But with elections due later this year, malnutrition deaths are suddenly a hot topic. The Opposition Sena-bjp has taken little time in launching their tirade against the government. Their take: the high incidence is due to the present government’s discontinuation of the Nav Sanjeevani Yojana that the Sena-bjp government had started in 1995. On their part, the Congress and ncp say malnutrition deaths had marked each year of the Sena-bjp regime too. Still, the Opposition is primed to embarrass the government for "having the blood of thousands of children on its hands". For now, the Bombay HC has stepped in suo motu, directing the state government to double its tribal welfare spending from the present Rs 530 crore and establish a coordinated mechanism to tackle the issue. Mere funds or medical help or ngo presence is not enough though. The National Family Health Survey says 83 per cent of the state’s tribal children are undernourished. But short of denying the problem and later instituting a "high-level inquiry", CM Sushilkumar Shinde has done little.
by Smruti Koppikar
