All we know about Sundargarh is it is a mineral-rich district, where the first public sector unit of the State Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) was set up. Besides, many other industries have been also set up in the district. Hence, the economic status of the residents should be good. But, ironically about 15 per cent of the children of the district are suffering from malnutrition.
The Government’s claim that it has made adequate arrangements for providing nutritional support to the women and kids by mid day meal and food to pregnant women and children up to the age group of six years, seems hollow here. According to an estimate, of 2.5 lakh children of the district, 14.66 per cent are in Grade-3 and 0.04 per cent in Grade-4 category that need special care.
Interestingly, about 1,300 children of the Rourkela Municipality area are suffering from malnutrition. Though out of 17 blocks of the district, the Koira block is mineral-rich and lathikata block is flourished with sponge iron factories, crushers and quarries but surprisingly, both the blocks lead in malnutrition with 3,968 and 3,586 children in Grade-3 and 10 in Grade-4, respectively. According to the report, the figures in Balisankara is 2,599 and 19, in Bargaon 945 and six, in Bonai 1,424 and eight, in Hemgiri 2,686 and two, in
Bisra 1,798 and one, in Kuarmunda 1,990 and five, in Nuagaon 3,422 and 23, in Kutra 1,570 and two, in Gurundia 1,724 and two, in lahunipara 2,009 and nil, in Rajgangpur 1,770 and two , in Sundargarh 1,330 and 12, in Tangarpali 1,137 and three, in Subdega 978 and one, in Rourkela Municipality 1,278 and three and in Biramitrapur Municipality 175 and nil children are in Grade-3 and Grade-4 respectively. Source said children under Grade-3 and 4 need special care as their lives are at risk.