The continuous deaths of children, mostly of SC and ST communities, in backward regions of the State show the failure of State intervention in bringing desired change in the quality of life and standard of living of these communities.
There were a number of cases of death of children reported in last few years, such as 40 children in attack of Japanese Encephalitis in Malkangiri, 20 children of Junga community in Nagada in Jajpur, 15 children of Paudi Bhuyan in Sundargarh, death due to endemic malaria and malnutrition in Keonjhar and Kashipur of Rayagada.
There has been non-availability of data about the death of children due to serious malnutrition and endemic diseases in the absence of primary healthcare facilities. The NHRC in August 2016 has issued notice to the State Government over the issues of deaths in backward districts and SC and ST dominated villages, including coastal villages, where the situation is not much better. Unfortunately, Odisha also reports higher number of children death in SC and ST residential schools in the country. It is reported by the Government that during 2010-2015, about 133 students in residential schools have died. It is usually expected that the residential schools run by the Government should be a better place for the poor, but even the State run institutions for SCs and STs are proved worst in delivering services to these communities without a sign of improvement in their standard and quality.
The widespread prevalence of death of children due to diseases caused by serious malnutrition problem and poor access to health service has been continuing in the State in spite of engagement of the Government, non Government and international agencies for a long time. The infant mortality rate (IMR) and maternal mortality rate (MMR) in case of STs and SCs of the State has been much higher than State and national average without any visible change. The impact of programme like ICDS for last three decades with a wide coverage has very insignificant impact over the SCs and STs.
The malnutrition is linked to the overall economic, social and environmental condition and its eventual impact on quality of life. It is a fact that in spite of our planned intervention with five years plan, annual plan, sub plan, micro plan and special plan for the most vulnerable groups, the quality of life of the SCs and STs in the State has not improved much in comparison to other social groups. The schemes and programmes have not reached the tribal and Dalit hamlets to change their structural issues which largely remain as before. Many of the basic and primary needs for life have not been ensured even after 65 years of State intervention. The tribal and Dalit hamlets in backward areas of the State have been struggling to avail basic human requirements such as drinking water, shelter, food, sanitation, primary healthcare, literacy, education, electricity and connectivity. Even today, a majority of them have to depend on traditional water sources, such as pond, river, Nala and forest stream for drinking water and women and children have to walk a long distance to collect water as safe drinking water has not been ensured and available at their door step. Water and sanitation bears a wider impact on living condition and health of people children, especially elder and women in family.
The landless poor households do not have land and finance to securely construct house for a decent living. Most of the people in hamlets manage to live in small space with three generations of family members and domestic animals like cow, goat, pig, hen etc. They manage every household activities, including cooking, eating, sleeping, storing firewood and other things in a single room. They have been living with animals in all these seasons without proper bed and mosquito net for years together. The tribal and SC hamlets do not have basic social infrastructure, such as connecting road, drainage line, garbage pit, latrine, drinking water source, electricity, community hall, common space, playground, cremation ground, and water bodies for the whole community. It is most unfortunate that the State Government has not been implementing homestead land distribution programme in the State to ensure Patta land for all eligible landless households. The Centre sponsored housing scheme has not been implemented properly with huge corruption in beneficiary selection. The States such as Kerala and Gujarat have been providing additional support to the poor beneficiaries to build minimum two rooms for a decent living, but the Government of Odisha has no role in providing additional support to the beneficiaries at least to construct a two-room house. It is a fact that all the houses constructed under IAY/PAY are single room house where poor people are forced to stay with whole family.
There is lack of connectivity to many of the hamlets inhabited by STs and SCs and it has been extremely difficult for them to manage in rainy season. Poor connectivity and inaccessibility has been a major reason affecting the service providers to reach to the communities in need. Thousands of habitations of SCs and STs have not been declared as revenue village and people living for centuries are not given record of rights over the land to construct house and do cultivation for livelihood. The food security is closely associated with land, forest and water and animal husbandry but the SCs and STs have been getting alienated from their sources of livelihood that has been seriously affecting their food security. The resource base economy has been reduced to a wage economy with increasing dependency on Government charity and welfare programmes. The poor BPl SC and ST household are supplied with insufficient poor quality of rice and no other food supplement to reduce malnutrition. The mere social security schemes in the State carry limited stake in ensuring healthcare of the poor.
The service providers of Government welfare programmes are mostly drawn from non-SC and non-ST communities and a majority of them practice social discrimination against the beneficiaries based on belief of untouchability and caste and ethnic based discriminations. This has been affecting free access of the poor to food and nutritional supplement programmes such as Re1 kg rice, midday meal (MDM) and Anganwadi in rural villages. The service providers, AWW, AWH, ANM, ASHA, MDM cook, helper primary school teachers, and PDS centres in the village level are not well trained and properly oriented about their role and responsibility and they are also not well paid and encouraged with job securities to serve better.
There has been very minimal involvement in terms of participation from marginalized sections, SCs and STs for whom these programmes are primarily targeted. These programmes are not used as source of development and participation to bring desired change among people; rather these are seen as charity by ruling parties for the poor. There has been lack of orientation about the purpose and clarity of objectives of development intervention by the State among the bureaucracy and grass root service providers. Programmes are being mechanically implemented and given wider publicity without much public education. The historical marginalization process and deprivation of SCs and STs continues in the State without any major structural change.
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