Orissa - Culture Snapshot
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History of Orissa Geography of Orissa Demographics of Orissa Politics of Orissa Culture of Orissa Language Tourism Tribes Food and Clothing Religion Economy of Orissa Natural Resources of Orissa Investments in Orissa Social Indicators of Orissa Hurdles to Business in Orissa
History of Orissa Orissa has a history spanning a period of over 3,000 years. Ruled by Kalinga, Kosala and Utkala dynasties. The Mughals conquered Orissa in 1576. The coastal section was separated from Bengal and made into the Province of Bihar and Orissa in 1912, in response to local agitation for a separate state for Oriya-speaking peoples. In 1936, Bihar and Orissa were split into separate provinces.
Geography of Orissa
Orissa lies in its eastern coast. Ninth largest state of India. Area: 155,707Sqkms Forest Land: 58,13,547 sq km (31% - Highest in India). Surrounded by Jharkhand in north, West Bengal in north-east, the Bay of Bengal in east, Andhra Pradesh in south and Chhattisgarh in west. Capital city – Bhubaneswar. Other major cities of the state include Puri, Cuttack, Sambalpur and Rourkela. Major rivers – Mahanadi, Brahmani, and Baitarani.
Demographics of Orissa Total population of Orissa is 36,706,920. 18,612,340 (50.89%) are male and 18,094,580 (49.11%) are female. 972 females per 1000 males. Urban Population – 15%, Rural Population – 85% The literacy rate is 63.61% with 75.95% of males and 50.97% of females being literate. Below the poverty line in 1999–2000 was 47.15% which is nearly double the all India average of 26.10%. Scheduled Castes and Tribes form constituting 38.66% of the State population.
Politics of Orissa Caste politics have a deep root in the political structure. From grassroot politics, Brahmins have a upper hand.
Famous People Sanjukta Panigrahi – classical Danseuse
Mira Nair – Film Director
Famous People Contd. Manoj Das - Writer
Sam Pitroda – Inventor, Policy maker
Culture of Orissa (Languages) Language – Oriya. Dialects – Midnapori, Balasori, Ganjami, Desiya, Halbi, Bhatri, Sambalpuri, Kalahandi, Singhbhumi. Because of the different dialects spoken in the state, there is a high regional divide. There is a voice for separate state comprises of 9 districts of Western Orissa (Kousal) due to lack of development work by state government. Investors should keep this in mind during the resource recruitment plan.
Culture of Orissa (Tourism) Known as a State of Temples. Well known temples are Jagannath Temple, Lingaraj Temple, and Konark etc. Major tourist attraction is the dance form Odissi.
Culture of Orissa (Tribes) Adivasis constitutes around 25% of the total population. Primarily resides in the forest areas, where active mining and industrialization takes place. This led to many conflicts. Major examples are POSCO and TISCO – Kalinganagar conflict. In addition to this the naxals have a close relationship with the tribes. Investors should be aware of the possible conflicts.
Culture of Orissa (Food & Clothing) Rice is the staple food. While majority of the population are Hindus and prefer vegetarian food. Dhoti and Saree is the customary clothing. Women wear a specific hand loomed Saree known as Sambalpuri Saree. Meher’s caste have a mastery in this art and are world famous for their suryamukhi design.
Culture of Orissa (Religion) Religion, 94.6% of the population is Hindu, 2.4% is Christian, 2.1% is Muslim. Embracement of Christianity by Tribal population led to major conflicts between Hindus and Christians (Missionaries). Example – Hindus – Christians riots in Khandamal district. Graham Stain’s Murder – Dara Singh.
Economy of Orissa Agriculture is the mainstay contributing about 28.13% in 2001-02 Agriculture provides direct and indirect employment to around 65% of the total workforce of Orissa much above the allIndia figure of 57.4 per cent. Industrial sector accounts for a mere 9.1 per cent of the total workforce
Natural Resources of Orissa Orissa accounts for about 17 per cent of India's iron ore reserves Due to its mineral wealth and strategic location it attracts foreign investment in steel, aluminum, power, refineries, and infrastructure. Olive ridley sea turtle, thick mangrove swamps, and rich commercial fish stocks have attracted people to the Orissa coastline Coast is threatened by destructive fishing practices, water pollution by toxic effluents, illegal aquaculture, and the negative fallouts of coastal infrastructure like offshore oil and gas exploration and port development
Investments in Orissa Orissa Economy is witnessing unprecedented investment, both domestic and foreign. US$50 bn is expected to be invested in the state for building steel and aluminum producing capacity, power projects, ports, and other infrastructure. Orissa is also a major outsourcing destination for IT (Information Technology) and IT services firms because of the presence of the educational institutes like XIM, KIIT, NIT, IITK, and Vendata University etc.
Social Indicators of Orissa Orissa's per capita income for 2003 was Rs 12,388 against the all-India average of Rs 23,359 Orissa's poverty rate for 1999-2000 was the highest among all States at 47.15 per cent Human Development Index ranking was 11th. Literacy rate in the State for 2001 was 63.08 per cent against India's 65.20 per cent Annual growth rate of output for 1993-94 to 200304 was 1.75 per cent significantly lower than the average for the country at 6.19 per cent
Hurdles to Business in Orissa Environmental concerns and land acquisitions for some of these projects have been opposed by the local people Religious Unrest POSCO is facing land acquisition problem. Naxals create problems for upcoming industries in Orissa
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