District Human Development Report Kalahandi Planning and Coordination Department Government of Odisha Planning Commission Published by Planning and Coordination Department, Government of Odisha Government of India District Human Development Report Kalahandi Planning Commission, Government of India © 2012 Government of Odisha Bhubaneswar Published by: Poverty and Human Development Monitoring Agency (PHDMA) Planning and Coordination Department Government of Odisha This Report doesn’t necessarily reflect the views of the Government of Odisha, the Planning Commission, Government of India and the United Nations Development Programme and its Executive Board. All rights reserved. No Part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the Government of Odisha. Copy editing, design, lay out and printing by: New Concept Information Systems Pvt. Ltd. Message from Chief Minister (0674) : 2531100 (Off.) NAVEEN PATNAIK Telephone (0674) : 2591099 (Res.) CHIEF MINISTER, ODISHA (0674) : 2535100 (Off.) Fax (0674) : 2590833 (Res.) E. Mail–cmo @ ori.nic.in ODISHA STATE D. O. No. BHUBANESWAR Dated .................................... MESSAGE I am glad to know that the first District Human Development Report (DHDR) for Kalahandi district is being brought out by the Planning & Coordination Department, Government of Odisha in collaboration with the Planning Commission, Government of India and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This initiative provides a framework for a people-centric development process. Human Development has been conceived as a process that enables people to improve their skills, capabilities and choices to live long, healthy and fulfilled lives. The first DHDR of Kalahandi attempts to make an independent assessment of the status of Human Development in that district. It highlights the status of literacy, skills, key health indicators and livelihood options available to the people of the district and brings out intra-district variations in respect of identified Human Development indicators. It also underscores the challenges ahead and offers new opportunities for the people of the district. It is hoped that this exercise will help in evolving an appropriate development strategy that ensures effective and efficient use of available resources for furthering wellbeing of the people and encourages sharing of development benefits and opportunities in an equitable manner. This joint initiative of the State Government, Government of India and UNDP is a step in that direction. I would like to thank the Planning Commission, Government of India and UNDP for their assistance and support for the preparation of the DHDR of Kalahandi district and look forward to future cooperation in following up the recommendations of this report. (NAVEEN PATNAIK) iii Message from Minister, Planning & Coordination Department SMT. USHA DEVI, MINISTER Handlooms, Textiles & Handicrafts, Planning & Co-ordination, Odisha MESSAGE I am glad to know that Planning & Coordination Department, Government of Odisha has prepared the first District Human Development Report (DHDR) of Kalahandi district with the support from Planning Commission, Government of India and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It is heartening to note that the District Administration has also taken keen interest in preparation of the first DHDR of the district. The major thrust of the DHDR is to prepare a status of "Human Development" in Kalahandi district, to highlight intra-district variations in key indicators and to set a bench-mark against which future attainments may be compared. This also identifies gaps in "Human Development" in the district and draws attention of the decision makers to focus attention on the areas where further action is required. I hope the first DHDR of Kalahandi will be well received by different stakeholders and the decentralized planning process will be suitably reoriented to effectively address the challenges ahead and meet the reasonable expectations of the people of the district. (SMT. USHA DEVI) iv District Human Development Report Message from Chief Secretary Shri B. K. Patnaik Phone ( +91 674) 2536700/4300 Chief Secretary and Chief Development Fax: (+91 674) 2536660 Commissioner, Odisha e-mail - [email protected] Bhubaneswar, Jan., 2012 MESSAGE I am glad that Planning & Coordination Department has prepared the first District Human Development Report (DHDR) of Kalahandi district. The DHDR aims to provide the current status of key human development indicators at district and sub-district levels and has, in fact, given detailed disaggregated analysis of human development indicators. The report acknowledges the sincere efforts made by the Government to accelerate the process of development including improving key human development indicators such as literacy, health status and income levels in Kalahandi. The report has also highlighted several challenges the district faces in improving human development indicators and accelerating the process of overall development of its people. This DHDR, which is the outcome of an interactive process, has provided valuable inputs for preparation of quality district plan. This report also provides a benchmark against which future attainments may be assessed. I warmly thank the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Planning Commission, Government of India for their support and guidance for preparation of this report. I hope that this report will be well received by the different stakeholders including policy planners, researchers, people at large and others. (B. K. Patnaik) v Message from Development Commissioner cum Additional Chief Secretary Dr. Rabinarayan Senapati, IAS Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary and Secretary, Planning and Coordination Department, Government of Odisha Bhubaneswar MESSAGE It gives me immense pleasure to know that the first District Human Development Report (DHDR) of Kalahandi district is going to be released. This report has been prepared by Planning and Coordination Department in partnership with the Planning Commission, Government of lndia and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This report provides disaggregated data and analysis as regards the current status of key human development indicators at district and sub-district level. The concept of “Human Development” is people-centric and a multi-dimensional measure of the people’s overall well-being based on several socio-economic indicators including income, literacy, health, reproductive child health, access to safe drinking water and gender issues. The report captures the efforts made by the Government to improve the delivery of public services for the people in general and the marginalized groups including the local Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes and Women in particular. There are, however, several challenges that need to be tackled for continuously improving human development indicators in the district. We express gratitude to the Planning Commission, Government of lndia and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for their support and guidance. It is sincerely hoped that this report will be of great help to policy makers, researchers and others. We look forward to constructive comments and suggestions from all concerned who may find this report useful and have a stake in improving human development conditions in Kalahandi district and rest of the State. (Dr. R. N. Senapati) vi District Human Development Report Message from UNDP United Nations Development Programme Message The Government of Odisha is to be commended for preparing the Kalahandi District Human Development Report, prepared under a partnership between the Planning Commission, the Government of Odisha and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India. India is a unique example of preparing the maximum number of State and District Human Development Reports in the world. The experience of India in deepening the understanding and reporting on human development is highly inspiring for countries across the world. In very simple terms, human development is defined as the expansion of people’s capability to lead long, healthy and creative lives and to advance other goals that they cherish. This is, to a large extent, determined by historical, socio-cultural, institutional, governance, infrastructural, and geographical or environmental factors. Kalahandi district presents a pertinent development challenge increasingly being witnessed in a number of regions across the globe - having human development outcomes commensurate with the rich endowment that regions have vis-a-vis natural and mineral resources. The Kalahandi District Human Development Report highlights the inextricable link between human development outcomes and environmental security. One of the underlying messages of the District Human Development Report is to promote convergent planning and implementation to ensure sustainable human development. One of the highlights of the India experience on human development is the close link between human development reports and planning processes. The Kalahandi District Human Development Report provides a sound situation analysis for district planning as well as an agenda for action which can facilitate progress on human development outcomes. We are confident that the Kalahandi District Human Development Report will be a strategic document for district planners. We once again felicitate the Government of Odisha for preparing the Kalahandi