Agriculture Principal Secretary and State Taskforce (STF) Nodal Officer for Narada village Manoj Ahuja and department Director PK Meherda on Thursday visited the Kaliapani hospital and inquired about the condition of the 19 malnourished kids undergoing treatment. later they visited the Tala Nagada area.
The taskforce has been formed to ensure a holistic development of Nagada village in the mineral-rich Sukinda valley of Jajpur district, which reported 18 children’s deaths due to malnutrition between March and June.
Nagada is situated on a hilltop in a dense forest under Sukinda block. located about 30 km from the Sukinda chromite valley and more than 50 km from the Kalinganagar Industrial complex, there is virtually no road to the village.
Even for basic necessities, the villagers have to trek more than 15 km through a dense forest to reach a motorable road. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday said the State Government has formed the STF to look into the Nagada issue.
When asked by reporters, Patnaik said, “The taskforce will also see that such incidences do not recur.”