MUMBAI, April 21: Dehydration, fever and pneumonia have taken a toll of 900 children in the tribal areas of Chandrapur, Yavatmal, Thane, Amravati, Nashik and Gadchiroli during April 1997 to December 1997. These figures were revealed to the State Legislature by Tribal Development Minister Baban Gholap in a written reply to a question by the Opposition and the Treasury bench in the Legislative Council during the question hour. Gholap, however, categorically denied that the children died of malnutrition. The minister said that about 65,619 children were found affected by malnutrition in these tribal areas.He also threw light on the steps the State had initiated to control the number of children dying of malnutrition. 1) Maintaining sufficient quota of food at all Anganwadi centres in the tribal areas. 2) Health checks at regular intervals. 3) Monitoring the weight of children ailing from malnutrition and providing them with necessary medicines. 4) Frequent visits by Anganwadi workers to impart training tomothers. 5) Provision of TCL powder to purify drinking water. 6) Medical checkups of expecting mothers and providing them food. 7) Sanctioning 132 posts of medical officers to control the infant deaths. 8) Increase in medical donation being given to rural health centres. 9) Appointment of social workers for tribal bastis.Insult to the Tricolour: Two police personnel at Bhandara are facing action for hoisting the national flag upside down on the Republic Day this year. Cultural Affairs minister Pramod Navalkar, who is also handling the Protocol Department, told this to the legislature in a written reply during the question hour.Navalkar said that a case under Prevention of Insult to National Honour Act, 1971, was registered against constable Shalikram Zanzal for hoisting the Tricolour upside down. The case was pending in the court of first class magistrate at Bhandara, Navalkar informed. For the same incident, a departmental inquiry was initiated against I A Nazir Sheikh, a sub-inspector attachedto the Bhandara police head quarters, the minister said.Sewri-Nhava flyover: The State government has forwarded the feasibility report to build a flyover connecting Sewri and Nhava, prepared by a Central experts panel, to the Mumbai Port Trust, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust for a no-objection certificate.This information was provided to the legislature by Chief Minister Manohar Joshi in a written reply during the question hour. Joshi said that the flyover would accommodate a six-lane road and a parallel two-way railway track. The length of this proposed flyover will be 22 km. The flyover will cost about Rs 2,700 crore according to the rates in 1996-97.Hike in wages: Minister for Employment Guarantee Scheme, Shobha Phadanvis, today announced that the wages given to the labourers per day working under the EGS will be increased by Rs 20 to become Rs 35. The state government had already announced that the minimum wagesgiven to farm workers, at which the wage levels are fixed, will be increased from May 1, 1998. But considering the situation in Nagpur and Aurangabad regions, the improved EGS wages will come into effect from today.Phadanvis also announced that laying of roads under the EGS will be started in 250 villages in each district of Maharashtra from this year. The minister also announced that the existing rules for starting different works in draught prone areas will be relaxed till June 30, 1998. If a tehsildar fails to provide work to someone asking for a employment under the EGS, he will have to face serious action, Phadanvis said. She also announced that the rules to complete works under EGS pending till March 31, 1993 were relaxed and the rules would apply to incomplete works till March 31, 1996.Meanwhile, the awards for best legislator and best speaker were announced today. The best legislator in the Assembly is Waman Chatap of the Swatantra Bharat Paksha and that in the Council it went to Dr Ashok Modak ofthe BJP. The best speaker award went to Arun Gujarati and Vasant Chavan (both Congress) from the Legislative Assembly and Council respectively.
