Paudi Bhuyan children face terrible malnutrition: Report

--‘ICDS programme fails to reach for tribals’

BHUBANESWAR: As many as 200 children from Paudi Bhuyan primitive tribal group living at 22 villages under Lahunipada block in Sundergarh district were suffering from malnutrition, exposed a fact-finding report of the Right to Food Campaign (Odisha) here on Friday.

A three-member team led by Campaign’s State convener Pradeep Pradhan had visited several tribal villages under the block and found that the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme failed to address the malnutrition problem of the tribal children. The primitive tribes are yet to get the benefit of several Government projects, the team members said.

As per demographic profile of 2007 prepared by the State Government, the total population of the Paudi Bhuyan tribe is 3,914 who are coming under BPL category.

According to the fact-finding report, due to lack of acute shortage of food, medical facilities and proper implementation of the Government project, hundreds of children of the community are facing malnutrition and they look like the children of drought affected Somalia, the team members alleged.

The team members presented a data surveyed by a local NGO, Jivan Vikas, which revealed that 195 children born between December 6, 2009 and December 6, 2012 were suffering from malnutrition. Terrible situation of malnutrition of the children was found easily visible from their body posture, physical condition and thin figure.

The team members said the Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) were distributing rotten and unhealthy Chhatua to the tribal children. Even the AWCs were not distributing two packets (3 kg each packet) prescribed by the ICDS guideline. Chhatua was found tasteless and the stock was very old, while the packets didn’t carry name of the manufacturer and date of manufacturing, exposed the team.

The report said that both the Primary Health Centre (PHC) and the Community Health Centre (CHC) have failed to address the problem. The PHC does not have fund and infrastructural support or medicine for making special drive to treat the malnourished children. Though the doctor is aware about the situation, he is seen helpless to address it without resources, the report added.

Similarly, the CHC could not make proper treatment of malnourished children due to lack of resources. The doctors could not prescribe costly medicine which is required for malnourished children. Because the Government has restricted expenditure upto Rs 200 for giving medicine to the patients free of cost and for which the malnourished children continue to suffer and die, the report revealed.

The team suggested that the Government should engage an independent monitoring team which would make visit to these tribal areas to inquire into implementation of various programmes and submit the report. The Government should take action accordingly, so that such situation would not aggravate further, the team said.