Bhubaneswar: The Centre for Youth and Social Development (CYSD) here on Thursday hosted the 4th edition of the biennial Odisha Vikash Conclave (OVC) on the theme ‘Transformative Odisha @2036: Demography and Development.’
Thirty years after the International Conference on Population and Development, convened under the auspices of the United Nations in Cairo in 1994, OVC is credited as the first-ever deliberation on demography and development in the Asia-Pacific region.
Professor Emeritus Amitabh Kundu highlighted that the demographic transition began in Odisha in 1992-93. The population growth rate of Odisha, which was below 10% during the last decade (2011-2021), has consistently declined compared to the national level. Previously, Odisha’s population, representing 4% of India’s total, has now reduced to 3.5%, he added.
Odisha’s present fertility rate is 1.8. It is expected to further reduce to 1.2 in 2036. In three districts – Rayagada, Nabarangpur and Kandhamal demographic transition will be higher that is expected to exceed two indicating a significant regional inequality in demographic transition by 2036, Professor Amitabh Kundu pointed out further.
Government policies and schemes need to be aligned to tackle the challenges posed by demographic transition, with a greater emphasis on social security support, emphasized Kundu.
As the state’s aging population is projected to reach 17% by 2036, the state has a unique opportunity to harness the potential arising from demographic transition, Jagadananda, Co-Founder and Mentor of CYSD pointed out. “This dividend can be tapped in two ways: first, the Gender Dividend, which involves utilizing the untapped potential of the aging female population; and second, the Silver Dividend, which entails leveraging the knowledge and expertise of older individuals,” he added.
To effectively utilize their knowledge and expertise, there should be policy-level changes to provide employment to older people aged over 60 years. Because, even after retirement, many of these individuals are still efficient in handling responsibilities effectively, Jagadananda added.
Dr. R Balakrishnan, Chief Advisor (Special Initiatives) at the Office of the Chief Minister, maintained that the Odisha budget outlay has leaped from Rs 1 crore in 1936 to Rs 2 lakh crore now, indicating steady economic progress in the state. He underscored that Odisha’s development model is equity-based and inclusive, striving to reach the last mile individuals. Such a development model needs to be adopted nationwide. He promised to take forward the recommendations of the OVC to the appropriate level to transform them into action.
Andrea Wojnar, Country Head of UNFPA, underscored that UNFPA will continue to support CYSD in conducting intensive research on new themes related to demography and development.
Held under the aegis of Odisha Development Initiative (ODI), a coalition of stakeholders advocating transformative development, the conclave also shed light on five critical areas of demographic transformation in Odisha. These areas include Aging Population, Migration and Urbanization, School Education, Youth, Skilling, and Employment, and Health and Nutrition, each discussed in separate tracks.
The track Migration and Urbanisation highlighted Odisha’s Migration Census where outmigration from Odisha was higher than total in-migration between 2001 and 2011. However, Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2020-21 data indicates a positive net migration rate of 0.74%, suggesting increased migration to Odisha.
The track – School Education highlighted that as per population projection there would be fewer children (6-14 years old) but more young people (20 and above), so we need to carefully plan while opening new schools and invest more in higher education.
Similarly, in the Nutrition and Health track, attention was drawn to the technical group projection report of the Census of India (2020). According to this report, the child population of Odisha is estimated to decrease from 9% in 2011 to 6% in 2036. The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) of the state, reported as 34 in 2019-21, is anticipated to decrease to 20 by the end of the period 2031-35.
Among others, Dr. Nadeem Noor, State Head of UNFPA Odisha and Muniraju S.B, Deputy Advisor, NITI Aayog spoke at the conclave.
A total of 400 participants, including representatives from civil society, corporate, government, academia, researchers, Panchayati Raj Institution representatives and villagers, attended the conclave. The event was a partnership between the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Government of Odisha, and NITI Aayog.
