Rural Communities Of Odisha Discuss Hurdles & Aspirations For Future

Bhubaneswar:  Climate change, soil erosion, exploitation of tribals, women’s safety were among several issues raised by stakeholders from diverse fields who had gathered in Odisha capital for a two-day brainstorming programme, which concluded on Saturday.

The convention, organised by Rural Voice, a digital news platform, Socratus Foundation, a Bengaluru-based think tank, Livelihood Alternatives, a social enterprise seeking to create an enabling eco-system, and supported by Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) was attended by around 50 persons drawn from 21 districts of Odisha.

The stakeholders comprising farmers, artisans, small entrepreneurs, political activists,  social workers, rural journalists and climate crusaders, spoke about the problems faced by them and their aspirations.

“This event is part of a series of such conventions being organised by Rural Voice and Socratus Foundation across rural India to address the unique challenges faced by the communities there,” said founder of Rural Voice Harvir Singh.

He informed that the first such convention was held at Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh and the second at Bhubaneswar. The next such programme is scheduled to be held in Rajasthan and subsequently in south India and the north east, he added.

“The focus is to find out the kind of solutions the rural people are looking for to get over their problems and identify what is needed to improve their lives,” said Socratus Foundation director Prachur Goel.

Founder of Livelihood Alternatives Sambit Tripathy said the participants discussed a multitude of issues, prominent among them being access to clean drinking water, irrigation facilities, quality education and healthcare.

Stating that alcoholism and drug abuse were major problems, some participants said they looked forward to addiction-free villages. They also highlighted the fallout of climate change, causing the sea level to rise and its impact on agriculture and the need to promote renewable energy.

“After the series of regional meetings are completed, the compiled views of the rural population will be placed before policymakers and experts at the national level,” Singh added.

The participants also took part in a panel discussion attended by former Odisha chief secretary Jugal Kishore Mohapatra, Professor of Economics at Utkal University Mithali Chinara, and Singh.

Mohapatra spoke about his views on developmental issues over the last four decades while Chinara focused on developmental imperatives and issues relating to inclusiveness. Singh discussed the nuances on proposed farm laws while providing a comparative national perspective.