Odisha’s Extractive Industries: Present Status and Future Prospects

Abstract

Odisha is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, including minerals, forests, marine life, and water. Odisha is one of India’s top producers of valuable minerals such as chromites, nickel ore, coal, bauxite, iron ore, and manganese. In addition to providing habitat and a means of subsistence for the state’s expanding tribal population, around 30 percent of its land is covered with forests, which also serve as the catchment areas of key rivers, home to rich mineral deposits and biodiversity hotspots. This article aims to analyse the current status of several extractive industries as well as their potential for the future. A significant portion of the study is based on secondary data. Simple percentage shares and yearly average growth rate have been used to analyse data and strengthen the argument. The results from the paper demonstrate that mining production and value have grown over time. However, the average yearly growth rate has been declining. The Gross State Value Added (GSVA) of the mining sector in Odisha has hardly increased and still lags behind the manufacturing sub-sector. Furthermore, the state’s exchequer has profited significantly from the mining sector’s performance (in terms of output, value, and income) and from its broad use of mining activities. However, employment statistics indicate that the locals in the mining region have not seen a significant increase in wealth.