Abstract :
Land dispossession under the neoliberal capitalist development has become a focal point of debate
across the Indian states in recent years, particularly in Odisha. Based on primary data collected
through a household-survey conducted among the ESSAR Steel Plant and IFFCO project-affected
households in Bhutamundai? a revenue village near Paradeep Port? in 2015, this paper illuminates
the manuever of the expropriation of land by the state and the contestation of peasants with the
government. It also attempts to examine the impact of acquisition on the existing livelihood structure of
the dispossessed and their social attributes keeping the Marxian 'primitive accumulation' in focus.The study, however, shows that acquisition of agricultural land has substantially reduced the access to
cultivable land of the dispossessed faming households. The already 'taken off' projects happen to be less
labour absorptive. While the majority that lost their land partially continue the same economic activity
(cultivation) on their downsized existing landholdings in the post-acquisition stage, the completely lost
households witness a dramatic change in the livelihood structure in the post-acquisition stage. The
structural transformation in the erstwhile livelihood activities has come forth with three key
characteristics. First, in absence of land, a majority have established their footholds in non-farm
livelihood activities that included carpentry, masonry, rickshaw and trolley puller, taxi driving, security
guard and petty businesses etc. Second, a bulk of them has become proletariats who work as
construction labourers, casual workers and wage earners; and third, a section happens to be
unemployed. Despite having kept a sizeable proportion the windfall cash compensation in bank and
post office, the income inequality has surprisingly been higher among the lower quintile of the
dispossessed households. This could be attributed to their vulnerable under and unemployment
situations under the shock and stress caused by such acquisition.
Keyword :
Land Dispossession Livelihood Land Utilization Proletarianization Lifestyle Landuse