In maoist land: A story of deprivation and victimisation

It was half past eight in the morning when we landed at Laxmipur, a small town in the Koraput district of south Odisha. Laxmipur is about 22 km from Narayanpatna, home to one of India's fierce tribal movements led by the Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh (CMAS).

On the way we passed two Border Security Force (BSF) camps–one at Palur between Laxmipur and Narayanpatna, and the other at Podapadar, the striking ground of the CMAS in 2009. Our guide, Anil Subudhi, a local journalist told us that the BSF personnel stationed at Podapadar would verify our identity and purpose of visit. They might even deny us entry into the forest, which was considered the seat of the conflict between the tribal and non-tribal communities, between the armed forces of the state and left-wing extremists.

Poverty and surplus fund situation go hand-in-hand in Odisha

Keeping in view the claim of Odisha Government about the apathetic attitude of Indian federal government towards the issues relating to poverty, regional imbalance and disparity in Odisha and, on the other hand, CAG’s report placing the government at fault for slow implementation of programmes and a commercial focus about utilisation of surplus deposit, one can see how poverty is made to exist in the state with a surplus fund for welfare programmes

New face of Motherhood: Mother sold baby boy to get jeans and mobile phone set

Incident of child selling is not new to Odisha. There were incidents in the poverty stricken KBK districts of Odisha where starving poor parents being unable to feed themselves and the child had sold their offspring under compulsion to make the child survive somehow. But the recent case of a Mother selling her child for material needs like Jeans and mobile phone throws many questions for the social thinkers of India to think upon.