INDIA: Severe hunger in eastern Uttar Pradesh State

INDIA: Starvation death, malnutrition, government corruption and inaction
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Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Social Development Foundation, Delhi, India about persistent starvation and malnutrition in villages of Sonebhadra district, eastern Uttar Pradesh. The affected villagers are all Adivasis, or tribal people, who have been involved in a land dispute with the forest department. While the case has dragged on for some ten years, and attracted the attention of local rights and development organisations, it remains unresolved and meanwhile local people are starving to death. 

The AHRC urges you to write to the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh to ensure that his government intervene and arrest the situation. 

Urgent Appeals Desk-Hunger Alert
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
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DETAILED INFORMATION:

Staff from the Social Development Foundation, Delhi visited Sonebhadra district, eastern Uttar Pradesh in August 2004 and found that despite headline attention being directed to the area after starvation deaths occurred there in 2003, severe widespread malnutrition persists throughout the region. The staff found a group of some 40 Adivasi villagers had travelled over 40kms through the monsoon on foot to the district headquarters in Robertsganj to complain about food shortages to the district magistrate. 

Most of the group work as labourers for farmers; they have either been distributed barren land by the authorities, or have been promised land but not given it. A woman villager, Kalwati, aged about 30, says, “I have a son and we live in a hut. For the last two months we have had nothing to eat. We are eating forest produce. What else can we eat?” Most of the plants the villagers take from the forest consist of roots and leaves. In photograph 1 & photograph 2, two Adivasi women at the district office display these roots and leaves, which they eat because they don’t have anything else.

The village of Raup is typical of those inhabited by Adivasis facing slow death from malnutrition. Nineteen children died of hunger there over a one-month period in 2003. After a petition on the deaths was filed to the National Human Rights Commission, it issued notices to the state government, which in response sent officials to investigate. Subsequently, the government fulfilled its obligation to ensure the food availability of the families in the village by giving each 5kgs of wheat, 2lts of kerosene, 2.5kgs of rice and 2.5kgs of potatoes. Similarly, civic groups made a number of short-term interventions. Upon visiting the village, the staff of the Social Development Foundation observed that conditions are unchanged as a result of these activities, and numerous persons are still suffering from life-threatening hunger. Photograph 3 & photograph 4 show severely malnourished children in Raup. In the event the children become sick, there are no medical facilities nearby. Photograph 5 shows a man holding the leaves that villagers eat. This man lost his two children from malnutrition-related illness last year. Photograph 6shows an old widow who has not received a pension, despite completing all the formalities to obtain one. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The area where the Adivasis are located has been the subject of lengthy and complicated land disputes, and massive corruption, involving the forestry and revenue departments, and local government officials. A Supreme Court order ten years ago instructed officials to conduct a survey into land in the region for the purposes of recognising the land rights of local Adivasi populations, but the responsible officials have dragged out the process and subjected it to various malpractices for their own advantage. Meanwhile, the plight of the villagers has attracted the interest of numerous non-governmental groups, but most have done little other than make occasional interventions and a few charitable gestures that have no long-term effect.

The public distribution system responsible for distribution of rationed articles within the country has ignored the plight of this community. In spite of having enough knowledge about severe malnutrition and deaths due to starvation the district medical officer or any officials attached to the medical services has not taken any effective steps to attend to the immediate requirement of this community.

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh to express concern over this case. A sample letter follows. 

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