Governance Reforms in Odisha & Way Forward

Good governance is about a healthy polity, healthy and well-educated population, low crime rate, higher farm and industrial productivity, affirmative attitude to uphold supremacy of law and citizens’ empowerment.

- PRASANNA MISHRA

Certain critical areas that warrant government intervention without delay merit mention. Almost 62 per cent of Odisha’s pregnant women in the age group of 15-49 years are anaemic; 11.3 pc of state’s rural households live in kutcha houses, about 30 pc under-five children are underweight and 31 pc in the same age bracket are stunted. About 21 pc of women have body mass index (BMI) less than 18.5; maternal mortality ratio per lakh of live birth is as high as 119, infant mortality under five years per thousand live births is high enough at 39. Only 26.4 pc of Odisha schools have computers, school drop-out rate in class IX-X is the highest in the country at 27.3 pc, gross enrolment ratio (GER) in class XI and XII is only 43.6 while GER in higher education for 18-23 age bracket is only 22.1 pc. Average of three years of rice production in the state is only 2,218.65 kg per hectare.