Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The idea of ‘Maa, Mati, Manush’ (Mother, Land and People) is a key lens to comprehend the interlinked struggles for identity, livelihood, environment and dignity in Odisha. The essay discusses the role of land as an economic resource, basis of cultural identity, political sovereignty and social survival of the Indigenous tribes of Odisha. The paper critically discusses the impact of displacement, increased mining, environmental degradation and neo-liberal economic policies on the Adivasi people. It examines the problems of land conflicts, mining politics, environmental injustice and state-backed industrialization resulting in growing marginalization in indigenous territories. The paper also discusses the ways in which the grassroots resistance movements like Niyamgiri, POSCO, Kalinga Nagar and the recent Sijimali have transformed the democratic discourse on rights, justice and self-determination. It speaks to the gendered aspects of relocation and the participation of Indigenous women in governance and resistance. It demands a paradigm shift towards inclusive public policy to address these difficulties, drawing on political ecology, identity politics and rights-based development frameworks. It is a bundle of changes based on Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and stringent execution of legislative safeguards, including the Forest Rights Act (FRA) and PESA. It also advocates a move away from cash compensation to fair, long-term resettlement solutions such as benefit-sharing, investment finance and gender-sensitive livelihood restoration to ensure equitable distribution of ancestral land rights and project benefits. The paper argues for a sustainable development paradigm for Odisha that is built on an inclusive and participatory strategy that prioritizes community rights, ecological balance and human dignity.
Language: English
Subfield: Anthropology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7164011010