Friday, December 16, 2011

Posco's upcoming India Plant

Hi Readers,

I am not going to write about the politics and the side effects of  Posco project which has led to a riot situation in Kujanga area. Posco, the third largest steel producing Korea based company and the Odisha Government signed the agreement in year 2005 to set up Posco plant in Kujanga- Ersama area in Jagatsinghpur district. According to agreement the plant should have been functional by 2010. However, the oppostion and local people's agitation could not make it possible to have it ready by the year end 2011.



Lets first of all think of our Jagatsinghpur district. Jagatsinghpur stands first in density of population in Odisha. It also stands first in literacy rate (80%) after Khurda. Khurda district has Bhubaneswar the capital of Odisha which counts towards highest literacy. Thus, taking into consideration this Jagatsinghpur district has highest literacy rate. Now, I am going to introduce you to my own village.
My Village Garia has not a single family where children's do not attend primary education. Almost all the youth population here has a graduation degree. Moreover, the people here do not fall into BPL category. Most of the family barely depends on cultivation to meet their daily bread and butter.The educated youth and their respective parent do not want them to work as farmers. Therefore, the young youths start searching for jobs, when they do not manage to get a good job, they try to work in small shops at Bhubaneswar or Cuttack. Some of the youth  work in other state as painters, plumbers etc. Why they choose these jobs in another state? The reason is simple, they do not want to loose their family honour by working in our own state, they find it difficult to accept their occupation after having a graduation degree.

Additionally, the village crop and cultivation largely depends on climatic factor. Every year flood  & cyclone hits Jagatsinghpur, and destroys the crop. So, my question here is, how to employ these educated youth so that not only these people but their family and our state moves in the path of progress. Natural calamities can not be controlled by anyone, and if this goes on then from where these people will get their daily bread and butter ?

I am not writing in favour of Posco or against it. But, I agree there needs to be something that could employ these people. If any industry is set up in this area, it will not only give employment to people who are directly employed by the company, but would also give indirect employment to many others who would be engaged in providing the basic necessities to the employee of the industry.  In setting up a township, thousands of people would be engaged.

Unemployment is the biggest problem of Jagatsinghpur district. People of other districts like the KBK are far behind Jagatsinghpur both socially and economically. Many NGO's are engaged in these districts to feed the people, give them proper sanitation and drinking water facilities. But, what about the problem of Jagatsinghpur, who will come up with a better solution for these educated and unemployed people.

I wish if these youth would ever think by themselves what they can do, and they should do to improve their condition. It is easy to divert these people in any direction and start a riot. Unemployment and poverty leads to unsocial activities. I have kept all my prayers to help these people take their decision by themselves and I also wish Odisha government to take a more appropriate and non-violent way to come up with this project which would no doubt benefit many.

I understand there could be some terms by which it will help Korea, but I do not believe in keeping the resources and not utilising them. If India government has enough resources then let India set up plant for itself. If not then their is no harm if we can make progress by mutual understanding with another country. This will not only strengthen our bonds but would also take us in direction of progress.


----------Jai Hind!------------

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