Kalahandi, as the name suggests means “black pot,” probably derives its name from the black soil that was used for making pots. This name has now become associated with drought, starvation, and child selling. This former princely state has hardly ever suffered serious crop failure. With an average yearly rainfall of around 1200 mm a year it cannot be said to be low.
In preindependence times kalahandi was self-sufficient in food and its rice was very famous. IN times as recent as 1989-90 the per capita foodgrain production was at an av- erage of 331.86, which is more than the Orissa average of 253.03. In the 1960s and 1970s it was the third the third largest averae exporter of rice to other districts and states. The per capita land holdings are the highest in the state with even dalits and adivasis having a slightly larger average than in most parts of India.

Despite the fact that kalahandi has variable rainfall it has to be understood that kalahandi has one of the best natural resources in the country, yet there is so much poverty and despair in this “black pot. Exploitation involving low prices and for paddy and forest produce along with poor development policies have resulted in this state of affairs.

The population comprises of 31% advasis (gonds), 16% dalits (doms) who are the worst sufferers in critical times. Most people have smallholdings of land (one to two acres). It is these people who do not get the benefit of any developmental programs or other government funded projects due to corruption and complacency. The wages in this district is very low and some of the payment is in kind, as paddy. Education is minimal and education facilities are poor. The average lliteracy level among adivasis is about 21% for men and 2% for women. The people expect famine and out of sheer helplessness have accepted their fate in stoic resignation.

One source of income is the picking of kendu leaves. This is done by the poor, primarily women, in almost all the villages of the district for some part of the year. It is a major source of income for women but it can hardly be called an income. They make up to Rupees five hundred a month from the kendu leaf gathering when it is available.

Poverty has resulted in the migration of the dalit men to the cities, leaving the women to fend for themselves and the children. The adivasis go deeper and deeper into yhe forest. Lately adivasis also have started migrating to the cities. Electricity is available but the poor cannot afford the cost. There is a total lack of industrial development. In addition to all this, the low prices people get from the sale of their produce both to the government and to the merchant’s, keeps the people of Kalahandi destitute.

The Gonds and Khonds form the largest ST communities in Kalahandi. The most affected in poverty and drought as also in famine conditions are the women and children. They are the ones to die in such tragedies.

Ninety three percent of the population lives in villages, of these nearly twenty percent of the population lives below the poverty line. Most of those below the poverty line are advasis and dalits. For a total population of 11, 30,963 there are only seven hospitals, 2 dispensaries and eight primary health centers, apart from a few homeo and ayurvedic dispensaries. The total number of beds in the rural area for (10, 52,740) i.e., ninety three percent of the population is only 247 for the whole district. The whole district has only four Places where X-Ray facilities available, four places with ambulance facilities, one blood bank and one E.C.G. center. Education facilities are equally bad and few children go beyond the first two classes with a very high dropout rate (32% drop out rate).

The normal average annual rainfall of the district is 1376.2 mm. Normally the rainfall is very much erratic having monsoon starting in late June and lasting up to mid-September with intermittent long dry-spells. Poor irrigation facilities combined with lack of infrastructure development (like storage godowns, cooperative enterprises, vehicles, expert manpower resources, availability of loan facilities result in distress sale of crops at cheap prices, use of modern agriculture technology where needed to increase production, balance in the cultivation of commercial versus food grain crops through multi-crop cultivation, committed staff, marketing facilities) are some of the major reasons for the continued state of distress. Vacant posts of doctors, social workers, improper use or the absence of funds combined with corruption and nepotism results in the black pot of misery that kalahandi is, to continue in this state.

The pain of the people of Kalahandi was felt by the pioneers of this project who have already initiated a program to enable the people grow out of their misery. The need is real and unless people respond to the situation the tragedy is going to be the continuous and silent death of these children of God who live in the stranglehold of oppression and suffering. A master plan has been prepared for sustained growth in different directions. The master plan envisages development in four years. However, this may not be realistic unless sufficient funds are available. The needs can be prioritized and funded over a longer phase. It is a reality that in the past development has been available to the other communities who are dominant. Unless the infrastructure is provided in the geographical area where the people live, it will again result in development for the powerful whereas the adivasis and dalits will continue to be losers.

School and Hostel
Local language education is important for the preservation of the cultural richness of the ethnic people. However, it would be unreal and unjust to rob the children of a chance to compete in a world which has become a global village, where the parochial is as needed as the universal. Education should therefore aim at maintaining the richness and texture of the local culture while preparing the children to develop universally. This can only be possible through an integrated education system. It is hoped that we would be able to provide facilities for meeting this aim through a schooling process that teaches the local language and customs and also provides English medium education.

It is envisaged that we would be able to finally provide hostel accommodation to 150 students (75 girls and boys each). The school is to develop in phases from Nursery, Primary, Middle, Secondary, and finally Higher Secondary education. It is also expected that in time we would be able to provide both polytechnic and college education to eligible students.

Primary Health Center
It is expected that the primary health center would finally develop into a full-fledged hospital. The present approach is to develop a clinic with the least minimal facilities of X-ray and ECG.
Agriculture and Dairy Development.

The river Uttei flows in the proximity of the village and due to the Medium Irrigation Project water is generally available through the year. The water could be used for Agriculture and Dairy development. The objectives of these development programs are twofold-the first involves community development and the second involves the creation of our resource base for self-reliance.

The following expenditures are envisaged in the first stage of the project (In Rupees):

The balance work of the project should be completed in stages based on the availability of funds.