‘Orissa Nirman’ falls short of target by miles

BHUBANESWAR: Under the scheme - ‘Bharat Nirman’ - the progress so far in ‘Orissa Nirman’ is not very encouraging. Especially, the State’s record is nothing noteworthy as far as roads and electricity connections to the villages in the financial year 2009- 10 are concerned. The actual realisation of target in rural housing is poor as only 14 per cent of the target had been achieved so far.

In 2009-10, the total habitations targeted to be provided with allweather road connections were 1,500 but the actual connections provided stood at mere 360. In percentage terms, it is just over 20 per cent of the target. This resulted in bringing only 40 per cent of villages under the road network against 59 per cent in Jharkhand.

Even Bihar outclassed Orissa by connecting 44 per cent of its villages with all-weather roads. The maximum gap between the target and the reality has been observed in villages with a population of less than 500. The casualty here again is the sparsely populated villages in the western and southern Orissa.

In rural electrification, the progress card up to July 31, 2010 doesn’t give any impressive picture. Only 46 per cent of the un-electrified villages could be electrified here against 84 per cent achievement rate in Bihar. The State lags behind even with regard to intense electrification of the electrified villages with an achievement rate of only 30 per cent against 76 per cent rate in Andhra Pradesh.

Only 23 per cent BPL households could be brought under electricity circuit here against 75 per cent in AP.

The progress in irrigation coverage in rural areas is best summed up by the fact that the target was to cover 63,000 hectares agricultural land in 2005-06 but it was realised only in 2007-08.

However, the State has scripted a success story in provisioning potable water.

Here the number exceeded the targeted villages. In 2009-10, against the target of covering 3,922 villages, the actual coverage stood at a whopping 9,777 habitations.