Malnutrition Issue in Maharashtra: Over 51,000 Children Lost Lives In 15 Years

Malnutrition is a severe issue faced in not only in India but globally. According to a government data obtained through RTI by NGO Samarthan demonstrates the severity of malnutrition in the tribal-dominated areas of Maharashtra by revealing that 51,104 children under the age of six have lost their lives in the past 15 years from diseases brought on by a protracted shortage of nutrients.

As many as 101 crucial management and supervisory positions are empty in Palghar, the state's closest district to Mantralaya, suggesting that the government is unaware of the situation.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Zilla Parishad in the Palghar district claimed that vacant positions were filled by contractual workers. A tribal rights activist claimed that the majority of the open posts were managerial and supervisory positions, which could be filled by hiring qualified personnel.

In the coastal, urban, and mountainous areas of Thane, Raigad, Pune, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Dhuke, Jalgaon, Nandurbar, Amravati, Yavatmal, Nanded, Gondia, Gadchiroli, Nagpur, and Chandrapur, tribes are dispersed among hamlets. Tribals have a similar standard of living in these areas as the ones residing in Palghar. Low birth weight (LBW), preterm delivery, and poor nutrition continue to be problems in tribally dominant districts despite numerous government programs for employment, minimum wage, free grain, and livelihood."

Over 51,000 tribal children have died in the state over the past 15 years, according to statistics obtained through RTI from the director of the health department of the Maharashtra government. The district most severely impacted is Nandurbar, where the number of kids suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) has increased over the past three years. There were 3,939 SAM children in Nandurbar as of December 2022," said Rupesh Kir, coordinator of Samarthan, an NGO that uses government statistics to promote transparency in the budgetary process for the improvement of tribal people in Maharashtra.

According to the report in 16 tribal-dominated districts, there were 2,540 SAM children in the year 2020. In 2021 and 2022 the number rose to 2,960 and 5,327 respectively.

Prakash Nikam, president of the Zilla Parishad of the Palghar district said, "Palghar is a district that is dominated by tribal people, but more than 100 important positions have been empty for many years. How would the government connect with indigenous people living in the most isolated hamlets?"

According to several media reports, there is a shortage of medicines in rural areas. The Palghar district's hospitals are severely short on antibiotics and iron pills. The government has numerous programs to help tribal people, but due to hospital staffing and medication shortages, undernourished children are not promptly treated.

As the immunity level of these children is quite low, and they are underweight they are easily infected with many fatal diseases like pneumonia, recurring cough and cold, TB, etc. Due to their malnutrition and lack of care, indigenous children have a high mortality rate. Additionally, their mothers are malnourished too.

Bhanudas Palve, the chief executive officer of Palghar Zilla Parishad, stated, "We are filling up vacant posts with contractual staff. It is not a major problem. The three main problems that we are focusing on long-term are early marriage, many pregnancies, and low literacy rates. Tribal girls are more likely to give birth to infants with low birth weights as a result of early marriage. Additionally, most breastfeeding moms do not exclusively breastfeed their children, resulting in children growing up malnourished. Therefore, we are already working on several issues at once. Moreover, we have been running numerous programs to improve nutrition in lactating mothers' breast milk."

According to Vivek Pandit, tribal activist and head of the state-level Tribal Development Review Committee, if critical positions are not filled right away, circumstances for infants and breastfeeding women will continue to deteriorate.

"The district administration in Palghar is completely incapacitated. The Zilla Parishad administers the government's development programs. If critical positions in districts with a high tribal population remain unfilled for years, how will the government programs benefit the intended population? asked Pandit.

“How will employment-guarantee programs be put into action? Why haven't these jobs been filled yet? Contractual employment is not permitted for BDOs and ABDOs. Government officials are in charge of the district of Palghar, which is populated by tribal people. An independent contractor cannot assume this significant duty,” he further argued.