Updating
Civil Society Intervention on “Child Death in Malkangiri district of Odisha”
The large-scale
child death due to hunger, malnutrition and
absence of effective health service delivery system in Malkangiri has prompted
Civil Society Groups to intervene and play an effective role to check the
disaster. Child death is not new phenomena in Malkangiri. Like other tribal districts, thousands of
tribal children are dying every year in the district after being suffered from
Malaria, dysentery, diarrhoea, stomach problem, pneumonia etc. and lack of
proper treatment in Govt. hospitals. The information obtained under RTI from the office of CDMO, Malkangiri on 3.11.12
has exposed that from 2007-08
to 2011-12, around 7400 children
have died due to contraction of
various diseases like Epilepsy,
ATI, LBW, Diarrhea, Ashthma, Fits, Burning, UND, Septicemia, Birth Asphyxia,
Fever related ailments and Boll cancer etc. The Govt. ‘s claim of child death due to outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis
disease and later on consumption of
Chakunda seed in 2016 is designed to befool
the people and suppress the fact.
As per Govt. report out of 90 cases of child death (blood sample was tested),
child death due to Japanese Encephalitis is in 30 cases only. So the reason of
death of other children is not known to Govt.
So it is proved that the child death due to JE is not properly
established by the State Govt. As per
media report, 136 children have died till 28.11.16. against 400 child death as
per non-Govt. source.
In view of child death in
Malkanagiri due to Japanese Encephalitis
in 2012, a Fact-Finding Team of Right to
Food Campaign, Odisha had visited the
district to ascertain the fact and tried
to find out the reason of child
death from non-technical point of view. The team had
come across disastrous implementation of ICDS and MDM programme,
huge corruption and irregularities in various services, denial of health
service, large number of malnourished children etc.
After reported child death in
Malkangiri in mass media, a number of steps have taken by
Civil Society Groups to study
the reason of the death of the
children, intervention of the Govt. , local situation, socio-economic condition of the tribals, consumption of food by the tribals, health delivery system, implementation of
food security programme etc. Besides
that, they have also taken number of
advocacy effort to fight it out at different level. These are
as follows.
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Date
|
Intervention
|
|
18th to 20th
Oct. 2016
|
A four-member
Fact-finding Team of Right to Food Campaign, Odisha comprising
Pradip Pradhan, State Convener, Right to Food Campaign, Odisha and Member,
Advisory Group of NHRC on Right to Food, Sri Ashok Patnaik, Advocate and RTI
Activist, Sri Bikash Dandsena, Social Activist, Malkangiri, Sri Era Padiami,
Tribal Activist, Malkangiri had made 3-day visit to the district, made
in-depth study of the situation. The Report exposed callous, insensitivity of
district administration, disastrous health system, failure of food security programme, bad
governance, denial of nutritious food to the children etc.
|
|
20.10.16
|
A Press Meet was organised in Malkangiri district headquarter and the
Fact-finding Report was shared with media.
|
|
|
|
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21.10.16
|
A Memorandum along with Fact-finding
Report was presented to the
Collector, Malkangiri
|
|
21.10.16
|
Compliant case was filed to National Human
Rights Commission, New Delhi seeking intervention of the Commission as it is
a case of denial of Right to life and food guaranteed under the
Constitution. The relief was sought
for sending special enquiry team to Malkangiri and awarding compensation of
Rs. 5 lakh to the families. NHRC has already issued notice to state Govt.
|
|
27.10.16
|
Complaint Case was filed to State Food Commission and Odisha State
Commission for Child Rights seeking their intervention to check child death
in Malkangiri.
|
|
5.11.16
|
Following the
complaint, State Food
Commission called a meeting for
discussion on child death issue
and explored the possibility of
intervention in Malkangiri
|
|
17.11.16
|
A state level
workshop was organised to debate and discuss on above mentioned issues and
finding out the scope for intervention of Civil Society in Malkangiri under
aegis of Right to Food Campaign,
Odisha and Human Rights Front, Odisha at Red Cross Bhawan, Bhubaneswar Around 80 participants including representatives of NGOs, Civil Society
Groups, retired Govt. officials, experts had participated in the discourse
and shared their views with the participants. It was decided to submit a
memorandum to Governor, Odisha and to observe black-day in Malkangiri.
|
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19.11.16
|
Civil Society
Groups presented memorandum to Governor, Odisha to exercise
his power as constitutional authority for scheduled areas to constitute judicial
commission on Child Death, review
all programme and issue direction to check child death in Malkangiri.
|
|
19.11.16
|
The Odisha High Court issued
notice to both State Govt. and
Central Govt. and Collector,
Malkangiri on Writ Petition Case No. 19919 of 2016 filed
by Sri Ashok Patnaik, advocate and RTI Activist of Malkangiri along with two tribals.
|
|
21.11.16
|
A Black-Day was observed in Malkangiri and
protest Dharana was organised
in front of Collectorate office
condemning failure of the State
Govt. to check child death and holding
district administration responsible for it.
|
Pradip Pradhan
State Convener
Right to Food Campaign, Odisha
M-9937843482
Date- 28.11.16
