Trajectories of Development

Trajectories of Development: Odisha@100 offers a comprehensive, interdisciplinary and interpretative analysis of Odisha’s tryst with the economic, social and governance challenges through policy and parastatal initiatives since the state’s formation in 1936 to the present day. Positioned within the global debates on uneven regional growth, the volume examines Odisha’s recent economic resurgence while probing its distributional, ecological and social implications. The book traces the Indian state’s historical antecedents—marked by colonial exploitation and disparate functioning of the myriad princely states—and its transformation into a formally unified subnational entity. Sector-specific chapters analyse agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and services, complemented by district-level insights. The volume explores developments in education, health, and demography, and examines possibilities of emerging frontiers of tourism, and tribal economy. Additional chapters assess poverty, unemployment, food security, fiscal management, disaster governance, neglect of natural resources, displacement, distress migration, unfolding of media, and roles of private and civil society actors. This volume will benefit scholars of development studies, economics, political economy, regional planning, and public policy, as well as practitioners and administrators of development. Readers will gain a nuanced, empirically grounded understanding of Odisha’s developmental journey and a forward-looking roadmap as the state approaches its centenary in 2036.