By Umesh Chandra Sahoo
The winning spree of BJD since the 2000s does matter to determine the several welfare schemes, and good governance has led to reaching the BJD at this stage. On the other hand some critics urge that a strong opposition and debacle of Congress rule in Odisha may escort for the same.
Socio-economic welfare policies as part of Good governance:
The BJD government has kicked off a number of steps and schemes for the growth of agriculture and allied sectors. For enhancing the financial support to the farmer, the government also has granted special prominence in the allocation of funds to these sectors. The government has much focused on high-yielding, higher productivity with sustainable agricultural practices and foster inclusive growth to strengthen agricultural economy and the policy also aims to double the farmer’s income by providing of subsidies and efficient production technology, post-harvest solutions by making of linkages in the market mechanism with the substantial price as not below the Minimum Support Price including the schemes of Biju Krusaka Kaliya Yojana, the contemporary circumstances has changed in a great extent i.e. Odisha become the third state in exporting the rice after Punjab and Haryana in 2016. Before 2006 it was an import state in rice and since 2006 it has been exporting the rice to the other states. Moreover, the productive capacity of the state has reached at more than 120 lakh MT in agriculture at the end of March 2016. In spite of numerous barriers like irregularities in monsoon and bumpy distribution of rainfall, agricultural production has been increasing and reached at 118 lakh MT. The State could be able to produce higher food grains and the State was awarded the “Krishi Karman Award[1]” from the Center for the bumper production for the fourth times during 2010-11, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15.
Linkages to the rice production and rationalized and efficient PDS system, the state government has been started the scheme of Rs 1/- Rice and the PDS: The BJD government has played a key role in this ongoing discussion by the two vital decisions came in August 2008, viz-a-viz the “Rationalization and efficient in the PDS and progress the Procurement System”. The first target used to diminish the price of PDS rice for all BPL and Antyodaya families to Rupees 2 per kilogram per k.g. it has further abridged the price to 1 rupee per kilogram from February 2013.
Through the subsidized rice, the Government of Odisha stirs nearer to the southern states towards improvement in many other key demographic indicators. Those looking for catchy slogans could entitle this a “Look South” approach for the State of Odisha. The total number of 6652768 families has benefited under the scheme till to November 2014.These models of the subsidies PDS have become the part of the National food security act of 2013.
Mamata urges as conditional cash Transfer Maternity Benefit Scheme has been operating since September 2011 with the objective of wage comprehension for the pregnant and lactating mothers of the amount of rupees 5000/- by e-transfer to the beneficiaries in the four installments, before the delivery, secondly it increases the utilization of antenatal Care, postnatal care, and immunization. This scheme helps to decline the IMR and MMR. The govt. has successfully provided 25 lakh of beneficiaries till up to December 2016.
Special schemes for Women:
During 2001, the Government of Orissa had begun the scheme of Mission Shakti to amalgamate all Women Self Help Groups (WSHGs) to supply identical guidelines, training of personnel, training materials for economy empowering to such groups. The number of the WSHGs has reached to 6 lakhs in November 2016 with the 50 lakhs (live assets of 65% of women in Odisha contrast to 38% of women in India) in 2016-16 due to the state government had lowered the interest rate to 1 rupees of the credit.
In the context of strengthening the women participation in the politics, the government of Odisha has decided to increase the reservation from 33 percent to 50 percent to women for the political participation in panchayats and municipalities bodies under the Orissa Panchayat Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2011. This bill came to effect from the panchayats election of 2012.
Charismatic Leadership of Naveen Patnaik:
The party also has managed to inclusion of any section people on the basis of accommodative politics in policies and ticket sharing. The leadership quality and clean image of Naveen has brought the party into the power the continuously. And he also has proved that he has been accepted by the people as a popular chief minister and the party remarks as the people’s party. He possesses the vital ability to monitor, execute and delivery the policies to the beneficiaries.
Some issues and challenges:
In the discursive analysis of the ‘Achievement vs. Development’ , I make the light on the policy of the BJD and its achievement from the Mamata Yojana to Harishchandra Yojna (financial support of rupees of 2000/- for the poor and destitute for the cremation of their near and dear as the well unclaimed bodies also.) in other word the BJD led government has guaranteed the policies from birth to death of the people in Odisha, why and how then position of the state lies pathetically in the HDI and social development .The economic development in the contemporary Odisha under Naveen regime has not touched on that level what an educated young expect within 17th years with contrast to the others advanced states of India. On the other side the state government under Naveen’s regime has been criticized in the field of corruption in block levels, irregularities in central funding and enhancing in the economic development of the state. In the political issues the party is being criticized for the ‘One leader One Policy’ regime of the BJD. For some scholars the debacle of the congress and non ability of strong opposition in party politics and electoral process in Odisha since the 2000s, which has insisted for the rise of the BJD. If this hyphothesis seems to be pratcial , it will be rigid to retain in the power for unremitting four terms since 2000s. Though all the social measures could not be a holistic parameter for the BJD in Odisha, at the same time any scholars might not be denied that ‘the social welfare policies with the BJD’s manifesto’ as a major imperative for the BJD to making the vote bank in the every corner of Odisha. The BJD under Naveen regime has been returning to the power consecutively because of the pro-poor welfare policies and its good governance mechanism in service delivery which have converted to reach near to the benefices.
Conclusion:
The social welfare policies and measures are not new in the realm of party politics in India for the several states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are also doing the same. But in the panorama of Odisha, the BJD has the gigantic faith on its social welfare policies for retaining the vote bank as Unique Regional Party. Mr. Patnaik has proved himself as faster good Administrator and efficient policies mentor for last 17 years and the state under his chief-ministership, has improved beyond the expectation in a petite social development genesis. And he has bagged the award of the best Administrator for the year 2016-17 from the survey of Indian Today Magazine.
Data source:
Health and Family welfare Department, Govt. Of Odisha and Govt. of India, NSSI, RBI, WTO, Economy Survey of Indian as well as Odisha.
Autor: Umesh Chandra Sahoo
PHD research scholar @ centre for political studies, SSS,JNU
Email – jimmy.umesh@gmail.com
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