Pradeep Baisakh in Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India
The Expert group headed by Dr N C Saxena, which was constituted by MoRD, Government of India to suggest appropriate methodology for conducting Below Poverty Line (BPL) census, projects the poverty figure in Orissa as 84.5 percent of the total population. The state government may or may not agree with the reports of starvation deaths, farmers suicide, torture and missing of interstate migrant workers, but the fact remains that poverty and destitution in Orissa is a perennial phenomenon, out of which only a few come to light.
Padman Naik and wife Bhuje Naik of Karangmal village in Nuapada district of Orissa belong to Bhunjia community (adivasi) and somehow managed to make their ends meet. Their seven children survived from wages of daily labour. Landless with no regular work, life was very difficult, but this did not stop him from giving his six children a decent education. Except the elder daughter, who is mentally challenged, all the four daughters study at residential girls’ school and their sons (twins) go to the village school.
Padman’s death in Tuberculosis in January 2009 snatched away everything and left the family in penury and desperation. Bhuje, burdened with the responsibility of feeding her children single-handedly was losing hope while her two daughters Lally (aged 14 and studying in Class X) and Dolly (aged 13, studying in Class IX) began to work as daily labour whenever they return from hostels. Three month after husband’s death Bhuje fell ill and was diagnosed with intestinal complications. Her relatives took her to the local hospital, then to Burla hospital but finally gave up as the complications were too severe. They had already spent about Rs 10000 and are unable to afford treatment anymore.
The Naik family has got one BPL card and one Annapurna (issued in the elder daughter’s name) and so, effectively they are eligible for 25 kg rice @ 2 rupees per kg and 10 kgs of free rice per month, which is is insufficient to feed the entire family. Dolly and Lally have to not just just provide food for their siblings but also earn enough money to buy medicine for their mother.
The school authorities have done their bit by permitting the two girls to stay in home and attended the mother without missing the classes. The sisters do odd jobs and also take woek under NREGA, although it is not routine as due to non-availability, and try to earn as much as possible. Somehow all their efforts are just not sufficient.
The family is so poverty stricken that they cannot even afford to buy the 25 kg subsidised rice. “Bhuje and her children have gone hungry for some months now and if the administration does not provide immediate and adequate help, the entire family is bound to die of starvation.” expressed Sameet Panda, a Researcher from the office of the advisor to Supreme Court Commission on Right to Food.
Padman’s death had the family entitled to ex gratia of Rs 10,000 under National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS) for death of the major earning member of the family as well as the widow pension of 200 rupees per month. Nevertheless, none of the benefits ever came. The Sarpanch of the Panchayat says he was not informed of the status of Naik’s family by the ward member and the higher officials are in total darkness of the entire situation.
Sources suggest that Panchayat was well aware of the family’s plight but prefer to overlook the matter. It is after the intervention of Sameet Panda and some electronic media, did the Panchayat deliver rice under Gratuity Relief and PDS to Bhuje and her children. The Sub Collector, Gurucharan Prasad, eventually visited the family and sanctioned widow pension due and Rs 10,000 from the Red Cross fund for the Bhuje’s treatment. There were promises to release NFBS soon as well.
It must be noted that the Supreme Court in its order in October 2002 fixed the responsibility on the Chief Secretary of a State for any starvation death occurring in a state. Following the order, the Chief Secretary of Orissa wrote in November 2002 to all the Collectors stating that the responsibility of the Chief Secretary is the collective responsibility of the entire State administration of which the Collectors are the key functionaries as well.
The Naik family is lucky and their plight received the attention at right moment with social activists and media taking up the issue before the inevitable worst could happen. However, this is but one case.
There are many starvation death cases those never been brought to light and have remained completely hidden from public sight such as the case of Harihara Sahu from Bhadrak district who died on May 1, 2009 or that of Nagar Munda, a tribal person from Bhadrak District as well, whose death by starvation was reported on February 17, 2008 and also the case of Santara Nayak from Dhenkanal district who died on November 10, 2007.
These are just a few names but given the poverty estimates in the state of Orissa, there are, without doubt, very many families suffering from starvation. This being the situation, would the Chief Secretary or the Collectors ever be held responsible for these preventable deaths? Experience till date suggests that it is most unlikely.
