Kalinganagar: Jajpur district still paints a picture of neglect with fresh cases of malnutrition being reported from Ghati Sahi village under Ranagundi panchayat of Danagadi block in the district. The incident surfaced years after the non-descript Nagada villages hogged the headlines in 2016 following the death of over 20 children due to malnutrition. This has been reported by the family of Banku Hembram, a casual labourer in the village. Banku’s family consists of his wife Tulasi Hembram and nine children. Among the nine children, seven are daughters and the rest two are sons.
However, with meager earnings, Banku finds it difficult to meet his family’s expenses. The family manages to get food to eat only in the first half of the day while the next half is spent in hunger. Sources said one of his sons died a few days back. Now, two of his daughters, Kuni Hembram and Shanti Hembram, have been rendered bedridden as a result of severe malnutrition.
Banku has only a ration card in his name as government assistance but he never gets any ration through the card. The two girls are unable to walk or sit by themselves and their condition is deteriorating now. This has pushed Banku into distress as he ponders over a bleak future that lies ahead. The family survives by eating watered rice and salt, reports said. When contacted, district child protection officer (DCPO) Sarat Chandra Behera said that he will make arrangements to send the affected children to a nutritional rehabilitation centre.
On being informed, Jajpur Collector Chakravarti Singh Rathore directed the DCPO to admit the two children to nutritional rehabilitation centre. A team sent by DCPO held talks with Danagadi CDPO Debaki Patra, visited Banku’s house, and admitted his five other children to Ama Ghara Child Care Centre in Sukinda. Medical officer Jyoti Ranjan Moharana of Danagadi community health centre (CHC) said that medical teams have met Banku at his house several times but every time he denied to send his children to the nutritional rehabilitation centre.