etc, non-poisonous snakeslike Python, Rat snake etc, varieties of residentand migratory birds (217 species) and a lot ofmammalian species i.e. Spotted deer, Sambar,Wild boar, Fishing cat, Jungle cat, etc. Besides,various other species of endangered mammals,birds, reptiles and other groups of animals also

inhabit the area. Bhitarkanika thus harbors aninteresting assemblage of flora-fauna of bothcommon and endangered variety which requiresa conservation strategy.

Geographically situated in Kendrapadadistrict, Bhitarkanika forms the deltaic region ofthe river Brahmani and Baitarani. The sandy loamsoil coast of Bhitarkanika is washed by Bay ofBengal and is subjected to tides twice a day. Averitable paradox of nature for its unique flora

and fauna, Bhitarkanikais located between 2035' and 20 47'Nlatitudes and 80 45' and87 05'E longitudes tothe South and East ofDhamara river.

Bhitarkanika wildlifesanctuary spreads overan area of 650 sq kmof which forest cover

alone is about 380sq km. The core area ofBhitarkanika stretches over 141.44sq km ofwhich 115.5 sq km comes under mangrove forest.Encircled by the rivers Brahmani, Baitarani and35 km seashore, this area is gifted withinnumerable creeks, channels, islets which provideecological niche for the growth and development

Bhitarkanika : A Unique Destination forNature Lovers

Prabhukalyan Mohapatra


65


of mangroves. The extensive sea beach, sandbars, and sand dunes sustain rich sandy vegetationnear Gahirmatha. The core area of the sanctuaryextends over an area spreading from Dangamal(a village in the sanctuary) to Thakurdian rivermouth.

The unique environmental and ecologicalparameters of this micro region in a deltaic settingforms an ideal habitat for saltwater crocodiles,migratory birds, particularly the water fowls andthe visit of Olive Ridley turtles for mass nesting.In recent years Bhitarkanika has drawn worldwideattention because of the discovery of its 11 kmstretch coast serving as the nesting site of sea turtlewhich forms thelargest rookery ofthe turtles in theworld. The area inassociation with adiverse variety ofmangrove hasbrought it thestatus of aNat ional Parkwhich alsoshelters as a l t w a t e rcrocodile sanctuary of national significance.

At the Dhamara mouth, the sea bed is veryshallow due to extensive deposition of silt andclay from the combined discharge of Brahmaniand Baitarani river. A lot of clay and siltcharacterise the sediment load which is veryconducive to massive tidal incursions into the sea.The typical monsoonic climate with excessivehumidity prevails in this area. All these factors arevery helpful for the development of luxuriousmangrove forests around Bhitarkanika.

In view of its rich ecosystem, Bhitarkanikahas been declared as a National Park. The sea

water in the creeks and swamps form a goodhabitat for a wide variety of estuarine life includingestuarine crocodile, for which a breeding centrehas been developed at Dangamal. Bhitarkanikamangrove ecosystem is unique of its kind and isthe best reptile refuge in the entire country. Themangrove of Bhitarkanika is a classic beauty withmultiple types of mangrove species. But theswampy mangrove forests of Bhitarkanika andtheir endemic flora-fauna fights one of thecontinuous battles for survival against wantonvandalism of the so called civilized man.

The very location of this micro-regionadjacent to a densely populated agriculturally

d e v e l o p e ddeltaic tract ofMahanadi systemis paradoxical.The mountingpressure ofa d j a c e n tpopulation forplundering themangroves andreclamation oftidal mudflats foragricultural as

well as other economic uses has been a threat toits environment and ecosystem. A major portionof this beautiful mangrove forest is leased out topeople migrated from Bangladesh and has beenreclaimed into fertile rice fields. As gradualreclamation of land is a regular phenomenon,mangrove forest of Bhitarkanika is decreasingslowly and steadily. To save the ecosystem, thegovernment is making sustained efforts throughvarious projects. The most important project isrestocking of the estuarine crocodile through acaptive breeding programme. Anotherendangered specis is the Olive Ridley turtle whichis attracted to the beach of Bhitarkanika for



66

nesting in large numbers. Environmentalists areconcerned for its protection too. In view of presentstate of environmental degradation and ecologicaldisturbances growing concern is expressedeverywhere.

The Gahirmatha sea beach bordering thesanctuary attracts thousands of Olive Ridley seaturtles for mass nesting during winter (January-April). So, numerous tourists visit Bhitarkanikaduring this time to have a glimpse at this rare sightand enjoy the scenic beauty of nature.

The entire Bhitarkanika region comes underthe tropical monsoon climate with well markedseasons of winter, summer and rain. The maximumtemperature rises to 360c in the month of April-

May while the minimum temperature of the winteris about 150c. The relative humidity remainsbetween 70 to 85% throughout the year. Therainfall is around 170cm and most of it is receivedbetween June-October. Under such eco-climaticsituation the weather conditions start to becomepleasant after the rains (October-March) and thisis the ideal time for a visit to the area.

A grand repository of wildlife, Bhitarkanikais another attraction for the ornithologists andnature lovers during winter. Migratory birds likeOpen billed storks, White ibis, Grey pelicans,Barheaded goose etc visit this area along withvarious types of resident birds such as night heron,Grey heron, cattle egrets, Cormorants, Kingfishers, Water fowls and Collard doves duringthis period.

There are some environmental regions onthe Earth which needs special attention forgeographic exposure considering their uniquenatural setting in the ecosystem. Bhitarkanikacertainly enjoys a distinctive place amongst them.

Prabhukalyan Mohapatra is a Bhubaneswar basedfreelance journalist, who lives at Qrs VR 3/2,Unit-3.Behind R.B.I., Bhubaneswar

Shri Digambar Mohanty, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, I nf. &P.R. felicitatingDr. Ramachandra Behera on the occasion of 49th Foundation Day of Kendrapara

Autonomous College on 12.2.2007.


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Child Labour conjures up a particular image :Children, chained to looms in dark mills and sweatshops, in a long and nightmarish running fromLanchashire of the 1830s right to the South Asiaof the 1990s. In reality, children do a variety ofworks in widely divergent conditions, which takeplace along a continuum. At one end of thecontinuum, work is beneficial, promoting orenhancing a child's physical, mental, spiritual,moral and various other ways of developmentwithout interfering with schooling, recreation andrest and at the other end it is palpably destructiveor exploitative. Increasing industrialization andmechanization of agriculture lead to the destructionof the family based economy and the displacementof a large number of labourers in India during themid- 18th and 19th century. Extreme poverty ledto the entry of children into the labour market andtheir exploitation became common. In India,children were employed in cotton and jute millsand coal mines. Gradually, legal measures wereintroduced to tackle the problem and the new statewedded to the notion of social welfare assumedthe responsibility of protecting the children.Action Taken Before Independence

The Indian Government adoptedconstitutional, statutory and developmentalmeasures to deal with the problem of Child labour.The origin of statutory protection of the ChildWorker in India can be traced back to the IndianFactories Act, 1881, which prohibited theemployment of children under seven years of ageand also in two separate factories on the same

day. It limited the working hours of children tonine hours a day and stipulated at least fourholidays to be given in a month. However this actconcerned only factories employing hundredpersons or more. This act was revised in the formof Indian Factories Act, 1891, which increasedthe minimum age limit to nine years and hours ofwork were reduced to seven hours for childrenbetween 7 and 14 years and prohibited work atnight between 8 p.m. 5 a.m. In 1901 the MinesAct was passed which prohibited the employmentof children under 12 years of age and employmentdangerous to children's health and safety. In 1911a new factories act was passed which furtherreduced the working hours.

In the period between 1920 and 1930some more progress were made in protectingchildren. The formation of international LabourOrganization in 1919 and the establishment of AllIndia Trade Union Congress 1920 gave animpetus to reform laws relating to the conditionof labour in general and Child Labour inparticular. In the Factories Act 1922 the scopeof factory was extended to cover any premisewhere 20 or more persons were employed andmechanized power was used and localgovernments which empowered to extendprovisions to any premise where 10 or morepersons were employed. It defined the child as aperson who had not completed 15 years of age,reduced the working hours for children to six andnecessitated the granting of half an hour intervalfor more than five and half hours of work. Children

Progressive Action AgainstChild Labour In India

Subrata Sarkar



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were required by this act to have medical certificatealong with a certificate of re-examination forcontinuing work. The Indian Mines Act 1923raised the minimum age for employment from 12to13 years in mines. The Indian ports(Amendment) Act 1931 prescribed the age foremployment of children in handlng the goods as12 years.

In the period between 1931and 1949 moreconcrete efforts were made to deal with ChildLabour. The stage was set with the publication ofthe report of the Royal Commission for labour,which recommended extensive reforms. The TeaDistricts Emigrant Labour Act1932 was passedto check the migration of labour to the teacultivationg districts. In 1933,the Children(pledging of Labour) Act was passed whichprohibited the pledging of a child for the purposeof getting certain work done. The Factories Actof 1934 evolved elaborate provisions regularizingemployment in respect of various age groupsworking in factories.

The ILO in 1937 adopted a conventionfixing the minimum age where children were tobe employed in certain occupations. Theemployment of Children Act 1938 was passedto implement this convention. It prohibited theemployment of children under 15 in hazardousoccupations like railways and ports. It also dealtwith employment in industrial establishments notcovered by the Factories Act. Though, the 1938Act banned Child Labour in hazardous industries,it made an excepton in favour of family labour.

The main purpose of the elimination of theevil of Child Labour could not be achieved in thepreindependence era, one of the main reasonsbeing as pointed out by a labour investigatingcommittee being the inadequancy of the inspectingstaff to enforce the provisions of law.Post Independence Phase

The factories Act 1948 prohibited theemployment of children by setting the limit of the

completion of fourteen year as the minimum agefor working in any factory. The minimum WagesAct passed in 1948 defined child as a person whohas not completed his 15th Year. However, thisdefinition did not have any particular significancesince the Act did not contain any importantregulatory or prohibitory provision applicable onlyto Child Labour except that it provides for fixingor revising minimum rates of wages for adults,adolescents, children and apperentices. ThePlantation Labour Act, 1951 prohibited childrenbelow 12 years from working in any plantation.The Shipping Act 1951 prohibited a person under15 years of age from working in any capacity inany ship. The Mines Act 1952 prohibited theemployment of children under 15 in mines. In1954, the Factories Act was again amended toprohibit the employment of adolescents under theage of 17 years at night. In 1961, the MotorTransport Workers Act was passed to prohibitthe employment of adolescents under the age of15 in motor transport. In 1966, the Beedi andCigar workers (Conditions of Employment) Actwas passed which prohibited the employment ofchildren under 14 in any industrial premisemanufacturing beedies or cigars.

In 1978, the Employment of Children act1938 was further amended so as to extend theprohibition of employment of a child below 15years in railway premises such as cinder-pickingor clearing of an ash-pit or building operation incatering establishments at a railway station or inoccupations relating to construction of a railwaystation or any other work done in close proximityto or between the railway lines. These occupationswere not covered before 1978.Committees, Commissions and Boards

In 1968, a National Commission on LabourWelfare was instituted which observed that ChildLabour was an economic problem and its practiceamounted to a denial or opportunity to childrenfor their proper physical development andeducation and recommended combination of


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work with education and flexible employmenthours which would not inhibit education.

A National Children's Board wasestablished in 1975, with the Prime Minister asits President to create greater public awarenesstowards the need of children and to plan andreview periodically the progress made inprotecting and promoting the welfare of children,including working children. In 1976, theGovernment set up a one man commission headedby Harbans Singh which was of the view thatbanning Child Labour would not necessarily resultin the stoppage of work by children altogether.The report suggests that working hours shouldbe reduced, wages increased coupled withincentive for production.Ministry of Labour

The Ministry of Labour appointed a 16 -member Committee under the chairmanship ofM.S. Gurupadaswarmy in 1979 to investigate thecauses leading to Child Labour and examine theproblems arising out of the employment ofchildren.The committee noted that existingsituation in respect of Child Labour in India canstill be summarized as one of continuing drift. Theregulation by law of employment, children coversonly fringe of these occupations and ironicallyeven where regulation has been sought, theenforcement is extremely half-hearted and tardy.In pursuance of one of the recommendations ofthe committee on Child Labour, the CentralAdvisory Board on Child Labour was set up inMarch 1981 to review the progress of welfaremeasures for working children, recommendedindustries and areas where there must beprogressive elimination of Child Labour. It wasreconstituted in 1987 under the chairmanship ofthe ministry of labour to render advice on theproblems of Child Labour.Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation)Act, 1986

The Child Labour (Prohibition andregulation) Bill was introduced and passed in both

houses of Parliament in August 1986 with a viewto prohibiting the employment of children in certainareas.The act seeks to achieve the following objects:

Ban the employment of children, i.e. thosewho have not completed their fourteenth year inspecified occupations and processes.

Lay down a procedure to decidemodifications to the schedule of bannedoccupations and processes.

Regulate the conditions of work of childrenengaged in forms of employment in which theyare permitted to work.

Prescribed enhanced penalties foremployment of children in violation of theprovisions of the acts that forbid the employmentof children.

Establish uniformity in the definition of childin laws concerning them.National Programme of Action and PolicyAgainst Child Labour

The national policy on Child Labour wasapproved by the cabinet on 14th August 1997,during the seventh plan period. The action planof this policy has been set out under the followingheadlings.1. Legistative Action Plan2. Focussing on general developmentprograms for benefiting child labour whereverpossible.3. Project-based plan of action in areas of highconcentration of child labour engaged in wage andquasi wage employmentAccordingly, projects were started in areasof high concentration of Child Labour.

Match, fireworks and explosives industry inSivakasi in Virudhanagar district in TamilNadu



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Precious stone polishing industry in Jaipur inRajasthanGlass and bangles industry in Ferozabad, U.P.Brassware industry in Mirzapur, VaranasiBhadoi U.P.Lock making industry in Aligarh in U.P.Tile industry in Jagampet in Andhra Pradesh.Slate industry in Markkapur in AndhraPradesh.Slate industry in Mandswar in AndhraPradesh.

The National Child Labour projects had thefollowing components -

Imparting non-formal education to enable thechildren released from work to receivefunctional literacy and acquire a level ofequivalence with corresponding grade andlevel in the formal system.Supplementary nutrition through middaymeals.Income and employment generation throughimpartation of skillsStepping up enforcement of Child Labourlaws.

Task Force on Child-LabourA task force on child labour was instituted

on the recommendation of the Central AdvisoryBoard on Child Labour under the Chairmanshipof Dr.L.M. Singhvi to recommend the institutionsand mechanisms necessary for implementing theChild Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act,1986 and legal action plan contained in the NCLP.The task force made 11 general recommenda-tions. Chief among them are

Highest priority must be accorded to the child.To accomplish this there should be a jointcommittee of the houses of the parliament andsimilar committees in state legislatures to representthe un-represented constituency of the child.

There should be a single ministry ordepartment for child welfare at the centre andstates in order to reduce the existing multiplicityof authorities.

There should be a statutory system of ChildLabour Ombudsman or Child LabourCommission entrusted with the task ofinvestigation, resolution of grievances and disputesand giving authoritative directions to employersand others.

A child code including within its scope a childlabour code, must be formulated.

The task force also made the followingrecommendations with respect to the act of 1986

A timetable with mandatory outer limits foract to come into force should be provided in theact.

A uniform definition of child with reference toage is useful.

An enabling provision should be enacted toto Section 3 of the 1986 Act to checkmalpractices employed in the exploitation of ChildLabour under the guise of an occupier carrying aprocess with the aid of his family or childrenproducing goods in schools receiving assistanceor recognition from overnment.

Maximun permissible punishment should beincreased to simple imprisonment up to 3 monthsand the maximum permissible fine, which may beimposed, should be increased to Rs. One lakh.

With respect to the national policy andaction plan the task force recommended that awhite paper should be published explaining thehistorical background, analyzing the presentsituation giving reliable statistical and other dataand projecting its own perceptions and policiesin terms of targets, allocations and types ofprogrammes and other activities it has envisaged.

On 15th August 1994, the former PrimeMinister Mr. P.V. Narasimha Rao made a call to


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eliminate Child Labour in hazardous employmentsby the year 2000 A.D. Following the call madeby the Prime Minister the national authority forelimination of Child Labour headed by the UnionLabour Minister was constituted on 26thSeptember 1994 and Rs.850 crore have beenearmarked for schemes to eliminate Child Labourin hazardous employments. The programme issome what unrealistic as it hopes to cover 2 millionchildren in 5 years. The programme has madelittle headway because of a resource crunch andan ongoing tussle between the ministries of labourand human resource development over the issueof setting up special schools.Supreme Court Order on Child Labour

To check the exploitation of Child Labourin hazardous industries, the Supreme Court onDecember 10, 1996 directed that all offendingemployers must pay a compensation ofRs.20.000/- for every such child, under theprovisions of Child Labour (Prohibition andRegulation) Act,1986. The court order indentifiednine major industr ies as hazardous.Acknowledging that poverty was the main causeof Child Labour, the court said that unless analternative source of income was assured to thefamily, the question of abolition of Child Labourwill really remain a "will - of - the wisp". The courtdirected the states to conduct a survey on ChildLabour which was to be completed within sixmonths. The secretary to the ministry of labour,Government of India was required to apprise thecourt within one year about the compliance ofdirections. The court has held labour inspectorsresponsible for ensuring that children withdrawnfrom hazardous industries are provided propereducation.Conclusion and Police Implications

The magnitude of the problem of ChildLabour in India with regard to all industries,occupations and processes is very large. Specialattention is being devoted to industries,

occupations and process where employment ofchildren is hazardous to their very safety. We havebeen able to cover about 1.05 lakh children underthe umbrella of seventy six projects and 1800special schools and need approximately 300projects to cover 2 million children who need tobe urgently realeased from hazardousoccupations/processeses and rehabilitatedthrough a multi pronged and composite approachencompassing education for functional literacy,midday meal for supplementary nutrition,arrangements for regular health check-ups andvocational skill t raining for economicempowerment. These projects in their entiretywere to be implemented over six years and wouldhave entailed a financial commitment ofRs.2197.05 crore i.e. at Rs.376 per child perannum. Since resources of this magnitude wereunavailable the expenditure finance committee inits meeting held on 25th June 1998 has onlyapproved the continuance of the Seventy-sixprojects and 1800 schools during the 9th PlanPeriod which means we will not even be able totouch the fringe of this massive problem.

The share of the Child Population hasincreased from a stable level of about 38% during1911-1951 to almost 42% in 1971. It declinedin 1981 and has further gone down to about 36%in 1991. The decline when examined in the Statehas a distinct bimodal pattern. The absolute sizeof the child population peaked in Kerala in 1981and in Tamil Nadu in 1991. One expects thatPunjab, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh,Karnataka, West Bengal, Maharashtra andGujarat could experience a peak in the absolutesize of Child Polulation between 1996-2001 A.D.In contrast Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthanand UttarPradesh still have a long way to go.

Expansion of primary and middle schooleducation in India between 1961 and 1991 hasbeen impressive. Growth has been somewhatfaster than the growth of Child Population in theprimary section. The gender gap in literacy and in



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primary schooling has declined on an all Indiabasis. The major states have a clear bimodaldistribution in the declining gender gap as well.States like Kerala has virtually eliminated the gap.Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Panjab havebeen reducing the gender gap successfully andstill have some distance to go in reaching Keralalevels. The worst perfomers in gender gapreduction are Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar andMadhya Pradesh.

A much larger socio-economicallydeprived subset of Child Population in Indiaconsists of children who are neither in the work -force nor in the education system (nowherechildren). The number of nowhere children in Indiacontinued to grow from 89.5 million in 1981 to97.7 million in 1991.

The educational needs of the growing ChildPopulation (5-14 years) have been addressed bythe expansion of primary and middle schoolenrolments. The gap between the ChildPopulation and the children enrolled in schoolsincreased between 1951 and 1961, and remainedstable between 1961 to 1971 and also 1971 to1981. Estimates for 1991 show a decline.However the number of children who are nitherin school nor in the labour force (nowherechildren) is still very large- 74 milion in 1991.

There has been an obvious shift fromchildren working on their own farms to childrenworking as hired labour. The impression that theproblem is solved in the agricultural sector and isnow concentrated in manufacturing and trade andcommerce is erroneous. There has been anincrease in the employment of male and femalechild agricultural labour as well as child workersin manufacturing and trade and commerce. Themajor part of NGO efforts and internationalconcerns about the employment of childrenconcentrates on non-agricultural sectors.However, the contrast with agricultural labour

groups in terms of sheer numbers should be keptin mind. In absolute size in 1991 the number offull time child agricultural labourers was 3.1 millionand those in manufacturing activity (rural andurban) was approximately 0.5 million. The numberin trade and commerce has more than doubledover the 30 year period and stands atapproximately 0.3 million in 1991.

The increasing number of female childworkers since 1971 rose in absolute terms from2.8 million to 3.5 million - is a cause of concern.Over 80% of these girls are still caught in theagricultural sectors mostly as full time agriculturallabourers. Ignoring their plight is socillyinappropriate and an economic disaster becauseof its implications for the pace of demographictransition.

The employment of child workers in urbanIndia is growing much faster than in rural India.The proportion of urban child workers increasedfrom 5.5% of the total child labour population in1961 to 10% in 1991. Four sectors which needto be targeted in the elimination of child labourare manufacturing, transport, storage andcommunication but wage based agriculture in ruraland urban India must not be ignored.

The proportion of population belowpoverty line is positively associated with theincidence of child labour with the correlation(0.41) for male child workers and some whatweaker correlation (0.23) for female childworkers. The most important negative correlationbetween the incidence of male child labour is withthe middle school enrolment ratio suggesting thatthe higher the enrollment in middle schools thelower the incidence of male child labour.

The most important negative correlation ofthe incidence of child labour was the proportionof females in the nonagricultural labour force whichwas - 0.40 for male child workers in 1991. Thissuggests that the greater the participation ofwomen in the non-agricultural labour force thelower will be the incidence of child labour.


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The diversity in the pace and pattern of childlabour use, its growth and subsequent declinewhich has been observed in Europe historicallyand now in East and South-east Asia can be seenin the different states and regions of India as well.The main determinants of the growth of child labourboth from the demand and supply sides are in thenature of "Vicious Spiral" while factors affectingits decline are in the nature of a "Virtuous Spiral"Three main mutually reinforcing "drivers leadingto these outcomes are, we believe, demographicfactors, technology and public policy.

The difference in quality of primary andmiddle school education observed across statesoriginating from different state public policies isstrongly related to the existence of labour. Overall,for India as a whole, expansion of schoolingfacilities has just been able to cater to the growthof the child population without a major reductionin the use of child labour.

If child labour is to be successfullyeliminated, getting "nowhere children" in to schoolsand attempting to retain a much larger proportionof children from primary to middle school stageshould be important planks of the strategy. Thisalso implies the need to confom to theconstiturional gurantee provided in 1950 foreducation for all children up to the age of fourteen.

Hence, the need for a rational social choicein devising child focused strategies is self evident.In a federal polity with education as a state aswell as central subject, an uneven pace andpattern of demographic and economic transitionand without a concerted national effort, migrationand child labour will continue.

International and national pressures to dealwith industrial child labour in isolation, apart fromquestions of ethics have little chance of successas long as large pool of potential child labourpersists. Short cuts and quick fixes would bewasteful in resources and time. Economic anddemographic transition, as shown by Kerala,

Punjab, Himchal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu andthe countries of East Asia, can be compressedwithin a couple of decades if appropriate publicpolicies are pursued consistently.

References :1. Ministry of Labour, Child Labour in India

(unpublished, 1994)2. Ministry of Labour, Children and Work.

Workshop of District Collectors/ District Headson elimination of Child Labour in HazardousOccupations (New Delhi, Government of India,1995).

3. Ministry of Labour, circular on identification,Release and Rehabilitation of Child Labour,Workshop of District Collectors/ District Headson elimination of Child Labour in HazardousOccupations (New Delhi. Government ofIndia,1995).

4. Ministry of Labour, Draft Recommendations ofWorking Groups. Workshop of Distr ictCollectors/District Heads on elimination of Childlabour in Hazardous Occupations (new Delhi,Government of India, 1995).

5. Ministry of Labour, Enforcement of Child Labour(Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986 -Background Papers for Sub-Committeeappointed by the Standing Labour Committee(New Delhi, Government of India, 1994)

6. Weiner Myron, The Child Labour and EducationPolicy in comparative Perspective (OXFORDUniversity Press, 1991).

7. Gupta Manju and Voll, Klauss, (eds), ChildLabour in India, Young Hands at Work (NewDelhi; Atma Ram and Sons, 1987).

8. Choudhury D.P. (1997) 'Child Labour in India inthe Asian Perspective' Social Change, 27 (3 and4), Sept, - Dec.

Subrata Sarkar is a Research Fellow, Department ofPolitical Science, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar andlives at Palitpara, Cuttack - 753002.



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Libraries stand as vital sources of information andas invaluable adjunct to the print media, i.e. Press.The effectiveness of the press largely dependsupon the efficient and well organized libraryservices. Just as, the effectiveness of a corporatebody's business mostly depends upon the rightinformation at a right point of time from a systemfor its decision making; similarly, the successfulfunctioning of the press largely relies uponinformation and how well it is organised andefficiently disseminated it its library. Deficiency inright information to the right media person at theright time may, therefore, lead to severe loss tothe quality of news generation.

Library is considered as the memory of thenewspaper and consequently, the memory of thecommunity it serves. The services it provides tothe journalists directly is the services it rendersthe whole newspaper user community. From this,the magnitude of the library's place in the presscan be easily presumed. The well organised newslibrary of a daily newspaper undoubtedly plays acrucial role in the production of news. Ward,Hansen and Mclead (l988, p.146), therefore,have rightly said that, the library is the path thatreporters and editors routinely take as theyconceptualize, develop, write, and edit the day'snews. It is thus an acknowledged fact that goodlibrary is the source of a good newspaper, andthe journalists keenly using the library can enrich

themselves and can effectively serve the mediafor a better society. The paper discusses the roleof libraries in newspaper organisations in the stateof OrissaNeed for Libraries in NewspaperOrganisations

With the rapid growth of newspaperindustry in Orissa, the information requirementsof the journalists as well as the concernednewspaper organisations have witnessed aspectacular change. Because, the production ofnews primarily depends upon the first hand eventsmoulded by circumstantial information.

A news item is made more colourful andrelevant with the background information providedby libraries. Lou Thomas has, therefore, identifiesthree vital advantages of establishing librarieswithin the newspaper organisations:(1) centralisation of resources; (2) access to bothtraditional and the new information skills oflibraries and (3) provision of backgroundinformation for news stories, accuracy in reportingand editing, saving time for reporters and editors,and recycling of information the newspaper haspaid to acquire (ibid). Hence it is argued that thenews library attached to the newspaper isincreasingly significant not only in the productionof news but also building appropriate informationinfrastructure for the journalism and masscommunication.

Newspaper Libraries in Orissa

R.K.Mahapatra


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The establishment of libraries within thenewspaper establishments can be attributed to thefollowing factors:i) Information dependent newspapers;ii) Journalists without having professionalqualification and formal training depend more onreference sources;iii) Competition among the local newspapersto match forward; andiv) Libraries as necessary ingredients ratherthan a mere formality.

When a publisher decides to set up anewspaper organisation. He initially projects theexistence of a library. Although, library does notimmediately grow with the purchase of machineryor printing of newspapers within the organisation,its necessity came as spontaneous one when thequality and contents of news are required. Theowner as well as editor of the newspaper usuallydecides to start a library. After the smooth startof the newspaper, the information requirement ofthe newspaper began to grow and arrangementfor a library starts activated. However, the placeof the library in all newspaper organisation's isincreasingly felt and the necessity is turned into areality that ultimately helps to shape into a library,be it small or large.

Libraries attached to newspaperorganisations in Orissa range from small tomediocre in respect to their size, staff and services.Most of the newspapers are small whosecirculation does not exceed more than one lakh(except four newspapers). The smallness size ofthe newspaper and the proprietorship beingprivately managed, there is a tendency not to builda large library. Even if, there are news paperestablishments who do not have library of theirown, libraries are managed by single person inwhich most of the librarians are not professionals.In certain cases, journalists themselves manage

the library within a small compact room. However,the availability of library and its services help thejournalists to use the information they need.Collection Development

News libraries perform the functions moreof reference library than that of any other usuallibraries. The collection of those libraries aremostly confined to reference sources that primarilysuffice the information needs of the journalists.However, a good collection of reference materialsin journalism and mass communication begins witha foundation based on the acquisition of thestandard reference sources usually found in anygood general reference section in anundergraduate or graduate library. Only thosespecialized reference sources that are availableare added to the collection. (Block;1984; p.53).These may include directories, bibliographies,directories, encyclopedias, guide literature, etc.

Another vital factor that contributes to agood collection development is journalists'aptitude towards wider area of knowledge forwhich information concerning to these subjectareas are collected. To develop an understandingand appreciation of other traditional subjects aswell as some new emerging subjects, the librariesused to acquire information sources in economics,history, politics, anthropology, sociology, forestry,environmental science, computer, etc.

Although secondary documents appear tobe of paramount importance to journalists to keepabreast with the latest development in theirrespective subject interest, these do not have theirplaces in the news libraries in Orissa. Indexes,abstracts, and databases are not normally foundin these libraries. Even the basic and usefulprofessional journals in journalism and masscommunication are not subscribed in theselibraries except few popular magazines which aresubscribed to make them aware of the currentevents. The largest collection of the news libraries



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is the newspapers of all kinds which are essentialto the journalists as well as the organisation.However, some text books on communication,journalism, mass media, advertisement,publication, radio and the television broadcasting,photography and the photo journalism andinformation science are found in these librariesfor the reference of journalists.

UsersUsers from news libraries range from the

Chief Editor to the rural correspondents. Editorialstaff used to consult the information sources to checkthe facts, refer press clippings of particular events orissues and verify the essential documents to ensurethe correctness of the editorial comment. The middlelevel journalists use most of the library resources. Alion share of information sources are actually beinghandled and exploited by them. One of the vitalfactors which has impressed us enormously is thedexterity with which the editors and journalists sortthrough the incoming materials, swiftly disseminatingbetween the disposable and the worthwhile (Harris,Nicholas, Erbach; l987, p.77)

Newspapers are generally considered asauthoritative sources and any wrong or uncheckedfact (s) or misleading information reflected on thenewspaper may damage the reputation of theconcerned newspaper organisation. To cope upwith the task of citing correct and the latestinformation, it is the editorial staff to quickly verifythe entire facts for complete and accurate newsitem or an article.Library Services

Libraries belonging to the newspaperorganisation serve a limited clientele and areusually confined to the in-house editorial staff. Theservices to which the said libraries provide areprimarily confined to reference or referral. Fromorganisation point of view, data processing is donemanually. The application of information

technology is yet to spread its influence on theselibraries. Normally, processing of library collectionremains confined within the framework ofclassification and cataloguing only. Even in mostof the libraries, these processing work have notbeen done.

These libraries generally provideinformation more on 'fact checking' type ofinformation spelling, dates, bibliographicalinformation and background information as a partof their reference services. However, the newslibrarians used to provide potential informationsources, identifying information from other sourcelibraries in the locality. Journalists frequently visitother libraries near vicinity to refer variousnewspapers subscribed by them so as to keepthemselves abreast of the day-to-day events.

Newspaper cutting collection popularlyknown as press clippings appears to be the heartof these news libraries' total collection and pressclippings service assumes greater importance thanany other services in the newspaper libraries. Thecutting system offers two distinct advantagesHarris, Nicholas, Erbach;1986; p.391).i) Its subject, scope and retrieval facilities caneffectively be tuned to the specific needs of users.ii) It offers very direct, and usually speedyaccess to the document replica.

Librarians of newspapers libraries maintainindividual cutting files on subjects of interest whichare frequently used by the journalists.Role of the Librarian

Role of the newspaper librarian is not onlyamazingly important, but also much crucial for theconcerned newspaper organisation. But it issurprising to note that newspaper librarianship inOrissa is yet to gain proper recognition. Theexisting newspaper library scenario in Orissa is ina state of doldrums. In most of the libraries, either


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one journalist is asked to look after the library ora non professional is entrusted the job of thelibrary. In this critical situation, the library and itsservices are ignored considerably.

A librarian usually acts as an intermediarybetween the journalists and the formal sources ofinformation. Because, a newspaper is oftenconsidered as an information system. Out of thevast information generated in the newspaper, it isthe librarian who goes through the different newsitems, scrutinize them, classify them, and prioritizethe process of the specific items for retrieval. Thenewspaper librarian, therefore, gets involved notonly in the mere dissemination of the informationbut also in providing a logical explanation and thecontents of information retrieved. Stimulatingsearch to answer the various information privationsof the working journalists is probably carries outto a far greater degree than is generally recognisedby librarians who tend to formalize requests andexpect inquiries to be refined to a manageablelevel of specificity op.cit.p.78)

It is the proprietor and the editor of theconcerned newspaper to realise the importanceof the library and essence of recruiting aprofessional librarian in a newspaperorganization. Unless and otherwise a good libraryis developed, the information flow to thejournalists cannot be properly achieved and thequality of the news items will remain disinteresting.Conclusion

Libraries are essentially good inputs for thenews generation. While preparing a news itemthe journalists need background information tomake their news interesting and readable. It isonly the libraries attached to those newspaperorganisations can provide such type ofinformation. Besides, newspaper libraries rendera lot of information support to make the newsproduction qualitative. Users group of newspaper

libraries range from the Editor to the rural reporterwho can make proper use of the library in processof their news preparation. Collection developmentof those libraries should be mainly in reference innature so that it helps to build the good collectionfor reference purposes. The newspaper librarybeing a specialised library the foremost service isthe newspaper clipping service. All other libraryservices are to be practised by the professionallibrarian. The role of the professional librarian issignificant since one is to organise a good libraryand provide appropriate information servicesneeded by the working journalists. But thesituation in Orissa is different as the newspaperproprietors do not consider this aspect ofselecting a professional librarian for the library.Unless the library is improved, the newspaper mayfail to produce quality news. Hence, a library isan essential part of the newspaper establishment,such that will

References1. Block, Eleaner S. Reference sources in Journalism

and Mass Communication. Reference ServicesReview. Winter, 1987; p. 41-45.

2. Harris, Kevin; Nicholas, David, and Erbach, G.information storage and retrieval in U.K. nationalnewspapers: Some effects of change Journal ofLibrarianship. 19;2;1987 p.77-86.

3. Harris, K.; Nicholas D. and Erbach, G. online useand end users in media and advertising: AnOverview. Aslib Proceedings. 38; 11/12. Nov-Dec. I 986; p.389-397.

4. Ward, J; Hansen, K.A; and Mclead. D.M. TheNews library's contribution to newsmaking.Special Libraries. Spring, 1988.p.l43.

R.K. Mahapatra is a Librarian, N.K.C. Centre forDevelopment Studies, (ICSSR Institute), Bhubaneswar.



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Among the most destructive diseases ofbanana,Banana Bunchy Top Disease (BBTD) isone of them. Once the disease is established, it isvery difficult to control or manage. There are noaccurate estimates of international economicimpact of the disease but the disease iswidespread in Asia and the south pacific regions.Two disease outbreaks have been taken place,one in Australia in 1920 and second in Pakistanduring 1990-92, which has caused severe losses.Banana bunchy top disease is caused by bananabunchy top virus (BBTV) that belongs to nanovirus group. BBTV is a small virus of size 20-22nm in diameter, consisting of SSDNA with therelative molecular mass of 2.0 x 106 and a coatprotein sub-unit with relative molecular mass of2,000 dalton. The disease is distributed in South-east Asia, Philippines. Transporting plantingmaterial obtained from infected plants spreads thevirus from place to place and aphid spreads fromplant to plant. There is no cure of the disease.They are reservoirs of the virus, they must bedestroyed. BBTD is a threat to banana industryand to the productivity of banana plantings.

Field Diagnosis of BBTV Based onSysmptoms

Initially there is development of dark greenstreaks in the veins of lower portion of the leaf

midrib, petiole base and on pseudostem. Thesymptom is some time referred to as 'Morse codestreaking' because the streaks are irregular andresemble a series of 'dots' and 'dashes'. Rubbingaway the waxy white coating that covers thepetiole base of midrib makes it easier to see thestreaking, the dark green, hook like extensionsof the leaf lamina veins can also be seen in thenarrow, light - green zone between the midrib andthe lamina. These are known as 'Green J-hooks'.The short hooks point down along the midribtoward the petiole and can be seen by backlighting the leaf against the sky or sun.

On mature plants infected with BBTV, newleaves emerge with difficulty, look narrower thannormal with wavy margin and some times haveyellow leaf margins. Finally they appear to be'bunched' at the top of the plant, the peculiarsymptom for which this disease is named.Severely infected banana plants usually do notbear fruits, but if fruit is produced, the bananahands and fingers are distorted, stunted, twistedor otherwise deformed and of little use.

The suckers that develop after a 'mother'plant has been infected with BBTV are usuallyseverely stunted, with leaves that do not expandnormally and remain bunched at the top of thepseudostem. These leaves are stiff and erect,

Field Diagnosis and Management of BananaBunchy Top Disease

Nirakar Ranasingh


79


shorter and narrower than normal leaves, andhavoc chlorite edges. Suckers with thesesymptoms do not produce fruits. Therefore thedisease can result in a 100% yield loss.

Development and Spread of Disease

Banana bunchy top virus spreads by thebanana aphid, pentolonia nigronervosa thatacquires the virus after at least 4 - 18 hr of feedingon an infected plant. The aphid can retain the virusthrough its adult life, for a period of 15 - 20 days.During this time, the aphid can transmit the virusto a healthy banana plant by feeding on it, possiblyfor as little as 15 minutes, but more typically forabout two hr. No other aphid is known to transmitthe virus. BBTV does not replicate in aphid vectorand probably retained when the vector moults,but not transmitted congenitally to the progeny ofvector. This transmission of virus by aphid isresponsible of short movement of disease.

Environmental conditions and aphidreproduction capacity are very important factorsin disease development. Aphid requires hot andhumid climate of better transmission.Reproduction is more during the said climate.Adverse conditions affect the aphid activities.Predominantly a vegetatively propagated crop,makes spread of disease by the use of infectedplanting material including micro-propagatedplants is a constant risk. The virus perpetuatethrough the infected suckers and thus responsiblefor long distance movement of disease.

Management Practices

The following conventional and non-conventional strategies can be adopted to managethe BBTD.

Quarantine Measures:With the availability of a range of sensitive

and specific methods for BBTV diagnosis anddetection and the advantage of in-vitro

propagated bananas, now it is possible to providelarge quantities of virus tested banana germpasmand planting material. With the adoption of thesaid material, the risk of introducing BBTV intonew areas should greatly be reduced. Theinternational Network for the improvement ofBananas and Plantains (INIBAP) has establisheda 'transit center' at Leuven in Belgium that maintainsan extensive in-vitro collection of Musagermplasm from 7 which virus tested banana andplantain cultivars can be obtained.

Cultural Practices:

For BBTD management, it carries both theresponsibilities of virus and aphid management.Cultural practices like regular inspection, rougingand digging play an adequate role in minimizingthe disease. Early and efficient detection anderadication are the elements of this strategy andrequire knowledge and ability to diagnose BBTDfrom early symptoms. Destruction of weeds andalternate hosts, creation of banana free buffer zonearound banana farm and adoption of diversifiedagriculture are other important BBTV reducingfactors. Spread of disease could not occur ifinfected plants could be located and destroyed inthe symptom less stage of within a short time ofsymptoms being displayed. An isolation distanceof 100-200 m between any new bananas plantingis very beneficial to control BBTD. Removal ofdiseased banana plants and replant with virus freebanana plants leads to effective managementstrategy. Cultural practices also play a veryimportant role in aphid management. Destructionof wild or unattended patches of bananas is mustto control aphids. A large population of bananaaphids can grow on them and the wild patcheswhen infected can serve as a serious and constantsource of diseases for farms and residentialneighborhoods. Maintenance of good weedcontrol in the banana patches can help in aphid



80

control. Some weeds may host the banana aphidor other banana pests. Aphids prefer to feed onyoung banana suckers so the banana mats shouldbe pruned of all unwanted suckers.

Eradication:

Eradication is being done by digging andburning of diseased plants and suckers in the field.The herbicide picloram (Keipin frimulation)effectively eradicate diseased banana with nodetrimental effects to adjacent plants. Thistechnique, coupled with a routine monitoringprogramme, promises to be an effectively methodfor reduction of BBTD. The formulation allowsfor precise placement of the herbicide with nonoticeable effects on adjacent vegetation. Itpermits selective eradication within a plantation,which can be rapidly followed by plant treatment.

Biological Control:

Biological control may be used to suppressaphid population in some situation. Ladybirdbeetle (Coccinella septumpunctata) has predatorypotentialities on banana aphid, Pentalonianigronervosa. Introduction of aphid parasitoidsas bioagents leads to a good aphid control.Introduction of the polyphagous parasitoid(Aphidius colemani) can be used to control

banana aphids. Frequent use of insecticide spraycan have a negative, detrimental effect upon aphidpredators and parasites. Ants should be controlledas they aggressively protect the aphids from theirnatural enemies and they feed upon the sweethoneydrew that aphids produce. Boric acid baitscan be used for ant control.

Resistant Cultivars:

Resistance cultivars to BBTV would bemost effective means of disease management.Unfortunately, there are no known commercialcultivars of banana that are immune to BBTV.Transgenic virus resistance, based on virus-derived transgenic, is a good strategy forcontrolling viruses.

Chemical Control:

Treating the suckers at the time of plantingwith malathion @ 0.2%and mancozeb @0.3%may reduce the pest attack and Spray the cropwith power kerosene or malathion in the afectedpseudostem andapex of the plant around thecentral leaf at 60 and 90 days after planting.

Nirakar Ranasingh is a Specialist in Plant Protection,Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Rayagada, Gunupur, Orissa

Smt. Anita Agnihotri, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Textile & Handloom Departmentbriefing the press on National Handloom Expo-2007 on 9.1.2007


DIGAMBAR MOHANTY, I.A.S. BAISHNAB PRASAD MOHANTYCommissioner-cum-Secretary Director-cum-Joint Secretary

Editorial BoardSASANKA SEKHAR PANDA

BIBEKANANDA BISWALCHITTARANJAN PATI

Editorial AssistanceDebasis PattnaikSadhana Mishra

Cover Design & IllustrationManas R. Nayak

D.T.P. & DesignHemanta Kumar Sahoo

Manoj Kumar Patro

PhotoRaju Singh

Manash Ranjan Mohanty

The Orissa Review aims at disseminating knowledge and information concerning Orissa ssocio-economic development, art and culture. Views, records, statistics and informationpublished in the Orissa Review are not necessarily those of the Government of Orissa.

Published by Information & Public Relations Department, Government of Orissa,Bhubaneswar - 751001 and Printed at Orissa Government Press, Cuttack - 753010.For subscription and trade inquiry, please contact : Manager, Publications, Information& Public Relations Department, Loksampark Bhawan, Bhubaneswar - 751001.

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ORISSA REVIEWVOL. LXIII NO. 7 & 8 FEBRUARY-MARCH - 2007


CONTENTS

Biju Patnaik : His Vision of Panchayati Raj Dr. Shridhar Charan Sahoo ... 1

Effectiveness of Panchayati Raj Systems, Problems andNational Declaration Harihar Sethy ... 8

Panchayati Raj : Grassroots Democracy Siddhartha Dash ... 11

Laxman Naik - The Immortal Martyr of Quit IndiaMovement Braja Paikaray ... 14

Biju - A Living Legend Jayakrishna Tripathy ... 16

The Biju Phenomenon Prof. Surya Narayan Misra ... 19

Eminent Freedom Fighter-Biju Patnaik Pabitra Mohan Barik ... 21

Agricultural Labour in India - A Close Look Dr. Kulamani Padhi ... 23

Agricultural Credit : A Core Component of RuralDevelopment Prafulla Chandra Mohanty ... 29

Pre-historic Archaeology of Undivided Phulbani Raghunath Rath ... 33

Alternative Strategies for Promoting Children'sLiterature Prof. Jagannath Mohanty ... 37

What are they ? Dr. R.S.N. Murty ... 40

Winged Guests of Winter Balabhadra Prasad Das ... 41

Vision Orissa : 2036 Dr.Bharati Mohapatra ... 44

Cuttack City : Promotion of Education in Orissain the Pre-Independence Era Dinabandhu Dehury ... 48

Nineteenth Century Ports of Balasore Manas Kumar Sahoo ... 56

Attainment of Excellence Through Higher Education Dr. Jyotsnarani Kuanr ... 59

Bhitarkanika : A Unique Destination for Nature Lovers Prabhukalyan Mohapatra ... 64

Progressive Action Against Child Labour in India Subrata Sarkar ... 67

Newspaper Libraries in Orissa R.K. Mahapatra ... 74

Field Diagnosis and Management of Banana BunchyTop Disease Nirakar Ranasingh ... 78


Prelude.....Orissa Review

The concept of Panchayati Raj system dates back to early part of human civilisation. Peopleforming a group were mitigating all problems through mutual consultation and agreement.During Rig-Vedic period 'Grama' was formed by a number of families. The popular bodies ofthis grama were called as 'Sabha' and 'Samities'. The presiding officer of this body wasknown as 'Sabhapati' and its members as 'Sabhasad'. Common problems were addressedproperly through these sabha and samities. The autonomy of village community has vividlybeen described in the 'Arthasastra' of Kautilya. In the post-independence era the idea of arural local self-government was revived in India. Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Nationwas an exponent of the revival of village panchayats. In Orissa, the democratic de-centralization through devolution of power was vigourously pursued by the former ChiefMinister, Biju Patnaik. In restructuring the districts of Orissa, empowering women underthree-tier Panchayati Raj system and transferring the basic delivery mechanism into thehands of the people, Biju Patnaik played a pioneering role in the whole country. On theauspicious occasion of Panchayati Raj Day, Orissa Review pays humble tribute to thislegendary leader.

The process of Panchayati Raj election has recently been completed in Orissa.Institutions at the grass roots now have people's representatives. This signals thestrengthening of the Panchayati Raj system in our state. Initiatives of rural developmentwill certainly be more targeted keeping the local needs and aspirations in view. Peopleliving in rural areas will participate in the process of development in a pro-active manner.Many changes on account of uniform development process are in the offing. Orissa Reviewin its present issue has tried to present the concept of Panchayati Raj and its implementationin Orissa by the peoples representatives in a succinct form. We hope esteemed readers ofOrissa Review may find it interesting and useful.

(Digambar Mohanty)Commissioner-Cum-Secretary


Biju Patnaik : His Vision of Panchayati Raj

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