ORISSA DEATHS
NOT DUE TO STARVATION: ENQUIRY REPORT
According to the
findings of the Team deputed by the Ministry of Food for enquiring
into the reported starvation deaths in Orissa, the deaths occurred
not due to starvation. The Government of India had deputed the
four member team to Orissa on 1st September, 2002 to
enquire into the causes of deaths reported in the media as starvation
deaths and to assess the working of Public Distribution System
in these areas. The team had close interaction with some of the
family members of the deceased in Rayagada and Keonjhar Districts
of Orissa besides the neighbours and surpunch of the respective
Gram Panchayats.
As regards the death
of the 35 year old Triveni Pidikaka of Gajakupalli village, from
the factual information as gathered from the family of the deceased,
it is learnt that the death might have been due to prolonged illness(malarial
fever) and not because of starvation. The circumstantial evidence
and the statements of the family members regarding the deaths
of two children of Kuladera village of Keonjhar District, also
indicate that the deaths were not due to starvation. The family
had drawn 26 kgs. of rice from the Fare Price Shops(FPS) during
August, 2002(16 kg. against July quota and 10 kg. against August
quota).
The Antyodaya Anna
Yojana(AAY) was launched in Rayagada District in September, 2001
under which the identified families are supplied 35 kgs. of foodgrains
@ Rs. 2/- per kg. wheat and Rs. 3/- per kg. rice. The PDS in the
KBK districts of which Rayagada is a part is run through Gram
Panchayats. Adequate quantity of foodgrains of Fair Average Quality
were found available at the FPSs by the enquiry team. But the
major shortcoming noticed by the team was the practice of mortgaging
of ration cards by poor families for borrowing money from village
money lenders and thereby denying themselves access to the subsidised
foodgrains supplied under PDS. It was also found that the Government
of Orissa is yet to increase the scale of issue of foodgrains
upto 35 kg. per family per month.
The Government of
Orissa has been advised to look into these shortcomings in the
PDS at the earliest and take appropriate measures to eliminate
any exploitation of the poor families and misuse of the PDS. The
State Government has since been intimated that requisite steps
are being taken at their end.
