Keonjhar: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has requested an Action Taken Report (ATR) from the District Collector of Keonjhar regarding the alarming living standards of the rural population, who lack access to fundamental education, healthcare, employment, and essential services.

This action follows a petition by human rights advocate and Supreme Court lawyer Radhakanta Tripathy, which prompted the NHRC to address the dire conditions affecting residents in 781 villages throughout the district. Tripathy emphasized that despite Keonjhar's significant contribution to state revenue, its inhabitants remain entrenched in severe poverty. The district is rich in natural resources, including iron ore, chromite, limestone, dolomite, nickel, and granite.

Reports from the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) indicate that Keonjhar possesses approximately 2,555 million tonnes of iron ore reserves, projected to last another 60 years at the current extraction rate of 55 million tonnes per year.

In spite of this mineral wealth, the tribal population (44.5%) and Scheduled Castes (11.62%) continue to experience political, social, cultural, economic, and environmental marginalization. Tripathy argued that mining companies are profiting while displacing and neglecting these vulnerable groups.

According to a baseline survey, 94.1% of households in the area live below the poverty line, with 58.4% residing in mud houses. Although substantial development funds are allocated to the district, their poor utilization has led to widespread deprivation.

The lack of adequate road infrastructure has worsened poverty, malnutrition, and social exclusion in tribal regions. Tripathy pointed out that there are ample resources and funds available for social and economic development. If DMF funds were used effectively and distributed fairly, they could eliminate hunger, poverty, and homelessness while creating top-notch infrastructure in health, education, transport, and communication, thereby transforming the lives of people in 2,137 villages and 297 gram panchayats.

The petition suggested that if DMF funds are allocated properly, each village in Keonjhar could receive Rs5.46 crore, while each gram panchayat could obtain Rs39.34 crore.

Tripathy further criticized past state governments for exploiting mineral-rich areas like Keonjhar with a colonial mindset, extracting wealth without considering the welfare of local communities. He described this neglect as a consequence of shortsighted leadership that views politics as a means for personal gain. He urged the NHRC to conduct an urgent reassessment of the living conditions of tribal communities in Keonjhar and to investigate the role of education in enhancing these circumstances. He also proposed the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for accessibility audits to improve planning and execution processes, which could help identify infrastructure deficiencies in real-time using sensor networks and computer vision systems.

The NHRC acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations in the complaint, stating, "The commission is of the considered view that the allegations levelled in the complaint are serious violations of the human rights of the victims. Accordingly, the registry is directed to send a copy of the complaint to the District Magistrate-cum-Collector, Keonjhar, Odisha, to examine the matter and submit a report expeditiously within a period of 15 days, treating the matter as very urgent."

According to DMF Keonjhar, a total of Rs 11,684 crore has been collected cumulatively, with Rs1,731 crore collected in the 2023–24 financial year alone, compared to Rs580 crore in 2014–15. These funds are constitutionally designated for the welfare of local communities, especially those impacted by mining-related industrialization.