Orissa is situated on the eastern belt of India. Orissa is one of the poorest states in India, with 47% of the population living below poverty line. It has a population of 36 million in 30 districts. About 87% of the population live in rural areas. Tribal people, known as adivasis, constitute 24% of the population, belonging to 62 ethnic communities. The sex ratio is 972 females per 1000 males.
Orissa has a coastline of about 450 kilometres and this makes it vulnerable to cyclonic disasters. In some regions of Orissa the rainfall is scarce, making drought and famine a common occurrence. Almost every year, more than 10 million people suffer from the effects of drought, and many face starvation.
The infant mortality rate continues to be one of the highest in India i.e. 77 per 1000 live births. Similarly the maternal mortality rate stands at 367 per 100,000 live births. The lack of doctors in primary health centres, poor supply of medicines to the remote areas, and greater physical distances of the medical institutions from the community make the health scenario dismal
The literacy rate, according to 2001 census, is 63.6% as compared to the national literacy rate of 65%. Male literacy is 75.3% and female literacy is 50.5%.
Per capita income (PCI) is Rs. 12,388 as compared to India's PCI at 20,862 in 2003-04. Despite the fact that 76% of the state's population is involved in agriculture, Orissa experiences chronic food insecurity and has been placed in the category of severely food insecure region.
In the last 50 years, huge numbers of tribal people have been displaced due to dam construction projects, the building of industrial factories and mines, and forest depletion. These developments have led to the loss of their traditional livelihood options.
