Unfortunately forcible land acquisition is taking place when the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011 is being debated in the Parliament.

The State Chief Minister has been highly critical P Chidambaram’s Union Budget saying that it would not solve Odisha’s food security problems. But the Chief Minister should realize that he himself is creating a great in endangering food security in his State by forcibly snatching prime farmlands and gifting to a multi-national corporation. His talks of food security are a hoax. His so-called compassion for farmers is like shedding crocodile tears.

It is a paradox, when the State Government has come out with a separate Agriculture Budget for boosting agriculture in the State, it is engaged in forceful acquisition of prime farmlands at cheap prices on behalf of a multi-national corporation.

Braving brutal police force, hundreds of women of all age groups from Govindpur and Dhinkia villages locked up in a bitter battle with the State Government for the Posco Steel Project, while the world celebrated International Women’s Day.

It a shame for the State Government that the women entered a prohibited area in Gobindpur village and made a semi-nude protest by taking off their clothes. This caused an uproar in the Odisha Assembly and the Naveen Government found no other way to defend itsely, but by saying that the agitation was instigated by left parties, Samajwadi Party and NGOs.

Children from farmers’ families also came out in large number in protest.

Posco has proposed to set up a 12 million tonne per annum steel plant at the site Govindpur-Dhinka, about 120 km from the port township of Paradeep. Posco’s plant is slated to have the largest foreign direct investment (FDI) in India so far.

The Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has passed on the buck to the District Collector for acquisition of land. According to local administration about 2,000 acre of land have been acquired in the area in 2011 and about 300 acre in the recent months. About 700 more acre of land need to be acquired for the project. The State Government has set up a police camp at Gobindpur to help in acquiring land for the steel project.

Resentment against forcible land acquisition has been so intense that it unfortunately led to a crude bomb blast – an undesirable incident. This caused the Opposition to demand for an impartial probe.

In an attempt to patronize crony capitalism, Naveen Patnaik has cast a blind eye to illegal mining in the State with scant regard to environment and ecology.

Justice MB Shah Commission, probing illegal mining activities in Odisha, has asked the State Government and the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests to clear their positions relating to mineral exploration within 10 km radius of wildlife sanctuaries.

According to the State Government there are about nine iron ore and manganese mines and 21 mineral reserves within 10 km radius of wildlife sanctuaries.

It is not just atrocities on woment at Posco site alone, Odisha witnessed virtual breakdown of law and order situation under Naveen’s regime leading to insecurity among women folk. Number of child rape cases in the state increased to 1,458 in 2012 from 1,112 in 2011. Incidences of gangrape are also on the rise. It increased to 80 in 2012 from 73 in the previous year. Child rape cases were reported in 30 out of 36 police districts in the state. Incidences of child rape also went unabated in the current year with at least 115 cases registered till the middle of March.

High profile dowry tortures cases have exposed Naveen Government’s ineffectiveness in dealing with crime against women. The Chief Minister was placed in an embarrassing situation with the involvement of a senior member of his party and Law Urban Development and Information Technology Minister Raghunath Mohanty’s alleged involvement in a dowry torture case. Mohanty after being forced to resign remained incommunicado avoiding mediapersons.

The 1987-batch IPS officer Gopabandhu Mallick was shifted out of Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) on being allegedly involved in a dowry torture. Mallick was, however, not suspended pending inquiry, but was posted as Additional Director General of Police (Communication).

Reported crimes against women caused ruckus in the State Assembly and the Chief Minister had to the pass on the buck by terming the crime against women “a nationwide phenomena”

'The Nirbhaya case in Delhi only goes to show the level to which such cases have grown in our country. This is a nationwide phenomenon and we must rise above party lines to condemn this and take the strongest possible steps to prevent and punish such depraved acts,' Naveen told the Assembly replying to the concern of opposition Congress and BJP members over increasing crimes against women in the state.

In view of the abnormal rise in crime against women, the opposition Congress, however, dubbed Odisha as “a sanctuary” of criminals.

Citing a particular case which had the alleged negligence of the police, the Congress leader of the Opposition, Bhupinder Singh said : 'In case of Gandia rape and murder case, we blame the local police as the victim was kidnapped in the same day and rescued by the villagers. She was later in the night raped and set on fire by criminals,'

The treasury bench members, however, defended the Government by blaming it on the liberal economy. 'The crimes including rapes are on rise everywhere in the country due to liberalised economy. Odisha is not an exception,' said the BJD chief whip Pravat Tripathy.

The local BJD MLA Nabin Nanda clarified the police arrested one of the two accused persons before the family members of the victim filed FIR at Gandia police station.

Crimes against dalits have assumed an astronomical figure. 'Of 11,410 crimes against dalits in three years comprising 2009, 2010 and 2011, the Congress party chief whip Prasad Harichandan said and added: 'conviction has been made only in nine cases so far'. As the criminals go scot free, the rate of crimes increases in the state, he pointed out.

The State Health and Family Welfare Minister Damodar Rout has been pulled up by the National Commission for Scheduled Caste (NCSC) Chairman PL Punia for his alleged remarks.

The Odisha Government is yet to book the absconding convict of the German woman rape case, Bitti Mohanty, son of former DG of Police, BB Mohanty. The mysterious death of the 32-year old woman judicial officer, Anupama Behera in her official residence at Rajabagicha in Balasore raises concerns about the safety of women placed in top ranks. Recent open revolt by homeguards in uniform and 104 incidents of Maoist violence resulting in death of 19 security personnel and 25 civilians last year has exposed the fragile law and order situation in the state. The State Government has been able to eliminate Maoist leader Pradip Majhi, but has not been able to apprehend his mentor Sabyasachi Panda. But there are reports of Maoists regrouping on Odisha-Jharkhand border which may spell headache for Naveen Government.

It is high time that the State Government stop forceful land acquisition from farmers, concentrate on food security and take steps to improve livelihood of farmers and ensure gender security.