All great famines have produced serious consequences in the social, economic and political spheres. Unavailability of food coupled with ‘shifting exchange entitlements’ or loss of purchasing capacity, of a vast magnitude population are bound to affect society as a whole. In fact, the role of food in the history of humanity determines the nature of the cultural processes in the development of ethnic and regional identity. In Orissa, after the famine was officially declared over in November 1866, new social groups had emerged in the region. Chhatrakhia was the most conspicuous among them. As mentioned earlier, these were the people who ate in the public relief centres and were regarded as outcastes by the other caste groups. It is important to note that the colonial regime had no systematic famine relief policy giving guidelines for administering relief.