ABSTRACT
Odisha is one of the poorest states in India, though richly endowed with mineral resources. To alleviate poverty, the government of Odisha primarily relies on mineral-based industrialisation policy. In the last decade, it has speeded up the process of mineral-based industrialisation policy and has signed 89 MOUs until 2011. The government presupposes that it will create employment, generate revenue and bring overall development of all the regions and social groups, including the tribals since those industries are primarily located in the tribal belt. In this context, the chapter aims to understand, first, how these industries absorb the local tribal population and, second, the impacts of these large-scale land acquisitions (grabbing) in terms of displacement, livelihood and environmental. This chapter argues that these mineral-based industrialisation policies initiate the process of underdevelopment. It looks like the availability of mineral resources acts like a curse for those regions and its tribal population.
