Tags:
Journalism of Courage
DHAMANGAONGADHI, June 10: About 10,000 children from the tribal belt of Melghat have been deprived of the State Government’s supplementary diet scheme because their parents have emigrated to other places in search of jobs after the dry farming season last year.
Hundreds of poor tribal families migrate to the plains every year to seek employment usually in December when the kharif season is over. The children, aging up to six years, of these families could not get the diet under the scheme. The Health Department sources said in addition to this, children studying at 329 anganwadis are not availing of the benefit as they seldom turn up at the school.
According to government records, there are 48,000 beneficiaries under the scheme in Dharni and Chikhaldara tehsils. However, one 38,000 of them are getting supplementary diet. Most of the children among the remaining 10,000 are suffering from malnutrition, it is reported.
The government has also made arrangements to supply diet to the malnourished children who do not come to the anganwadis at their homes through the volunteers. However, as the families have left their hamlets, it has become impossible for the volunteers to trace out their whereabouts.
On the contrary, records of the Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) show that several tribals are working as labourers at various places. About 10 lakh man-days are said to be available for tribals in Melghat. In fact, they are nowhere to be seen in the belt after May.
It is also alleged that the people’s representative in the region are indifferent to the hardships being faced by the tribals. The problem of malnutrition is aggravating, thanks to their inaction.
