Government and Governance
Orissa is governed by a Chief Minister and his cabinet. There is a one house legislature that is elected by the people. The governor of Orissa is appointed by the President of India.
There several political parties in Orissa. Biju Janata Dal is a secular party that is associated with the National Democratic Alliance. Orissa Gana Parishad was formed after Bijoy Mahapatra; a member of the Biju Janata Dal party was expelled due to corruption charges. There is a student branch to the Orissa Gana Parishad which is called Orissa Chhatra Parishad.
Nikhil Utkal Adivasi Congress is a tribal political party. They have not been very active, except to protest against the 1952 elections. Gana Abhiyan Orissa is another party in Orissa that has not been very active. Its exact status is unknown at this time.
Orissa is divided into thirty administrative districts. It holds 21 seats in Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament. In the upper house, Rajya Sabha, it holds 10 seats.
Recently, the government of Orissa has been protested against by local farmers. In October of 2006, a group of over 20,000 farmers joined hands to make a human chain that was over 18 km long. The Orissa government has established a “pro-industry” water policy that farmers say is hurting their ability to grow crops. Orissa is home to the Hirakud Dam, which the government has opened up to the factories and industrial plants. Farmers in the area claim that giving the water to the factories is causing many acres of farmlands to go without irrigation. No resolution to the problem has yet been found.
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