Development, dispossession and impoverishment in National Aluminium Company (Nalco) Displaced Villages: A study in Koraput

Abstract

The concept of development is a historical legacy. The word development in terms of economic connotation literally means improvement of the economic status of the society, widening of the individual's life opportunities and betterment of the quality of life. The doctrine of development is polymorphic, because the concept of development seems to have assumed different shades of meaning and significance across time and space. Thus, development is globally defined in terms of industrial and technological growth. Development is just another form of social change; it cannot be understood in isolation. The analysis of development actions and of popular reactions to these actions should not be isolated from the study of local dynamics, of endogenous processes, of ‘informal’ processes of change. Development seeks the welfare of others. In the name of development most of development agencies systematically exploit people and the environment. Development-induced displacement or loss of land results in the marginalisation and impoverishment of the people particularly of the weaker sections. The present paper attempted to highlight issues of displacement, dispossession and impoverishment caused by NALCO industry in Koraput district of Odisha.