Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received disturbing information regarding the recent spurt in cases of starvation deaths in Odisha from a fact finding team. The team comprising of one member each from Regional Centre for Development Cooperation and the AHRC visited the Jalpankel village of Khaparakhol block, Balangir district on 25th June, 2013 to find out the facts on the alleged starvation deaths and to see the post starvation condition of the deceased family, and found the reports to be correct.
The AHRC urges the Odisha government to pull its act together so that vulnerable and destitute households are immediately identified and rehabilitated.
CASE NARRATIVE:
The AHRC has learnt that Lala Sahu (50 years), belonging to OBC category, starved to death on the night of 25 November, 2011. Originally hailing from Katapali village, Komna Block of Nuapada district, he was staying in Jalpankel (Khaliapada) village of Lathor GP, Khaparakhol Block of Balangir district for last 4 years. His mother Uma Dei, aged around 75 years and two unmarried sisters named as Sinema Sahu, aged around 35 years and Kavita Sahu aged around 32 years stayed with him.
As per the received information, Mr. Sahu used to work in a village side eatery for a meagre wage of food and Rs. 250 per month, well below the minimum wages recognised by the government With the eatery, locally known as ‘hotel’ getting closed, he lost even that job some six months ago. The development led to serious deterioration of Mr. Sahu’s health. The family has been living in abject poverty ever since and was forced into begging to eke out a mere survival. When Mr. Sahu died, there was nobody with him as the family was out to beg.
The documents with the family showed that they own 1.5 acres of agricultural and 4 decimal of residential land in Nuapada district. The family alleges that a locally dominant person of that village forcibly grabbed their lands after the death of Mr. Sahu’s father some ten years back. Currently they are staying in a thatched shade without walls on the land of one Mr. Rabi Kata. The hut has no walls and gets flooded during the rains.
The only support system the Mr. Sahu’s family had was Old Age Pension that his mother Uma Dei got from her earlier village in Nuapada District. They had been not receiving any other welfare scheme despite being entitled to that. The family had neither a ration card nor a job card under Mahatma Gandhi national Rural Employment Guarantee Act in any of the family members’ name. The family’s woes were merely further compounded by the chronic sickness of the elder sister, Sinema, rendering her incapable to work.
Despite local administration fiercely refuting the claim that Mr. Sahu died of starvation, his neighbours confirmed that he had nothing to eat for two to three days before his death. The administration, further, tried to justify their inaction by asserting that the family did not belong to their district so they could not do anything. Yet, the fact that the same administration provided the family with a number of reliefs after Mr. Sahu death speaks volumes about the veracity of their claims. The support offered to the family included them getting covered by the cooked food under Emergency Feeding Programme, provisioning of 50 kilograms of rice, polythene for roof and blankets from the gram panchayat office and monetary help. The Block Development Officer had allegedly offered even a house under Indira Avas Yojna scheme though the family is yet to receive that.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the authorities mentioned below demanding immediate intervention for ensuring food security of these destitute elderly women in the village. You may also demand an inquiry into why they are not provided with any of the relief cards and other welfare schemes they are entitled to.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear .....................,
INDIA: Welfare schemes reached a person only after he starved to death in Odisha.
Name of the victims:
1. Late Mr. Lala Sahu
2. Uma Dei, aged around 75 years
3. Sinema Sahu, aged around 35 years,
4. Kavita Sahu, aged around 32 years.
Place of incident: Jalpankel village of Lathor GP, Khaparakhol Block of Balangir district
The AHRC has learnt that Lala Sahu (50 years), belonging to OBC category, starved to death on the night of 25 November, 2011. Originally hailing from Katapali village, Komna Block of Nuapada district, he was staying in Jalpankel (Khaliapada) village of Lathor GP, Khaparakhol Block of Balangir district for last 4 years. His mother Uma Dei, aged around 75 years and two unmarried sisters named as Sinema Sahu, aged around 35 years and Kavita Sahu aged around 32 years stayed with him.
As per the received information, Mr. Sahu used to work in a village side eatery for a meagre wage of food and Rs. 250 per month, well below the minimum wages recognised by the government With the eatery, locally known as 'hotel' getting closed, he lost even that job some six months ago. The development led to serious deterioration of Mr. Sahu's health. The family has been living in abject poverty ever since and was forced into begging to eke out a mere survival. When Mr. Sahu died, there was nobody with him as the family was out to beg.
The documents with the family showed that they own 1.5 acres of agricultural and 4 decimal of residential land in Nuapada district. The family alleges that a locally dominant person of that village forcibly grabbed their lands after the death of Mr. Sahu's father some ten years back. Currently they are staying in a thatched shade without walls on the land of one Mr. Rabi Kata. The hut has no walls and gets flooded during the rains.
The only support system the Mr. Sahu's family had was Old Age Pension that his mother Uma Dei got from her earlier village in Nuapada District. They had been not receiving any other welfare scheme despite being entitled to that. The family had neither a ration card nor a job card under Mahatma Gandhi national Rural Employment Guarantee Act in any of the family members' name. The family's woes were merely further compounded by the chronic sickness of the elder sister, Sinema, rendering her incapable to work.
Despite local administration fiercely refuting the claim that Mr. Sahu died of starvation, his neighbours confirmed that he had nothing to eat for two to three days before his death. The administration, further, tried to justify their inaction by asserting that the family did not belong to their district so they could not do anything. Yet, the fact that the same administration provided the family with a number of reliefs after Mr. Sahu death speaks volumes about the veracity of their claims. The support offered to the family included them getting covered by the cooked food under Emergency Feeding Programme, provisioning of 50 kilograms of rice, polythene for roof and blankets from the gram panchayat office and monetary help. The Block Development Officer had allegedly offered even a house under Indira Avas Yojna scheme though the family is yet to receive that.
The fact that the family is suffering from abject poverty and prolonged food deprivation is irrefutable. The information also makes it clear that the deceased did not receive any medical help despite suffering from illness. The death also gives evidence for apathy of the local administration which ignored the victim because he belonged to a different district.
I, therefore, urge you to immediately intervene into this case Balangir for pulling the family back from the brink of starvation. I would request you, for the same, to
1. Ensure that the distressed family members are provided with immediate relief including medical help,
2. Ensure that the family gets covered by Antodaya Anna Yojana scheme and their entitlements are moved from Nuapada district to Balanagir,
3. Ensure that the allegations of their land having been forcibly grabbed in their former village is investigated into and the guilty are prosecuted,
4. Ensure that the family is covered by the National Family Benefit Scheme,
5. Ensure that other such vulnerable and destitute households are immediately identified and rehabilitated,
6. Ensure that there is a proper coordination of village level workers with higher level authority to prevent such tragic incidents from repeating,
7. Ensure that a thorough investigation is conducted to study the loopholes that make the needy slip through the safety nets provided by welfare schemes launched by the government.
Sincerely,
................
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Dr. Manmohan Singh
Prime Minster
Government of India
Room No. 148 B, South block, New Delhi
INDIA
Fax: +91 11 230116857; 23015603
Email: manmohan@sansad.nic.in
2. Chairperson
National Human Rights Commission
Faridkot House, Copernicus Marg
New Delhi 110001
INDIA
Fax: +91 11 2338 4863
E-mail: chairnhrc@nic.in
3. Chairperson
National Commission for Women
4, Deen Dayal Upadhayaya Marg
New Delhi-110 002
INDIA
Fax: +91 11 23236154
Email: complaintcell-ncw@nic.in
4. Naveen Patnaik
Chief Minister, Odisha
Through the office of the Principal Secretary
Home Department, Government of Orissa
Naveen Nivas, Aerodrome Road
Bhubaneswar, Odhisha
INDIA
Fax: +91 6742535100
E-mail: cmo@ori.nic.in
5. Shri Jugal Kishore Mohapatra
Chief Secretary
Orissa Secretariat
Bhubaneshwar – 751001
Odhisha
INDIA
Fax: +91 674-2536660 / +91 674 2536660
E-mail: csori@ori.nic.in
6. Shri D. Prasanth Kumar Reddy
District Collector
Office of the Collector & District Magistrate, Balangir,
PO - Balangir, Dist - Balangir, Pin- 767001
Odhisha
INDIA
Fax : 06652-233082
Email : dm-balangir@nic.in
Thank you
Hunger Alerts Programme
Right to Food Programme (foodjustice@ahrc.asia)
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)
