Ashok Gehlot led Congress government,
after the deaths of three Sahariya children due to malnutrition in Kishangan
area of the district, had launched the special food scheme in December 2012 for
the tribe. Under the scheme, each Sahariya family was distributed 2 kg of
pulses, two liters of cooking oil with 1 kg of pure ghee every month to fight
against malnutrition. The previous government had also raised the 100 job days
to 200 days for Sahariya families. But since the BJP led government came in
power in months ago, these schemes were stopped in the name of review.
As the reports of malnutrition deaths hit
the media headlines, state government ordered the resumption of the same
schemes. ‘The maximum employment for Sahariya tribal community has been
increased to 200 man days from 100 days in a year with immediate effect’, said
Baran district collector Lalit Gupta. Gupta further added the children,
pregnant women and mothers of Sahariya families of the district would again be
given double supplement food at Anganbari centers. The state government has given sanction to it
on Wednesday, he said.
Resumption of welfare schemes for
Sahariya tribe would certainly help them fight malnutrition in the district as
it did earlier, said Motilal, coordinator of Sankalp, an NGO working in the
region but added ‘lifestyle and non hygienic conditions among the Sahariya tribe
are more responsible for malnutrition among them.’
Currently about 100 children are
undergoing treatment at Malnutrition Treatment Centers (MTC) in Sahabad and
Kelvada areas of the district. Block Program Manager (BPO) Sunil Saini told 70
children in Sahabad and 30 children in Kelvada Malnutrition Centers are
undergoing treatment and added ‘over 9o percent of these children are from
Sahariya community’. Saini further told Rs.200 are given by the government to
the mothers of Sahariya children undergoing treatment at MTCs for nutrient food
at home.
Former president of ration dealer
association Rajveer Singh Yadav alleged the welfare schemes for tribal are only
a mirage for Sahariya tribal as most of their ration cards for accessing the
food and edibles from fair prize shops are mortgaged with the money lenders and
shop owners. Ashok Sharma, a teacher in
a government school in Sahariya populated area also told most of the ration
cards of the Sahariya families are either mortgaged with the fair prize shop owners
and money lenders or totally worn out.
According
to the data of recent malnutrition deaths, Rahul of Pathari village of Sahabad
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