Health Minister Pratap Jena visited malnutrition-hit Nagada and its nearby villages under mineral-rich Sukinda block in Jajpur district on Thursday.
Notably, Nagada village had come into limelight after 21 Juang (tribal) kids died of malnutrition in 2016.
“Nagada will be a model tribal village. Our aim is to create model tribal villages with sustainable food self-sufficiency. The focus will be on large-scale cultivation of millets and pulses. Poverty and malnutrition will vanish from the tribal belts,” said Jena.
Nagada would be developed as model tribal village with community living and collective farming. Houses would be constructed in demarcated areas, where there would also be Anganwadis, health centres, community centres and playgrounds. The land document for each family would have detailed entries of latitude and longitude of awarded portion of the land, apart from family details and photographs. So no alienation in future would happen, added the Minister.
He said a hospital would be set up at Kaliapani and the health sub-centre at Deogaon and Sukinda CHC to be upgraded. District Mineral Fund (DMF) would be utilised for the developmental works of the tribal people of the district, Jena said.
Sukinda MlA Pritiranjan Ghadei, district Collector Ranjan Kumar Das, Sukinda Welfare Officer Santosh Kumar Pati were present among others.