Bhubaneswar, March 31: A large number of households in the state do not have television sets despite the state witnessing a robust economic growth of around 8.49 per cent in the last decade. Using four-wheelers continues to be a luxury that only a small percentage of people enjoy.

However, when it comes to the telecom revolution, the state appears to be surging forward with the others. It’s an irony that while 39.8 per cent of households uses landline and mobile telephones, only 22 per cent have latrine facilities where they live. This is according to a census report on household survey pertaining to the 2011 census, which was released here today.

With the boom in information technology, it is but natural that households using television sets outnumber people depending on radio and transistor sets for information.

The case of landline owners vis-à-vis mobile telephone users is similar. The latter is growing at a faster pace.

Yet, the state lags behind when it comes to the use of television sets. Nearly 73.3 per cent households do not own television sets. Khurda district, of which the capital city is a part, tops the list of households with televisions. While this number is 51.8 per cent in Khurda, it is followed by 43 per cent in the industrial township of Jharsuguda and 41.8 per cent in Cuttack.

Of the 97 lakh people surveyed, only 5.1 per cent households have computers and laptops at home. When it comes to accessing the Internet, the figure is a little over one per cent.

In 2001, 85.1 per cent households did not have latrines. This number came down to 78 per cent in 2011. In urban areas, water closet latrines are being used by 56.5 per cent people whereas 35.2 per cent have no latrines. In Cuttack, 71.7 per cent of households use water closet latrines whereas in Sonepur, only 35 per cent people use this facility.

In the state that is known for its poverty and backwardness, 25.5 per cent of households do not have any of the 13 items surveyed.

These items include radio, transistor, television, Internet connection, landline telephone, mobile phone, bicycle, two-wheeler and four-wheeler.

When it comes to travel, the bicycle continues to be the preferred mode of transport. Sixty-one per cent of people use bicycles and 14.5 per cent use two-wheelers. Only 1.8 per cent households own a car, a jeep or a van.

On the energy front, 43 per cent households depend on electricity and 55.3 per cent people depend on kerosene for light. In rural areas, use of electricity in households has increased from 18.8 per cent to 35.56 per cent in the last decade. In urban areas, the use of electricity has increased from 71.9 per cent to 83.1 per cent. In the state, 65 per cent of the households use firewood as fuel for cooking.

In the state, 77.4 per cent people use tap, tube-well and covered well as the main source of drinking water. In rural areas, 38.54 per cent people collect drinking water from a distance of 500 metres or more.

The survey said that nearly 27 per cent households do not have proper kitchens. The highest number of (78.7 per cent) households has kitchens in Gajapati district and the lowest in Mayurbhanj.

Between 2001 and 2011, the number of households in the state has increased from 98.73 lakh to 127.59 lakh. Nearly 80 per cent of the households do not have drainage facilities.