Skip to main content

Odisha govt move will 'deteriorate' nutritional status of PVTG children, increase morbidity, mortality

Counterview Desk 
All India Health Rights Campaign (Rashtriy Swasthya Adhikar Abhiyan), opposing the decision of Government of Odisha to close down creches and nutritional feeding centres in Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) villages of the state, has written a letter to Antar Sing Arya, Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) demanding continuation of these centers for improvement of nutritional status of children and mother from PVTG communities. 
The Government of Odisha took the decision to shut down the creches and nutritional feeding centers running particularly for PVTG communities under the Odisha Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group Nutrition Empowerment Programme (OPNIP) with effect from 1st October 2024. The program aimed to address the nutritional issues of children and mothers by establishing creches and feeding centres in 12 districts: Angul, Deogarh, Gajapati, Ganjan, Kalahandi, Keonjhar, Malkangiri, Mayurbhanj, Nuapada, Rayagada, and Sundergarh.
Reports indicate that the Tribal Department of Government of Odisha operated 61 creches and 272 child and maternal feeding centres in the state. "This abrupt closure has left these vulnerable communities without a crucial lifeline, especially at a time when the Government of India has launched such an extensive programme for tribal welfare", said the campaign group, attached with the National Alliance of People’s Movements. 
"The nutritional status of these children will start deteriorating very soon with increased morbidity and mortality. The mothers will have to opt out of the labour force to take care of the children. The communities formed around the crèches will disperse leaving mothers without a support system. All this will seriously impact any gains made in past years and prove negative for the objectives of the Government of India’s extensive programme for tribal welfare", it added.

Text:

India has a diverse range of tribal communities comprising over 705 distinct groups. The Scheduled Tribe (ST) population is 10.45 crore, or 8.6% of the total population. There are 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) located in 15 States and Union Territories, with 13 PVTGs found in the State of Odisha. These groups include Birhor, Bonda, Chuktia Bhunjia, Didayi, Dongria-Kondh, Hill Kharia, Juang, Kutia Kondh, Lanjia Saora, Lodha, Mankirdia, Paudi Bhuyan, and Saora. They are concentrated in specific areas across 12 districts of the State, namely Kalahandi, Nuapada, Sundargarh, Deogarh, Angul, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Gajapati, and Ganjam. Seven PVTGs are located in the Eastern Ghats region of Odisha, while six PVTGs are found in the Northern Plateaus.
In the last several years there are many programmes being implemented for the PVTG communities. On October 2nd, 2024, the Government of India's Ministry of Tribal Affairs announced the Dharti Aba Janjatiya Utkarsh Abhiyan, with a budget of Rs. 79,150 crore, to address critical gaps in social infrastructure, health, education, and livelihood development across approximately 63,000 villages. The Ministry has listed the operationalization of 275 mobile medical units and 500 Aaganwadi centres as initiatives to benefit PVTG families.
According to the news published in a daily, the Government of Odisha has decided to shut down the creches and nutritional feeding centres running particularly for PVTGs communities under the Odisha Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group Nutrition Empowerment Programme (OPNIP) with effect from 1st October 2024. The program aimed to address the nutritional issues of children and mothers by establishing creches and feeding centres in 12 districts: Angul, Deogarh, Gajapati, Ganjan, Kalahandi, Keonjhar, Malkangiri, Mayurbhanj, Nuapada, Rayagada, and Sundergarh.
Media reports indicate that the Tribal Department of Government of Odisha operated 61 creches and 272 child and maternal feeding centres in Odisha. However, it is alarming to know that these centres have been closed from 30th September 2024. The closure of these centres has caused distress in these vulnerable communities, leaving their nutritional needs unmet.
This abrupt closure has left these vulnerable communities without a crucial lifeline, especially at a time when the Government of India has launched such an extensive programme for tribal welfare. The nutritional status of these children will start deteriorating very soon with increased morbidity and mortality. The mothers will have to opt out of the labour force to take care of the children. The communities formed around the crèches will disperse leaving mothers without a support system. All this will seriously impact any gains made in past years and prove negative for the objectives of the Government of India’s extensive programme for tribal welfare.
In respect of under-nutrition among Scheduled Tribes, as per National Family Health Surveys (NFHS) conducted by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Infant Mortality Rate and Under Five Mortality Rate has still above the national average.
In Odisha, 31% of children under five are stunted, 29.7% are underweight, and 24.2% are wasted
According to the NFHS-5 data, in Odisha, 31% of children under five years of age are stunted (low height for age), 29.7% are underweight (low weight for age), and 24.2% are wasted (low weight for height). The NFHS-5 notes that the level of under nutrition is higher among the ST as compared to other groups.
Only 20.4% of children aged 6-23 months receive an adequate diet in Odisha. The prevalence of anaemia in women is also high: 64.3% of all women aged between 15 and 49 are anaemic, which is higher than the national average of 57%. There is a scope for corrective action, such as immunization and managing acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea, and malnutrition.
However, ensuring adequate infant and child nutrition is the crucial measure. We must ensure that children are not undernourished, and for this supplementary feeding programme are essential, in addition to providing sustainable livelihoods to their households. As per the Food Security Act, it is the duty of the State to provide adequate food intake to children and mothers.
Some provisions have been made in the Indian Constitution that fixes the responsibility of the government to take care of the health and nutrition citizens and especially children, such as:
  • Article 21 - Right to Life.
  • Article 45 - Provision for early childhood care and education for children below the age of six years- The State shall endeavour to provide for early childhood care and education for all children until they complete the age of six year.
  • Article 47: The State shall consider raising the level of nutrition and the standard of living of its people and improving public health as its primary duties.
As the commission has taken various steps and implemented programmes for the development of the PVTGs in across the country including Odisha, we kindly urge you to take immediate action to ensure the uninterrupted continuation of this critical programme aimed at improving the nutrition of children and mothers. Your role in this matter is crucial, and we believe that your intervention can make a significant difference in the lives of these tribal communities.
---
*Signatories: Dr. Anant Phadke, Prafulla Samantra, Prof Manoranjan Mohanty, Medha Patkar, Dr Ritu Priya, Veena Satrughna, Nikunj Bhutia, Devprasad Ray, Lingaraj, Rajkumar Sinha, Suhas Kolhekar, Anil Goswami, Suresh Rathore, Meera Sanghamitra, Dr. Swathi S.B., Kailash Meena, Amulya Nidhi, Dr. G.D. Verma, Rakesh Chandore, Latika Rajput

Comments

Post a Comment

TRENDING

Mergers and privatisation: The Finance Minister’s misguided banking agenda

By Thomas Franco   The Finance Minister has once again revived talk of merging two or three large public sector banks to make them globally competitive. Reports also suggest that the government is considering appointing Managing Directors in public sector banks from the private sector. Both moves would strike at the heart of India’s public banking system . Privatisation undermines the constitutional vision of social and economic justice, and such steps could lead to irreversible damage.
Post a Comment
»

Political misfires in Bihar: Reasons behind the Opposition's self-inflicted defeat

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  The Bihar Vidhansabha Election 2025 verdict is out. I maintained deliberate silence about the growing tribe of “social media” experts and their opinions. Lately, these do not fascinate me. Anyone forming an opinion solely on the basis of these “experts” lives in a fool’s paradise. I do not watch them, nor do I follow them on Twitter. I stayed away partly because I was not certain of a MahaGathbandhan victory, even though I wanted it. But my personal preference is not the issue here. The parties disappointed.
Post a Comment
»

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah  Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".
51 comments
»

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...
Post a Comment
»

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...
Post a Comment
»

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...
Post a Comment
»

Only one Indian national park rated ‘good’ by IUCN: Concerns over ecological governance

By A Representative   Environmental policy expert Shankar Sharma has written to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and its affiliated institutions, expressing grave concern over India’s deteriorating ecological health. Citing the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s latest global review, which found that only Khangchendzonga National Park received a “Good” rating among 107 national parks, Sharma warned that the findings reveal a “serious concern for the overall health of the country’s flora, fauna, and environment.”
Post a Comment
»

Whither GIFT City push? Housing supply soars in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, not Ahmedabad

By Rajiv Shah    A new report by a firm describing itself as a "digital real estate transaction and advisory platform," Proptiger , states that the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) has been the largest contributor to housing units among India's top eight cities currently experiencing a real estate boom. Accounting for 26.9% of all new launches, it is followed by Pune with 18.7% and Hyderabad with 13.6%. These three cities collectively represented 59.2% of the new inventory introduced during the third quarter (July to September 2025), which is the focus of the report’s analysis. 
Post a Comment
»

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor*  This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.
Post a Comment
»