Raisuan: The government spends crores of rupees on nutrition supplements and welfare of children under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), but its benefits have reportedly not reached the hilly and forested Baradapal panchayat in Keonjhar block.
Scores of children were suspected to be malnourished in Digulu Sahi in the panchayat, given their poor health and weak constitution.
The remote village is beset with multiple basic problems while the administration is said to have remained apathetic towards them. Unlike other villages, Digulu Sahi, a tribal hamlet with a population of 300 has been deprived of basic facilities. Over 50 children under the age of five live in the village which doesn’t have an Anganwadi centre.
“The nearest Anganwadi is at Khuntapada, four km away from the village. It is not possible for the children to go there, trekking the forest amidst fear of wild animals,” locals lamented.
As these families are poor and do not have earning opportunities, they are unable to properly feed their children. As a result, most of them are emaciated and of weak constitution due to malnutrition.
Though all the residents are economically backward, most of them were not provided with ration cards, it was learnt.
Block development officer Adikand Behera said he would look into the Anganwadi centre issue and take steps in this regard. Meanwhile, the locals have demanded that the district administration pay heed to their basic problems.
PNN