In a country, which alone has one-third of the world's 800 million people who go to bed hungry every night, hunger no longer evokes compassion and reaction. News of hunger and starvation no longer adorns the front pages of newspapers. Politicians of all political parties, without exception, talk more about disinvestment and ministry expansion. Policy makers spend more time with industrialists and business houses, and agricultural scientists have little time for the small and marginalised farming communities. The new breed of modern scientists find it below their dignity to soil their feet. They instead prefer the cool confines of the biotechnology labs, howsoever unproductive the end result may be.
Reports of hunger and starvation deaths in Baran district of Rajasthan have shocked us. It reminds us of the colonial hangover of a Government, which even after fifty years of the country's Independence insists on not accepting or recognising their failures that have resulted in a complete breakdown of the livelihood support base for a community. Why blame the government alone, what about the policy makers, bureaucracy and the scientists? And that too at a time when food silos are bursting. We have some 65 million tonnes of foodgrains rotting in the godowns. What a shame!
The People's Union for Civil Liberties, Rajasthan along with representative organisations working in the district, mainly Sankalp and the Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti, Rajasthan and media persons undertook a fact finding mission on Oct 14-15 to study the hunger situation in the district and probe into the cause of the deaths that had been widely covered by local newspapers in the Shahbad and Kishanganj tehsil of Baran district. We bring you a report of the fact finding mission.
At the same time, we would like to ask the Government, the administration and the common citizens as to how many more deaths it would take for them to act and react? You cannot simply pass on the blame to the government. You too have role to play.
It was brought to our notice that the Sahariya tribe is the most vulnerable group in Rajasthan and the Government has not focussed on there plight. They live in a situation of chronic hunger and deprivation. Their food security is tied to the agri-forest economy. With the rainfall being less than 30 per cent of the annual average there has been a severe breakdown of their livelihood support base. They have been left to fend for themselves with hardly any State intervention coming to their rescue, hardly any employment and hardly any free grain.
We visited the villages of Mamoni (Khanda Sehrol panchayat), Gangapur Sheharana (Mundiar Panchayat), Rajpura (Rajpura panchayat ), Betha (Betha panchayat), Lal Kankri (Ganeshpura panchayat) all in Shahbad tehsil, and the villages of Bhanwargarh, Karwari kalan, Hatiyadeh and Swaans in Kishaganj tehsil.
We discovered a death toll of about 18[1] people including 12 children in these villages. Except for two, all the deaths had happened in one month's period. On our return we were informed of two more deaths and the local groups are investigating a few others[2]. According to us the aspect of death is only the tip of the iceberg as far as the situation of hunger is concerned.
How are people surviving in Shahbad and Kishenganj?
Instead of talking of death we wish to share with you how people survive. In all these places we found nothing to eat in the homes of Sahariyas except for a few hundred gram grains. In only one place in all these villages we found 15 kg of grain where the daughter had come visiting her parents after the death of her sister and had bought grain for them.
We found people consuming rotis made of sama (wild grass seeds). That produce is also now finished as the grass has dried up. In Gangapur Sheharana every household had about 20 kg sama left. People don't eat grass as it is tasty but because there is nothing to eat. Murari sahriya had lost his father Ganpat, his wife Bordi their child after eating sama on the 28-29 September. Murari's mother fell seriously ill and went into unconsciousness after consuming sama. She died on the 18th after being ill for three weeks. The administration gave no support except for a visit by the doctor. She was not hospitalised and when we told the SDM (Shabad) as to why he had not also arranged ex-gratia payment along with health support we were told that there were no ANMs (!) in the hospital.
We also found people boiling 'phang', a wild green vegetation. People boil its leaves and eat. They do this as they have nothing else to eat.
People were also eating meat of dead sheep and in some instances they reported that after eating putrefied meat people had fallen ill. Later we also learnt that several people fell ill after eating putrefied meat in Mamoni on the 17th and one person died.
If people are lucky, they get two chapatis each to eat every two days. Earlier, they would eat 6 to 8 rotis on an average for every meal each day.
We found that a family of five usually did not have more than half a kg of flour. Hence they would boil it in water to make 'lapti' (lapsi) and eat. Each family member would get one 'vatki' of cooked/boiled water.
In Lal Kankri, children, feeding mothers and older and infirm people waited with hope that the able bodied in their homes who had gone looking for work would bring either money and flour and they would get to eat. Some children had not eaten the whole day and begged us to give them rotis. Little boys and girls were left behind while mothers went to dig. In every village there was a pall of gloom.
The only silver lining in all this was the fact that the school going children availed of the mid day meal in their school. But Anganwadis were hardly working.
What were the able bodied doing
The able bodied went to the forests and commons to dig roots of a herb called 'shalavri'. These roots were brought home, peeled, dried and then sold at the rate of Rs. 5 to Rs. 6 per kg. People would thus earn a meagre amount of Rs. 5 to Rs. 6 every 2-3 days. People were also boiling and drying 'amla' and bartering it for wheat. LAMPS specially made to protect the tribals were completely absent. Apart from this, there was no other private employment.
No Government Works
Now let us look at government works in the month of October. In this connection, let us analyse the government works at Ganeshpura panchayat. That there were very few works, the Government data itself speaks. ( see note ) In Lal Kankri, the women told us that government works employing 60 people had been started at Ganeshpura, 7 Kms away from Lal Kankri. The women told us that every time they went for work at the site the labourers from Ganeshpura shooed them away. Jakori is the twin village of Ganeshpura and Kheria another village of the panchayat is two kms away from Ganeshpura. In these three villages 250 Saharia families are already living in hunger and not all of them are able to find employment at the Ganeshpura site due to the insufficient works. Then it is beyond imagination that people from Lal Kankri, a village 7 Km away can get work at Ganeshpura, as the government press note claims.
The government press note also incorrectly claims that the children of Lal Kankri went to the Anganwadi at Ganeshpura which was 2kms away. The actual distance is 7kms and none of the children were going there. According to the Supreme Court order the Anganwadis should be in the same settlement as the children's residence.
On the 14th of October evening after our visit to Lal Kankri we went and met the SDM BL Verma. It was after we communicated the situation of emergency that the old or the children would die that the SDM agreed to send a medical team and some food grains to Lal Kankri. The team went the next day on the 15th and according to the government press note 8 people were put on drip and 30 people were given grain.
We would like to ask that if the people were not on the verge of collapse then why was the drip needed. Moreover, Lal Kankri has 30 houses in all. If the administration thought that all of them should get 5 kgs of grain on Oct. 15th then it is obvious that there was no grain in these households. Next let us take the village Swaans.
No works were opened in Swaans village in Sept./Oct. The people told us that they expected works to be opened from the 16th of Oct. The fact that no works were opened here even after the Gram Sabha passed a resolution to this effect on Oct. 2, when the first time an "official" body took cognisance of the matter testifies the apathy of the panchayat, local officials and the government. Moreover, Navjyoti reported the matter on the 10th of Oct. and Sh. Vipin Chand Sharma (the secretary in charge of the district ), visited the place on the 12th , yet when we went there on the 15th , we saw no government works in existence.
We would like to ask the government who were these hundred people who got work on the relief sites, as claimed by it? The Sarpanch himself said that there were hardly any works in the month of September in Swaans. He also went on to call the sahariyas "pashu". He said sahariyas were "pashu samaan"....... na samajhte hai na poori baat batatey'". When we asked him as to when did he learn of the deaths he told us that it was on the 2nd of Oct., 2002 in the gram sabha. If the wheat had been distributed earlier (as claimed by the district administration that the patwari had distributed wheat on the 16th and 27th Sept. ) then the Sarpanch would have known. The local MLA, Hira Lal Sahariys's report also claims that no wheat was distributed earlier. It instead states that the patwari scolded them that they were lying that the deaths had happened due to hunger.
Let us also take a look at the public distribution system (PDS). Many people had ration cards since March, but the first entry shows the date of 3rd Oct, 2002 wherein the ration dealer had made a entry of 35 Kg each for the months of July, August and Sept. 2002. Actually, they should have got 105 Kgs of grain in three months. Bur they got only 35 kg (on payment of Rs. 150) and the rest of the wheat was definitely pocketed by the dealer. This was the case in all 'above poverty line' and 'below poverty line' cards. The women in the village said that it was only after the Gram Sabha on Oct. 2, when the death of 9 children was discussed, they were asked to come and take rations. They confirmed that they had paid only Rs. 250, the price of 35 Kgs. The ration dealer is the Sarpanch's nephew and the shop is in his house.
The women told us that after the death of children, the Sarpanch and Patwari distributed 5 kg of wheat, but not on 16th and 27th Sept. That records were filled by the patwari post facto is clear. The Food Inspector from the District Supply Office old us that he had discovered fraudulent ration cards which had no numbers and the BDO's signature was merely a stamp. It is clear that the Sarpanch was issuing cards on his own and diverting the quota.
The manner in which the government press note argues that all is well in Swaans village is tantamount to protecting the corrupt. Let us now come to the issue of death and malnourishment.
In Lal Kankri, we found visible malnourishment. In Swaans too we found children smaller in size for their age, taking into account the average height of Sahariya children. These children had hunger written on their face. No child looked happy. We found children mostly lying around and not moving.
All the mothers in Swaans told us that the children had died of acute stomach pain and vomiting. Stomach pain (abdominal pain) could be due to either eating poisonous, stale, wrong food items resulting in colics, indigestion and release of toxins. Malnutrition causes electrolyte imbalance which can cause abdominal spasm and vomiting. Usually, the first stage of malnourishment is not visible and it can deteriorate very fast if subjected to an illness and constant hunger. Children require double dose of protein.
To make a statement that the children did not die of malnourishment and hunger would require monitoring of children before they died. Since the Government statement itself says that the children were not taken to hospital then how can they claim that the children did not suffer from malnourishment or that they did not die due to eating poisonous wild greens. Without medically examining the bodies of the death of the children how can the doctor's team claim that children died out of pyrexia (fever) or pneumonia. If the doctors do claim that the children died of these illnesses then they ought to know that malnutrition decreases the immune system which results in the patients being open to ailments like TB, pneumonia, kidney infection which could be fatal.
We would like to bring to your notice that one third children in Rajasthan are born malnourished and by age 5 years another one third become malnourished, this adds the total to two thirds children being malnourished by age 5 years. (UNICEF data). The Government of Rajasthan, Directorate of women and child data shows only 1 per cent malnutrition amongst children at anganwadi centres while NFHS II says that 21 per cent of the children are severely malnourished and 82 per cent children under age five are anaemic. This raises doubts Government of Rajasthan data on the children. The CDPO and Lady Supervisor and RDDs who are supposed to be monitoring the growth of the children need to be cross examined.
We are particularly shocked that UNICEF which is working in Baran district and DPIP being run by Government of Rajasthan and special tribal programmes could not prevent the children from illnesses. It is time these were reviewed and recast to address this situation.
The story of five 'quintal' grains at the panchayat
The story of gratuitous relief was no different. The order of five quintal grains at every panchayat being kept at all points in time (sadev) was not observed at all. In Rajpura panchayat the up-sarpanch told us that since 15 days he was awaiting the 5 quintals of grain at his panchayat. In Munidar the Sarpanch said that the first 5 quintals (500 kgs) he had distributed and after a week two sacks had reached him the previous day. In Karvari kalan the sarpanch had also run out of grain. The order very clearly was not being adhered to. People also told us that they were told that this grain they could only take once in a month. In Hathiyadeh ( a kherwa basti ) several old people who were ill told us that they were told to come after fifteen days. However they also told us that they were being given only 3 Kgs, when we complained about this to the Sarpanch he told us that after all it was free grain and what if somebody got only three kgs. "muft cheez ka bhi koi hisaab hota hai" (who is worried about keeping record of something that comes free).
We have shared with you time and again the situation of neglect of the tribals. Sahariyas are the most neglected people among the tribals of Rajasthan. The TADA also neglects them. The Tribal Research and Training Institute (TRI )in Udaipur has not generated any fresh data on the sahriyas. The TRIs of Maharasthra and MP are in the forefront at monitoring the situation of tribals in their states.
Death toll:
[1] Swaans village: 11 children Mundiar : 2 adults & a 20-day-old child from Murari' s family (the fourth person of Mundiar died after our return) Lal Kankri : 2 men Goverdhanpura: 1 man
[2] Mamoni village : death of Remi sahariya (17th OCT ) Sirsod Kalan, (Gram panchayat : Mahoda) 14 year old Rakesh s/o Meghraj Sahariya, died after eating sama for more than twenty days. Under investigation death in bila kheda maal and dakonia (Shahabad tehsil)
[This report is based on a letter dated Oct 20 addressed to Mr Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister, Rajasthan]
Related reports:
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