Jharkhand Journal of Development and Management Studies XISS, Ranchi, Vol. 11, No.2, June 2013, pp. 5401-5408 RAPPORTEUR'S
REPORT
FRONTIERS OF DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES IN INDIA: RECONFIGURING DEVELOPMENT OF UND ERD EVELO PMENT Pramil
Introduction
K. Panda*
to the Theme of the Seminar
Several developmental projects have been iaunched in India in various fields such as education, polity, environment, health, science, technology , industry and communication in consonancewith the triple forces ofliberalization, privatization and globalization. True to the spirit of a socialist, democratic and welfare state, it seeksto make development an inclusive project and secure to all its citizens justice, social, economic and political; equality of status and opportunity. However, the very practice of development is not free from its own share of problems. It has evo~ed a heap of reactions from diverse sections: optimists, skeptics and cynics. As one goesthrough the discourse of development and tries to make sense of the same in ground realities, one is confronted with a series of arguments both in favour of and against development. Optimists vouch for development with the clak that it seeksto produce abetter world for all. On the contrary, skeptics opine that it privileges someand disprivileges others. They frown upon the project wijh a barrage of questions. For instance, is the present mode of develop~ent indeed emancipatory? Does it retain its inclusive and participatory character? How consistent is it with the broader task of nation-bllilding and social justice? On the other hand, there are cynics who dub development as utterly undesirable. It only contributes to increasing marginalization, exploitation, alienation, and exclusion of others. Finally what one realizes, in the ultimate analysis, is that 'development' is n9t free from its inherent 'discontents'. At this juncture, it calls for a critical review and re-examination of the 'project of development' itself. In the purview of the above-mentioned theme, a two-day national seminar was held at Ravenshaw University, Cut tack, Odisha during April 13thto Wh, 2013 on the topic 'Frontiers ofDevelopment Practices in India: Reconfiguring Development of Underdevelopment'. It was organised by the Department of Sociology under the convenership of Dr. Bikram Keshari Mishra, associate professor of the Department. * Assistant Professor, Xavier Institute
of Social Service, Dr. Camil Bulcke Path,
Ranchi -834001, Jharkhand. E-mail:
[email protected] "A(\1
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The major areas of discussion and deliberation in the five themati< sessionsof the seminar were: 1
2 3 4 5
Understanding Development: Revisiting the Concepts, Theories and Issues Development and Participation: Individuals, Communities and Civil Societies Development and Marginalization: Processes, Practices and Possibilities Development and Communication: Concepts, Contestations and Challenges Development,Displacement, Gender and Health: Concerns,Crises and Contradictions
Proceedings of the First Day (13thApril, 2013) Apart from the inaugural session,three technical sessionstook place in the first daybasedon different themeswherethe scholarspresented their papers followed by discussion among the participants. The proceedingof eachsessionis presentedbelow. "' Inaugural Session After registration of participants the inaugural sessionbegan with the lightening of the lamp by the guests followed by an opening ~ong by students of the Department of Sociology .Prof. Mamata Swain, Chairperson of the Council ofDeans, Ravenshaw University welcomed all guests and then themes, perspectives, aim and objectives of the seminar was introduced by Dr. Bikram Keshari Mishra, the convener of the seminar. In his address Dr. Mishra said that the proposed seminar wishes to create an intellectual platform for academicsand practitioners engaged in the field to revisit the discourse and have a meaningful dialogue on the score.Dr .Aurobindo Behera, lAS, Government of Odisha graced the occasion as the guest of honour and spoke about the role of bureaucracy in the development of the state. Then after, Prof. B. C. Tripathy, the vice chancellor of Ravenshaw University delivered the presidential address in which he narrated the process of underdevelopment of Odisha and sought the engagement of social scientists for the formulation of appropriate policies for its eradication. The keynote addresswas delivered by Prof. A Vijit Pathak of J awaharlal Nehru University , Delhi. In his address Prof. Pathak ex~lained both the positive and negative connotations of development by saying that development of everything is evolutionary and he also narrated the linearity of development discourse from classicism to modernism. He then analysed the development models practised by different countries
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in the world, madea critique of them and tried to find out the various loopholes associated with the Indian model of development. He reemphasizedon the Gandhian model of developmentand strongly advocatedfor it to be adoptedin India. Finally, Dr. Sthitaprajna Roy, assistant professor at RavenshawUniversity proposedthe vote of thanks.
First Technical Session The first technical sessionwas chaired by Prof. Biswajit Ghosh and the theme of the sessionwas "U nderstanding Development: Revisiting the Concepts, Theories and Issues". Four papers were presented in this session. In the first paper entitl~d 'Sixty Years of Planning and Development: Still Tribals are Struggling for Basic Life Support', Dr. M. G. Bage discussed the precarious status of tribal people in Odisha, who are at the receiving end of all the disadvantages of development planning of the state and sought for the unity of people from all sections. The second paper was presented by Dr. Sudeshna Mukherjee and the title was 'EndogenousDevelopment and Globalization'. She emphasized on intemally directed development with a focus on regional issues that incorporates humanistic values into the economic system and provides '-ll democratic distribution of wealth based on the criteria and vision of the local peoplefor their wellbeing. The third paper presented by Sheikh Rafiq Ullah with the title 'Development for Whom? Displacing People, Destroying Identity and Suppressingihe Voices of the Earth' contained an analysis of the political economy of the displacement through land acquisition by TAT A and POSCO and the role of state in this context. It threw light on the impact of displacement on the livelihood, socioeconomic and psychological status of people and the violation of the rights of indigenous people. The last paper entitled 'Rediscovering the Development of Development: Situating Social Capital as Strategy/ Practice/Process ofDevelopment' was presented by Dr. Aditya Keshari Mishra and he attempted to highlight a critical understanding of the conceptof development as ultimate panaceafor underdevelopment with an emphasis on social capital.
SecondTechnical Session In the secondtechnical session,five papers were presented based on the broad theme "DeveIQpmentand Participation: Individuals, Communities and Civil Societies" and it was chaired by Prof. Anup Dash. Dr. Bijoy Kumar Mishra presented the first paper entitled 'Traditional Livelihood among the Tribes of India and Developmental Strategies for the Change of their Livelihood Pattern'. Dr. Mishra stressed that the developmental strategies of the tribes need to be determined on the basis of their
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habitats, the local resources and socio-economic problems for which there is an urgent needfor the identification, monitoring and modification of the native skills and avoidance of conflicts and tensions. In the second paper entitled 'Development Participation through Protest Movement', Dr. Dipti Ranjan Sahu told that participation in the protest movements contributes to the enhancement of legitimacy of democratic governance. The success of many protest movements may have hampered the implementation of government policies but at the same time it has helped to restore the faith of people in democratic institutions. Jogindra Naik presented the third paper of the session with the title 'Fostering Inclusive participation in Natural Resource management: The Case of Odisha Forestry Sector' where he tried to explore the potential contribution of inclusive participation in natural resource management and illustrated the significance of the role oflocal people and formal institutions in forest management practices in Odisha. The fourth paper was presented by Hemant Kumar with title 'Urban Development, CRZ Violations and Environmental Vulnerability: Fishing and Sustainability Implications in Coastal Mumbai'. He gave an account of effects of coastal regulation zone violation in M umbai metropolitan region leading to the destruction of mangroves and other important speciesof fish that plays a crucial role in sustaining c~tal ecology and urban biodiversity. He argues that biodiversity management in urban areas requires clear valuation of the long term ecological and socio-economic benefits of sustenance of coastal ecology and relateG livelihoods. The last paper entitled 'Examining Participation in Water User Association (WUA): A Study ofUtarayani Pani Panchayat in Odisha' was presented by Subhra Rajat Balabantaray and he examined the nature of participation, factors promoting participation and factors hindering participation of people in WUA by citinga case study.
Third Techni~al Session The third technical sessionwas chaired by Prof. R. N. Sharma and the theme of the sessionwas "Developmentand Marginalization: Processes, Practicesand Possibilities".Four paperswere presentedin this session.The first paperwas presentedby BhubaneswarSabaron the topic 'Micro-Project for Primitive Tribal Groups: Doesit Really Mainstream?A CaseStudy', which is a study on the Chuktia Bhunjia tribe of Odisha.He shedlight on how the failure to addresscultural aspectin developmentschemehas led to the failure of development plans and emphasizedon the synergy of culture and development schemesfor tribal people'sdevelopment.In the secondpaper titled 'DemocraticState and SocialJustice: The Caseof ScheduledTribes and their Survival in Odisha'. Sarada Prasanna Das attempted to
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evaluate the status ofST population ofOdisha in the face ofGlobalization and critically examined the rights of tribal people and politics of participation in the movements in the industrial regions. Third paper was presented by Biswajit Parida with the title 'Modernization and Agricultural Practices among the Santhals: A Case Study of Odisha'. He tried to analyse the changes that are taking place in the traditional agricultural practices of the Santhal tribe and the impact of this changing livelihood strategy in social, cultural, religious and economic aspects of their lives. Dr. Pramil K. Panda presented the last paper of the day and the title of the paper was 'Corporate, Casualty and Compensation: Families of the Victims in the Chimney CollapseAccident of BALCO'. He concluded that the families have no doubt lost their dearest onesin the accident, which gave them enormous emotional and psychological trauma that took a long time to overcome. But the compensationmoney helped them in enhancing their economicconditions in many ways that would not have been possible with the earlier lesser income of the families.
Proceedings of the Second Day (14thApril, 2013) Two technical sessionstook placein the secondday basedon two different themes where the scholarspresented their papers followed by discussions apart from the valedictory session at the end. The proceeding of each sessionis presented below.
Fourth Technical Session The fourth technical session was on the theme "Development and Communication: Concepts, Contestations and Challenges" and Prof. Mrinal Chatterjee chaired this session. Four papers werepreseJ:lted in this session. Um:a Shankar Pandey presented the first paper on the topic 'Rethinking the Development Paradigm in a Network Society: A Study ofGoal-Directedness of Internet Use of Students in Kolkata'. He argued that the promotion of global network and computer mediated communication has triggered the de-individuation of people in today's world, which is defined by visual facelessnessand physical remoteness. It may lead to historical class disparities by creating an important niche for those in the periphery. Second paper was presented by Sujit Kumar Mohanty with the title' A Study on Cinematic Presentation of Indian Poor and Poverty'. He gave a critical account ofhow the poor and the issues concerning them are portrayed in Hindi cinema and opined that over time there has been an overdose of negative feelings and emotions in dealing with poverty. The third paper presented by Pallav Mukhopadhyay with the title' Are Indian Media Really Fulfilling its Responsibility for Development of the Country? A Critical Perspective'
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dealt with a critical examination of market-driven media that give~ emphasis on sensationalism, tabloidization, trivialisation and yello" journalism. He strongly advocated for an argumentative media tha1 can playa key role for the ultimate good of the society by high1ightin~ the deficiencies in the public service. The last paper entitled 'Wha1 Makes News?A Study on Media's Visualisation ofDevelopment Issues was presented by Shreesthi S. Mishra. She gave a theoretical accoun1 of the construction of news by drawing from real life experiences and tried to analyse why news on real development issues is vanishing from the mainstream media whereas peripheral issues are taking centre stage.
Fifth Technical Sessiol1 In the fifth technical session chaired by Prof. S. K. Rath, sevel1 papers were presented on "Development, Displacement, Gender and Health: Concerns, Crises and Contradictions" as the main theme. Dr. Sarmistha Pattana~resented the first paper entitled 'Displaced by Development: Does Compensation Bring them Justice?' where she argued that whatever may be the policy of rehabilitation, compensatiol1 hardly prevents impoverishment of the peopledisplacedfrom their native places.Secondpaper was presented by Dr. Niharranjan Mishra entitled 'Standing at the Cross Road: Resettlement, Rehabilitation and Question of Justice'. He told that marginal communities are being affected due to state led development initiation, their voices are being suppressed and their rights are violated thereby denying them justice. Therefore, the government should try to bring an inclusive growth for the displaced peoplewho have sacrificeda lot for the causeof the national development. In the third paper entitled 'Freedom and Security as Indicators of Development:Reality, Concernsand Paradoxesin India', Bimal Chandra Nanda tried to critically examine the different aspects offreedom and security while looking them as parameters of development in the context of modern India. Dr. Debendra Kumar Biswal presented the fourth paper on the topic 'Depoliticization of Water , Industry and Farmer: Hirakud Dam and the Myth of Development' in which he sorted out three dichotomies: i) displacement of self sufficient farmer families vs. Irrigation facilities for cultivable land, ii) flood control in the past vs. Present scenario and iii) water supply to the industries vs. Supply for farming in the present context. The fifth paper was presented by Sagasrika Mishra on 'institutionalizing Mother-Child Healthcare: A Critical Understanding ofMamata, Odisha', where she narrated the functioning ofMamata schemethat provides monetary support to the pregnant and lactating women, which enables them to seek improved nutrition and promote health seeking behaviour .The sixth paper with the title 'Reproductive Agencyand Culture Change:Negotiations around
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Child-Bearing in an East Indian Sfate' was presented by Sital Mohanty in which she focusedon the ways in which the women in Odisha engage with assisted reproduction and explores how their identity is reckoned through their reproductive potentiality that is very diverse and complex. The last paper of the session was presented by Antarjeeta N ayak on topic 'Why Poor are Poor? Understanding the Perceptions of the Cause of Poverty for Development of Underdevelopment'. By dividing the poverty assessmentsinto three broad categories:construction of poverty profile, causesof poverty and poverty alleviation strategies, sheexplained the poor people's perceptions about poverty and the factors responsible for driving these explanations and sought for bridging the gaps among individualistic, structural and fatalistic mechanisms. Valedictory
Session
The valedictory session was chaired by Prof. P. N. Panda who in his address talked about the distinction between resource centric development and people centric development. He argued that development should be planned in such a way that dignity of people must be maintained along with growth. The valedictory address was delivered by Prof. B. C. Barik, the vice chancellor of Sambalpur University, Odisha. In his address Prof. Barik talked about the unevennessof the processof development in India in general and Odisha in particular .He emphasized that Odisha being a predominantly agrarian state the development of agriculture" supplemented by industrialization can help balancing the uneven development process. The seminar ended with Dr. Bikram Keshari Mishra, the convener of the seminar proposing"the vote of thanks.
Summing Up As a matter of great concem, the trajectory of development with specific referenceto developingworld has begun its joumey soonafter the Second World War. It is very difficult to unearth the politics and polemics of development especially at a time when development itself continues to be a heavily-conferenced, much-debated and enormously-challenged terrain in world academia. Development studies both as an academic as well as policy-oriented sub-discipline has witnessed several perspectives,eachonebeing contestedby another innovativelaltemative perspective in addressing the issues relating to development of underdevelopment. In fact, such issues are being constantly conceptualized, contemplated, approached, examined and contested by peers and practitioners through various perspectives,policies in various platforms, which have profusely contributed to a plethora ofliterature in the field and that. in fact. makes the discourse of development
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endlessly enriching. In this context this seminar was an attempt to look towards the conceptualization of development practices in the country from different perspectives and different angles. It dealt with the diverse issues of development and underdevelopment i~ the country at different levels. It also has the case studies from the field where the complexities of underdevelopment with a pragmatic approach. - has been analysed by the researchers
