Annual Plan 2001-02 Orissa Volume-I

Abstract

Orissa, comprising 4.74 percent of India’s landmass and with 36.71 million people (2001 Census), accounts for 3.57 percent of the population of the country. the state comprises 3 revenue divisions, 148 tehsils, 314 community development blocks. 5263 gram panchayats and 51057 villages. the forest-cover, which was estimated at 43.50 percent of the total area of the State in 1971-72, has declined to 38.51% in 1981-82 and further to 37.34 percent in 1999-00. Orissa has a long coast line of 480 km along with the largest brackish water lagoon (Chilika) in Asia. Nearly 87 percent of the State’s people live in the rural areas and depend mostly on agriculture for their livelihood. the State lies on the maritime route connecting the European continent and the East Asian countries. It is situated across the sea from Myanmar, the gateway to South East Asia, one of the fastest developing regions of the world.