One day it rained, so officials packed up, left them to die

The crop was ploughed back into the earth, or used to feed cattle.

As reported in The Indian Express on Friday, Baran — which would supply fodder and jobs to other areas of Rajasthan in times of distress — was faced with an unprecedented problem. Worse was to come: the commissioner awarded only 175 drought-related jobs to a sub-division with a rural population of over a lakh.

After at least seven deaths in just the village of Bilkheda Mal alone due to severe malnutrition, or starvation in ordinary language, the subdivision has been provided with 4,879 jobs.

Like the rains, the jobs came too late.

September is the month when those peddling their labour have plenty of work at hand. Crops need harvesting, fields de-weeding, and construction activity — driven by traders and rich farmers in a district totally dependent on agriculture — would pick up in the towns.

This year there was no work to be had. The first to be affected were people who didn’t have much to begin with.

Like 35-year-old Mohan, who now works at a drought-related job. He’s paid Rs 15 and a little over 9 kgs of wheat a day, the payment will be made 10 days after he has finished his work on the project. Last month, he had no work at all. ‘‘There were times when there would be no food to eat for two days together’’

There were many others like him on whom the situation took its toll. In Suans, the victims were the Sahariya tribals; in Bilkheda Mal the deaths took place among the SCs of the village, the Jatavs:

• The first to die was his elder son Rakesh, not yet two, in September while at his grandparents’ house in Tilgaon. So he’s not counted among the dead of Bilkheda Mal

• The first death in the Jatav basti was on October 5: Sadmani, 3-year-old daughter of Ramji Lal

• Usha, one-year-old daughter of Gajan Lal, died on October 8

• So did Imrat Lal, the one-year-old son of Charonji

• Mohan’s younger son Rinkesh, less than five months old, died on October 9. He was on breast milk but his mother was barely eating anything

• One-year-old Anita, daughter of Jadhon, also died on October 9

On October 10, Auxillary Nurse Midwife, Nirmalesh Rajput informed Shahabad Medical Officer Hemant Kumar Jadwariya, who visited the basti and checked up on the children.

The only person suspended as a result of the deaths, and the only person to come in for any praise from the family of the victims, Rajput says: ‘‘There were at least seven or eight children among the Jatavs who were very weak. They were badly malnourished. I prescribed medicene, told them about improving the diet and referred them to the hospital.’’

Two more children were to die, one-year-old Sanjay on October 14 and on three-year-old Rashmi on October 15, before the administration responded to a letter written to them by the Sarpanch, the ANM and gram sevak.

A medical team visited the basti soon after and at least 13 others were admitted to the Shahbad hospital with ‘severe malnutrition’.

The rest of the government schemes tell a familiar story. The Jatavs say they have no idea they could have got wheat from the patwari. Gram Sewak Somdutt Bhargav says that all five quintals of wheat to be kept with thepanchayat had been distibuted by September 30, some of it among the Jatavs.

In any case, when the deaths occurred there was no wheat with the sarpanch, even today the stock of wheat for the panchayat has not been fulfilled.

After the reports of the deaths, 75 kg of wheat was distributed among the Jatavs and each of the families affected was promised Rs 5,000, which they have not received.

The ANM was responsible for 9 villages, as was the Sarpanch, the Patwari for 13, the gram sewak for 20.

Only the ANM was visiting the basti regularly, the others claim they learnt of the deaths only on October 16, when they wrote to the administration.