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Children Die In Madhya Pradesh

By Kris Kumar

18 September, 2008
Countercurrents.org

More than 125 children have died due to malnutrition in districts of Madhya Pradesh. Particularly the affected ones are Satna, Khandwa, Shivpuri, and Sheopur districts of Madhya Pradesh in India. This is unprecendented and worst is that state denies all these deaths while social actvitists have been regularly stating that it is an emergency but no one listened. For me these deaths could have been avoided and we have lost precious lives. State and all its supporting organisations could have saved these children but they continued to ignore them.


Instead the State Government has found an innovative way to reduce poverty and malnutrition. This way has guidance of two international organizations – Asian Development Bank and UNICEF. ADB had held a workshop in Bhopal to define ways to redefine poverty and had worked out on new indicators to define this. Detailed database MPDevInfo is being developed by UNICEF in collaboration with Madhya Pradesh Planning Commission. This is a major challenge which may impact of lives of children as State reports different data on the malnutrition in children. State Women and Child Development Department reports about 47 % level of malnutrition based on Bal Sanjeevani drive which is carried out with support from UNICEF. But Central Government data based on National Family Health Survey reports malnutrition at level of 60 % in the State. Similarly State’s health department data reports very less infant and maternal deaths in the state. Now if UNICEF database uses the State Government data it will report the wrong numbers not the real numbers and with UNICEF stamp State Government will cover the reality and the deaths of children and women which is happening in the rural parts of Madhya Pradesh. The recent deaths in Satna, Shivpuri, Khandawa, Sheopur are not being reported by the State Government and if this data base also does not report State will find way to protect itself and reduce the number on paper while in reality the children will continue to die. Same in case of poverty State Government says that it wants to eliminate poverty in the next five years and it will focus on mitigating the sufferings of the poor. With support from Asian Development Bank the State Government is trying to work out new indicators of poverty and may revise the indicators. Hope this revision does not work out to decrease poverty on paper while in actual the people suffer.

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