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

Grueling summer ahead: Cuttack’s alarming health trends and what they mean for Odisha

By Sudhansu R Das  The preparation to face the summer should begin early in Odisha. People in the state endure long, grueling summer months starting from mid-February and extending until the end of October. This prolonged heat adversely affects productivity, causes deaths and diseases, and impacts agriculture, tourism and the unorganized sector. The social, economic and cultural life of the state remains severely disrupted during the peak heat months.
Post a Comment
»

Stronger India–Russia partnership highlights a missed energy breakthrough

By N.S. Venkataraman*  The recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India was widely publicized across several countries and has attracted significant global attention. The warmth with which Mr. Putin was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was particularly noted, prompting policy planners worldwide to examine the implications of this cordial relationship for the global economy and political climate. India–Russia relations have stood on a strong foundation for decades and have consistently withstood geopolitical shifts. This is in marked contrast to India’s ties with the United States, which have experienced fluctuations under different U.S. administrations.
Post a Comment
»

From natural farming to fair prices: Young entrepreneurs show a new path

By Bharat Dogra   There have been frequent debates on agro-business companies not showing adequate concern for the livelihoods of small farmers. Farmers’ unions have often protested—generally with good reason—that while they do not receive fair returns despite high risks and hard work, corporate interests that merely process the crops produced by farmers earn disproportionately high profits. Hence, there is a growing demand for alternative models of agro-business development that demonstrate genuine commitment to protecting farmer livelihoods.
Post a Comment
»

The Vande Mataram debate and the politics of manufactured controversy

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  The recent Vande Mataram debate in Parliament was never meant to foster genuine dialogue. Each political party spoke past the other, addressing its own constituency, ensuring that clips went viral rather than contributing to meaningful deliberation. The objective was clear: to construct a Hindutva narrative ahead of the Bengal elections. Predictably, the Lok Sabha will likely expunge the opposition’s “controversial” remarks while retaining blatant inaccuracies voiced by ministers and ruling-party members. The BJP has mastered the art of inserting distortions into parliamentary records to provide them with a veneer of historical legitimacy.
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
»

The cost of being Indian: How inequality and market logic redefine rights

By Vikas Gupta   We, the people of India, are engaged in a daily tryst—read: struggle—for basic human rights. For the seemingly well-to-do, the wish list includes constant water supply, clean air, safe roads, punctual public transportation, and crime-free neighbourhoods. For those further down the ladder, the struggle is starker: food that fills the stomach, water that doesn’t sicken, medicines that don’t kill, houses that don’t flood, habitats at safe distances from polluted streams or garbage piles, and exploitation-free environments in the public institutions they are compelled to navigate.
Post a Comment
»

Why India must urgently strengthen its policies for an ageing population

By Bharat Dogra   A quiet but far-reaching demographic transformation is reshaping much of the world. As life expectancy rises and birth rates fall, societies are witnessing a rapid increase in the proportion of older people. This shift has profound implications for public policy, and the need to strengthen frameworks for healthy and secure ageing has never been more urgent. India is among the countries where these pressures will intensify most sharply in the coming decades.
Post a Comment
»

Thota Sitaramaiah: An internal pillar of an underground organisation

By Harsh Thakor*  Thota Sitaramaiah was regarded within his circles as an example of the many individuals whose work in various underground movements remained largely unknown to the wider public. While some leaders become visible through organisational roles or media attention, many others contribute quietly, without public recognition. Sitaramaiah was considered one such figure. He passed away on December 8, 2025, at the age of 65.
Post a Comment
»

Proposals for Babri Masjid, Ram Temple spark fears of polarisation before West Bengal polls

By A Representative   A political debate has emerged in West Bengal following recent announcements about plans for new religious structures in Murshidabad district, including a proposed mosque to be named Babri Masjid and a separate announcement by a BJP leader regarding the construction of a Ram temple in another location within Behrampur.
Post a Comment
»