77 babies die of hunger every day in Maharashtra

According to the Maharashtra government's own figures, 18,486 children in the age group of 0-6 years have died of malnutrition this year alone (Jan-August 2011). The figure is quite high, say health ministry sources. In 2010, 12,792 children had died of hunger and malnutrition during the same period. But this year, 5,694 more babies than last year have starved to death. Most of the dead babies are adivasi children. The maximum deaths have occurred in the five districts with large adivasi populations.

Every government department DNA spoke to passed the buck to some other department. Maharashtra's tribal welfare commissioner Vikas Thakur said, "Once we release funds to the health, revenue, and education ministries for various schemes, it is their lookout. The local collectorates and zilla parishads should coordinate to ensure everything works on the ground. Ask them what they are doing." The state health minister Suresh Shetty washed his hands off the whole issue, saying, "This is completely under the women & child welfare ministry. My ministry has nothing to do with it."

Women & child welfare minister Varsha Gaikwad too wanted to wriggle out of it, claiming that tribal welfare, health, social justice, and public health ministries were responsible. When asked what her ministry, which is the nodal agency for tribal welfare, was doing, she said, "We conduct periodic workshops so that malnutrition is better understood." She then went on to talk about her ministry's new Kuposhan Mukt Gaon (malnutrition-free village) scheme, to be launched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on October 1 in Mumbai.

But it is doubtful whether it will bring any succour to Pratap Shankar Mundola or his wife Jani in Shahpur tehsil of rural Thane. Last monsoon, their four-year-old daughter Ujwala starved to death. This year, already, their four-year-old son, Nivrutti, and six-month-old daughter Pinti have been diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Their condition is so serious that they have been brought to the Takipathar primary healthcare centre (PHC). "We are very worried. He can't even walk and has to be carried," says Mundola of his son, who weighs only 10 kg instead of the 16 he should.

But Pinti and the Nivrutti aren't the only ones starving in their Thakar (an adivasi tribe) village. The anganwadi (government-run mother & child care centre) register of the village (which has a population of 300) shows that nearly 27 children in the 0-6 age group suffer from malnutrition.

In what is perhaps the most damning indictment of the administration, even the children of anganwadi workers are not exempt from the scourge of hunger. In the Thakar village, among the 13 babies in critical condition that have been brought to the PHC for a check-up is 11-month-old Karan Kishore Ughde. Karan is the only child of anganwadi worker Pramila, and weighs only 6.5 kg when he should be 10kg. 

This story repeats itself in the Korku (an adivasi tribe) villages of Churni, Vairat, Pastalai, Memena, Bori, Gullarghat, Dhargad, Kelpani, Dolar, Dhakna, Rora, Adhao, Koha, Kund, Pili, Mangia, Semadoh, Raipur, Makhla, Madizadap, Chopan and Malur in Amravati district, where malnutrition figures show that the clock has turned back to the mid-nineties.

Doctor and health activist Dr Ravindra Kolhe, who has worked with the adivasis for nearly 30 years, told DNA, "In 2006, the state's Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), which used to be 200 per 1000 children, came down to 40 per 1000 children. But instead of reducing further, it has now gone up to 66." According to him, this is a direct outcome of the pathetic state of the service delivery systems. "Instead of strengthening our health infrastructure, like the PHCs and rural hospitals, the government plans to hand them over to NGOs of its choice. This kind of abdication of social responsibility of the state is why we are in such a mess."

Kumar Nilendu of Child Rights and You (CRY) echoes Dr Kolhe. "The Supreme Court has directed that anganwadis be opened wherever demanded but Maharashtra, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh lag behind other states. Even where they have been opened, they are ill-equipped and understaffed. The government should tackle this, and address issues like why marginalised communities have poor access to resources and hence nutrition. Unless that is done we are staring at a problem that is set to grow." 

Five worst hit districts
Place MAM (Moderately Acute Malnutrition) / (SAM) Severely Acute Malnutrition / Dead (Babies killed by malnutrition)
 
Nashik: 10,342/ 7,543/ 892
Nandurbar: 12,312/ 9,854/ 681
Amravati: 10,013/8,543/ 693
Thane: 9,974/6,543/ 323
Bhandara: 8,764/ 7,342/ 572

p_yogesh@dnaindia.net