State Gazette

BHUBANESHWAR, ORISSA
Hungry Demons Exhumed
When reports of starvation deaths in Keonjhar and Kalahandi districts had first appeared in August, the Orissa government had dismissed these as the media’s wild imaginings. It had asserted that its poverty alleviation programme was on track and running smoothly.

A recent report by N.C. Saxena, a special commissioner appointed by the Supreme Court has, however, confirmed that starvation is a reality in Orissa and that the state government violated the apex court’s orders when it came to poverty alleviation. Saxena’s report is based on recent visits to the affected districts.