‘Act before the third Covid-19 wave wipes out our next generation kids’

Tribals in Palghar are having to deal with not just the second wave of Covid19 but also malnutrition among children Food schemes meant for children are suspended in some villages There is no sign of the direct bank transfers DBT of Rs 2000 promised by the State This even as there are hundreds of malnourished kids across the district Vivek Pandit chairman of a governmentappointed committee to check the status of tribal schemes warned that the anticipated third Covid19 wave endangers the next generation of tribal children who wonrsquot be able to fight the virusKartik has a handicap in his legs and comes in the moderate acute malnutrition category PicsHanif PatelThe state government must focus on boosting the immunity of tribal children Otherwise the third wave will be disastrous for tribal kids The government must take preventive measures on timerdquo Pandit told middayIn July 2020 too midday had highlighted the acute food shortage among tribals in Palghar Since then it appears that the government has learnt no lessons in improving tribal childrenrsquos dietAlso Read Maharashtra Tribal belt battles an unknown killerDuring a spot visit in Jawhar taluka midday visited Chauthyachiwadi village and found three malnourished children in the village The height of twoyearold Khushi Datta Dumada is 70 cm and she weighs 720 kgThe incharge of Vitthu Maoli Charitable Trust in Jawhar where malnourished children and their mothers are treated free of cost Sita Ghatal said ldquoShe falls under the SAM severe acute malnutrition category of malnutritionrdquoNo food supply to AnganwadiKhushirsquos 18monthold cousin Suhani Hanumant Dumada and her neighbour Kartik Mangesh Sapta five years and two months old fall under the MAM moderate acute malnutrition categoryKartik Sapta with his brother Khushi Dumada with her mother and Suhani Dumada with her grandmother at the Anganwadi centre in Chauthyachiwadi village Jawhar talukaKartik is handicapped and canrsquot stand properly his height is 792 cmldquoThis is just one Anganwadi There are multiple Anganwadis in one taluka and malnutrition among children is alarmingrdquo said Ghatal adding ldquoThe nutritional food for tribals children aged seven months old to three years old has not been distributed since February in this villagerdquoThe childrenrsquos parents have been jobless amid the pandemicldquoWe have learnt that the ration has reached the district but it has not been distributed We are checking the mistake at the ground levelrdquo Pandit told middayDeputy Chief Executive Officer CEO Pravin Bhavasar of Integrated Child Development Scheme ICDS told midday that till April a total of 1660 children are malnourished under the MAM category and 142 children are in the SAM category in Palghar districtAfter 600 children died of malnutrition in Palghar in 2016 the Shramjeevi Sangthana had carried out a massive agitation The state government had then started the Amrut Ahar Yojana to provide tribals with nutritional foodldquoUnder this yojana each family would get 16 eggs from the state government and the Palghar Zila Parishad promised to give four eggs So in total one family would get 20 eggs per month This scheme was really very beneficial as eggs provide muchneeded proteinrdquo Pandit saidldquoBut the Zila Parishad stopped giving their share of the eggs in April 2020 citing a fund crisis So each family is now entitled to 16 eggs per monthrdquo Pandit saidldquoEarlier pregnant women and lactating mothers would get readytoeat food but they have now been asked to collect Take Home Ration THR But there is no guarantee that the women are getting the THRrdquo Pandit addedSavitra Dumada an Anganwadi workerAccording to data received from the ICDS from April 2020 to March 2021 296 children have died in tribaldominated areas of Palghar district Pandit said ldquoWhile there are various immediate causes of death what led to these causes is malnutrition mdash among children and among their mothers It would not be shameful to admit that these children have died of malnutrition Rather it is shameful that the reality of their malnutrition is being deniedrdquoWhere are the DBTsldquoAbove all the state government had promised the Bombay High Court on May 15 last year to properly execute the Khavti scheme in tribaldominated districts in Maharashtra Earlier the state government had announced a direct bank transfer DBT of Rs 4000 to each tribal family But it was reduced to Rs 2000rdquo Pandit said Last month the Uddhav Thackerayled government announced that it would disburse Rs 231 crore among tribal families under the scheme ldquoNo DBT has been made to any tribal family till daterdquo Pandit saidCalls and messages to Tribal Development Commissioner Hiralal Sonawane to know the reason behind the delay in disbursal of DBTs went unansweredHe added ldquoIt is not just children pregnant women and lactating mothers who are struggling Whole families are facing starvationrdquoldquoConsidering the anticipated third Covid19 wave which is likely to affect children we must boost their immunity It would be possible only if the kids are given nutritious food and a balanced diet If they are fed only rice they are bound to get malnourishedrdquo Pandit saidldquoWe are making tribals and their children vulnerable Without a strong immunity it would be impossible to save themrdquo Pandit saidThe Anganwadi centre in Chauthyachiwadi village has not received nutritious food meant for children since Feb this yearPandit said that the government should immediately disburse DBTs to tribal families ldquoThe government reduced the DBT amount from Rs 4000 to Rs 2000 What is the reason for a delay nowrdquo Pandit said He further said that apart from giving nutritious immunityboosting food to women and children they must also be given multivitaminsDeworm kids on war footingPandit added that most tribal children suffer from intestinal worms which directly affects their health The worms make children anaemic ldquoDeworming among children is essential There must be a campaign by the state government to fight it Intestinal worms can further hamper the fight against malnutrition Not dealing with this would be jeopardising the next generation of tribals They are in danger of being engulfed by the pandemicrdquo Pandit saidPandit also pointed out that there are no paediatric hospitals or doctors in the talukas ldquoWhere will these tribal families go if we do not keep them protectedrdquo Pandit saidPandit himself has planned a paediatric Covid19 centre at Usgaon in Virar east ldquoWe will start it by the end of this weekrdquo he said1660No of children under moderate acute malnutrition in PalgharRs 2000Monthly DBT promised by State to each tribal family under the Khavti scheme