Nuapada: Although the government is pouring crores into villages under various tribal development schemes, many villages in the forests of Sadar block in Nuapada are facing neglect on all fronts. Anganwadi centres are constructed in villages and tribal pockets with the sole aim of improving the living conditions of the underprivileged.
However, the future of many children seems to be dark, thanks to the indifferent attitude of officials. A case in point is the tribal village of Maraguda under Sadar block in Nuapada district.
Deprived of nutritious food as many as 20 minor children in the village are seen eating tubers and fruits from forests due to lack of an Anganwadi centre in the village. While the condition of the children is heart wrenching, the plight of pregnant woman is unbearable, locals said.
Populated by 22 tribal families, the village is just 20 km away from Sadar block. One has to trek 15 km of dense forests to reach the village surrounded by forests on three sides and a huge dam on the other side.
The tribals depend on forest produce for a living. They also catch fishes from the dam. The children have to walk 7 km through forests and swim across a canal to reach school.
However, the absence of an Anganwadi centre in the village has deprived the children of nutritious food. Even after repeated demands by tribals, the inaccessible road to the village has stood as an obstacle for the construction of a school and an Anganwadi centre.
Pregnant women and newborns are deprived of immunization, as no government official wants to trek to the village. Throughout the year children consume rice and dal, a local said, complaining that no one has paid heed to their children’s plight.
We are forced to feed our children with tubers and fruits from forests, he added. Even after 70 years we have not tasted independence and development, he said. If a village just 20 km away from the district HQ is in this condition, imagine the plight of villages located in interior areas, locals said.
They wanted the district collector to intervene and set right things. PNN
