Odisha remains predominantly rural (83.3%) with 32.6% of its people living below the poverty line. It stands 11th in population and 8th in area, nationally. The state has the third highest Scheduled Tribes (indigenous) population in India. Odisha is among the India’s six most impoverished states with abysmal developmental indices. 63% of its population remains multi-dimensionally poor (Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative 2011).
a. The drop-out rate at the Upper Primary level is 7.3% and at the Secondary level it is 27.3% as against the national average of 3% and 12.6% respectively (pib.gov.in).
b. Odisha has been placed under Akanshi-2 grade by scoring 517.1 out of 1000 points in the latest Performance Grading Index (PGI 2.0) report released by the Union ministry of Education for the year 2021-22, which is dismally low.
c. Health expenditure has remained low (Rs.2949, $46 per capita); compared to other states, the out-of- pocket expenditure here is 76%, which is among the highest in India (NSSO, 75th round, 2019).
d. The Infant Mortality Rate among tribal children under 5 was 66.2 per 1,000 live births in 2021; the rate of anaemia among pregnant women was 61.8% (2019-21), while the national rate stood at 52.2%,(NFHS 5).
e. People in Ganjam district have been vulnerable to severe climate disasters. There have been 16 ‘natural disasters’ in the last 12 years.
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Our journey began in 2005.
Poverty is most severe in the Southern and Western parts of Odisha. The area has a preponderance of indigenous/Tribal population. Social infrastructure, like roads, educational institutions and health care facilities, is poor. Employment opportunities are scarce, particularly for Dalits and Adivasis. Owing to caste and gender-based obstacles, people’s participation in public affairs has been historically low in the region.
To address these issues, a group of research scholars from Berhampur University formed Youth for Social Development in 2005.
Our initial focus was on the social audit of policies and governance. Today, we have emerged as a well-rounded grassroot research and development institution, combining service provision, advocacy, research and training.
