The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has been informed that ex-gratia amount to the tune of Rs 4 lakh is paid to the family members of the deceased victims of snakebites and anti-snake venom (ASV) is in adequate stock in the District Headquarters Hospitals to cure poison of snakebite.
Disposing a petition filed by lawyer and rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy, the NHRC expressed satisfaction on the steps taken by the State authorities.
Tripathy alleged that due to negligence of the Education Department and district administration of Keonjhar, three students namely Raja Nayak (12), Shehashree (10) and Ellina Nayak (7) died after a venomous snake bit them while they were sleeping inside a coaching centre in the Nischitapur area in Keonjhar district on July 22 last, while another student Akash Nayak (12), who was in a critical condition, was to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack for better treatment.
Tripathy cited other examples of snakebite deaths in Odisha and other States with a request to take up the issue seriously with payment of compensation to the legal heirs of the deceased.
Amongst the disaster casualties in Odisha, snakebite deaths alone accounted for more than 40% of the deaths, and snakebite death cases in Odisha became more than double in the year 2021 especially due to shortage of anti-snake venom stocks in the Government-run-health facilities, Tripathy cited.
Pursuant to the NHRC intervention, the National Centre for Disease Control-NCDC) submitted that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has allowed to procure ASV to all States/Union Territories under the National Health Mission. In the year 2023, no report of shortage of ASV has been received by the NCDC anywhere. The Mission Steering Group (MSG) of National Health Mission has approved activities for prevention and control of snake bite, that includes training, ICC, monitoring and supervision etc. The Ministry has also sent a communication to all the States/UTs on October 20, 2022 to submit the financial requirement under NHM Supplementary PIP (Programme Implementation Plan) for procurement of ASV under NFDI (National Free Drug Initiative) and other activities.
Pursuant to the conditional summons issued by the Commission, the District Magistrate, Keonjhar vide letter dated March 4 reported that an amount of Rs 4 lakh each has been paid to the mothers of the three deceased children. Similarly, the DM, Mayurbhanj vide letter dated February 27 has submitted a chart of stock position of ASV in the district. The DM, Mayurbhanj further reported that the snakebite cases are paid ex-gratia to the tune of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin (NoK) of the victims. A list showing the payment of the ex-gratia to NoK of the victims of snake bite during the last three years was also submitted. The District Magistrate, Bhadrak, has reported that an amount of Rs 4 lakh has been paid equally to four legal heirs of the one Gouri Parida who died due to snakebite.
