The present-day Orissa was referred as Odra Desha during medieval times which means Land of Cultivators, later the name gradually transformed into Odisha and in English called as Orissa
Portuguese were the first Europeans to build factories in Odisha, they established their settlement in Balasore district. British established their settlement in 1633 to trade cotton but British were unable to maintain for longtime due to Portuguese influence and presence of Aracanese pirates in the region
After the victory of British in the battle of Plassey they acquired Diwani rights (right to collect revenue) for Bengal, Bihar and Odisha region from Mughal emperor Shah Alam II, here Midnapore district was referred to as Odisha, as most of the Odisha region was in the hands of Marathas, to whom British continued negotiation
In the year 1936 British made Odisha as separate province, after our independence Odisha got merged with Indian Union
Key facts
Bhubaneswar is the capital of Odisha
Odia is the official language of Odisha which is one of the classical language of India
Bhitarkanika and Simlipal National Park is in Odisha
Oldest rocks of India are found in the region of Kendujhar district in the zircon crystals which was found to be 4.2 billion years old
Brackish water lagoon Chilka lake is in Odisha
Hirakud dam which was built across Mahanadi River is in Sambalpur of Odisha
Odisha has 25% of hematite ore of India
Odissi is the Indian classical dance from Odisha
Odisha is the largest mass nesting site for Olive Ridleys in India
Major Concerns
Prone to cyclones, floods and drought
High distressed migration
Nearly 30% of Odisha under influence of red corridor
HDI rank stands at 35 among all territories of India
Poor per capita income
Measures can be taken
Coastal shelterbelt plantations & Mangrove shelterbelt plantations help to reduce wind force and mitigate losses caused by cyclone
Adaptive social protection programme, Insuring migrant workers by government initiatives, Granting soft loans to migrant workers and providing them preference for opening SME's will help to reduce distressed migration
Addressing the concerns of tribals & insurgents, Confidence building measures by government through health & education facilities and election of leaders from tribal affected regions on democratic means helps to reduce the threat of naxalism in red corridor region
Good governance reforms, effective evaluation of projects through outcome budgeting in social sector, improving mean years of schooling and creation of employment through business opportunities helps to improve HDI
The best preparation for good work tomorrow is to do good work today - Elbert Hubbard
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