Gehlot’s dotcon: Plan on web, death on ground

The administration is still in denial. Says Collector Bhaskar A. Sawant: ‘‘I’m totally convinced the Suans deaths are not starvation. When we ask for names of those who died between Sept 20 and October 10, we get varied replies.’’

SDM Ashok Kumar Jain believes that ‘‘at least six (of the 12) deaths in Suans are fabricated.’’

Reason: ‘‘We checked the Anganwadi survey in March and the application for ration cards in September and found the families have not mentioned the relatives.’’ What neither mentions is the status of the records themselves (see box) and the glaring gap between the Government’s claims and reality:

1. Relief works started in scarcity areas on August 16 to provide employment to affected persons. A ceiling of 4.18 lakh labourers fixed.

• In Suans, not a single person had access to such employment till the deaths were reported. In the entire Baran district, which covers 250 villages, until the beginning of October, a ceiling of mere 500 such ‘‘labourers’’ was imposed.

After the deaths, it was raised to 9,000 with 80 in Suans. This employment is critical at a time when fields are barren and the affected Sahariya tribals, who depend on agriculture for labour, have no other means to earn money.

Take the case of Mohan Sahariya who lost his two daughters, Kalibai, 10, and three-year-old Martibai. He’s got work now on a road construction scheme. His pay: Rs 14 and 10 kg of wheat for a full day’s work. ‘‘We had nothing to eat, food was cooked once a day, two rotis which we all had to share. If I had such work then, my girls would have been alive.’’

2. Persons who are destitute, infirm and sick and unable to earn their livelihood, to get foodgrain free of cost. Five quintals of wheat kept at each Panchayat headquarter, 25 quintals at each tehsil headquarter.

• None of the families who lost their relatives knew of this scheme, none of them got any wheat. After the reports of the deaths, 5 kg of wheat was handed out to each family.

Says Sarpanch Gopal Gujjar: ‘‘We gave wheat only to those who had no one to look after them. I don’t know the names, the Patwari has a list. Not one of those whose relatives died was given wheat.’’

Neither the Patwari nor the Sarpanch visited Sauns during the month when the deaths occurred.

3. Integrated Child Development Scheme: 28.57 lakh children in the 0-6 yrs age group and pregnant mothers benefit through 35,488 Anganwadis. Mid-day Meal Programme for 70 lakh children 6-11 years old.

• The Anganwadi in the village does function though the worker is away on maternity leave. Children are given a fistful of soyabean moongri. The school, supposed to implement the mid-day scheme, provides 100 gm of boiled wheat and gur.

For two years, it has only one temporary teacher, Meena Chauhan, who is expected to take care of 80 in age from 6 to 14 and teach Classes 1 to VIII.

After the deaths were reported, the state appointed a headmaster and two teachers. They came here for a day on October 19—and have now left.

None of the families affected ever sent their children to school. Seven-year-old Rakesh has just started. He recalls the death of his brother, 18-year-old Ramchander: ‘‘All we had was Lapti (flour diluted and boiled in water). He died after complaining of stomach ache for several days.’’

4. Antyodaya Ann Yojna: Scheme launched on March 4, 2001. The poorest of the poor, 3.72 lakh families, identified and issued special cards to avail the benefit under the scheme. 25 or 35 kg wheat at Rs 2 per kg given through PDS.

• In Suans, there are only three beneficiaries under this scheme. All others who had BPL (Below Poverty Line) cards had access to ration at the rate of Rs 4.60/kg. Doji says his two-year-old daughter Chhotan died of starvation: ‘‘Yes, wheat was available but no one had the money to buy it.’’

The PDS dealership is run by the sarpanch’s nephew and they allege that even those who managed to buy ration once had their cards stamped twice.

While it’s true, as a section of the media would have it, that some tribal villagers depend on grass seeds for survival, this grass is a wild cereal called Saanva and is normally part of the Sahariya diet. What has changed is that now they are forced to depend on it exclusively in some cases.

5. Measures for prevention of water-borne diseases and food safety. Special attention to women and child health. Regular health check-up of labourers engaged on relief works by mobile doctors.

• Nearest doctor from Sauns is 32 km away on a dirt-track that passes through two river beds and is near impossible to traverse on a normal vehicle. No buses ply. The post of Auxillary Nurse Midwife at Nayagaon, 3.5 km away, is vacant for two years. So what happens when someone falls ill, ‘‘Then you die,’’ says Kishan Lal, who lost his 18-year-old son late last month.