TRIBAL WOMEN AND ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT IN INDIA A STUDY OF KASHIPUR BLOCK OF ODISHA Iswar Chandra Naik Abstract The Tribal women ofKashipur block said that, "even if we don't have our own land, we have the option of Podu or shifting cultivation, the green forests will give us roots, mangoes, mahua, sal leaves, flowers and seeds, hill brooms and firewood" . Against this backdrop the study seeks to analyze the leadership of the women in protecting the nahnal resources revolving around the loss of livelihood and displacement which lead to poverty, starvation and diarrhoea deaths in Kashipur block of Rayagada District in Odisha . Peoples' protests against the establishment of mining industry in Kashipur block seek to protect Jal, Jamin and Jangal (water, land and forests) . All these natural resources are the only sources of their livelihood; meanwhile, it also looks at the extent to which people are losing their basic rights to traditional livelihood resources due to the process of industrialization and development. I Introduction The discussion and debate on the Dal Scam, Mining Scam, MGNREGA Scam and all the controversial industrial projects including Pasco in Jagatsinghpur, Kashipur, Kalinganagar and Vedanta in Niyamgiri, are not confined to within the state of Odisha only. These controversial issues of Odisha have become a referral point in all the debates and discussions in other parts of India. The political and social activists of India during their discussions and debates with regard to their respective states on the current issues are referring the various issues of Odisha as clear examples of atrocities on the Dalits, Tribals, women and the marginalized class. Odisha is a land which has rich natural resources like forests, rivers, land and minerals. It is also the home of large number of indigenous people from time Voice of Dalit Vol. 5, No. 2, 2012, pages 153-161 © MD Publications Pvt Ltd Corresponding Author Email : iswar.jnu@gmail.com