The Right to Food Campaign, Odisha on Monday charged that the death of infants at Nagada village in Sukundia block in Jajpur district caused due to acute malnourishment was State-sponsored murder.
Member of the Advisory Group of NHRC on Right to Food Pradip Prahdan, who led a six-member team to the village on July 15 and 16, told reporters here that the death of at least 19 infants of the Juang tribe which comes under the primitive tribal group (PTG) was a case of callous, careless and negligence of inept bureaucracy and insensitivity corrupt leadership.
“Recently, the Chief Minister expressed satisfaction over the performance of the Women and Child Development and SC and ST Development Departments for their outstanding performances. But the Nagada incident is a case of chronic hunger leading to malnutrition subsequent death,” added Pradhan.
He said the villagers are yet to be benefited under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), Food Security scheme and MGNREGA.