mpchildinfo

MP becomes 1st state to top IMR for 6th time

2009-11-01T06:17:00.000-08:00

PTI from Bhopal reports that Madhya Pradesh has got the unenviable distinction of becoming the first state in the country to top the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) for the sixth time in a row. Madhya Pradesh had replaced Orissa as the state with the highest IMR in the country about six years ago and since then the former is keeping this stigma on its head. "Madhya Pradesh has the highest 70 IMR in the country in 2008 also even after it has decreased by two points in the State in comparison to 2007 when IMR was 72 at per thousand live births," says the latest bulletin of Sample Registration System (SRS) of the Registrar General of India. Orissa, which stands second in worst performing states in IMR in 2008 recorded 69 infant deaths and managed to keep the IMR below that of Madhya Pradesh consistently for the last six years. Kerala achieved the status of best performing states in IMR in 2008 where only 12 infant deaths were reported during the period followed by Tamil Nadu (31) and Maharashtra (33). The SRS bulletin also shows that Madhya Pradesh continues to be even worse in case of the female children and the IMR for girl children is 72 in the state as compared to 68 for boy children.

Madhya Pradesh asked to set up child rights body

2009-10-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

Sanjay Sharma, IANS, BHOPAL - The Child Rights Observatory - an independent child rights monitoring body comprising of civil society groups, NGOs, academics and media persons - Saturday urged the Madhya Pradesh government to set up a board or mission for child rights.

The recommendation was made in its report “State of MP’s Children”, released by Justice D.M. Dharmadhikari, the chairman of the state Human Rights Commission, along with students Priya Singh & Abhinash Mishra and UNICEF State representative for Madhya Pradesh office Hamid El Bashir at a function here.

The group, set up in November 2007, also advocated the establishment of child rights centres, clubs, forums and parliaments in schools to encourage child participation in issues of children.
The group also stressed the need of sustained participation of the local community and civil society and engaging local elected bodies in solving the issues of children.

“The state has in the last ten years progressed in literacy, education and provisioning of schooling, yet it lacks on indicators like infant mortality rate, malnourishment, basic poverty and infrastructure,” says the report adding that the state also has challenges in school dropouts and high rates of crime against children.

In his address, Justice Dharmadhikari said children in the state face many challenges and there is need to engage civil society organisations, and capitalise on their support to bring change for favour of children. Hamid El Bashir said the report will benefit policy makers, help in promoting debate on children and create a movement for development of children in the state.

Priya of class 8 and Abhinash Mishra of class 9 called upon the state to encourage their participation and provide for protection of their rights. Principal Secretary, Women and Child Development Tinoo Joshi spoke about the state government’s initiatives for child development, nutrition and protection, while Child Rights Observatory president Nirmala Buch stressed that the report calls for zero tolerance for child rights violation in the state.

Ujjain gets first medical care unit for AIDS patients

2008-04-11T21:55:00.001-07:00

Bhopal, April 7 (IANS) A HIV community care centre has been set up to provide medical help to AIDS patients in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain town, the headquarters of a district that has the second highest number of such cases in the state. Ujjain Chief Medical and Health Officer Dileep Nagar said the 10-bed medical centre, which was inaugurated last week, is a unit of Saathi, a facility providing support to HIV-positive people. It was set up with help from Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust (HLFPPT) in association with Kripa Welfare Society, an NGO, and the Madhya Pradesh State Aids Control Society (MPSACS).

“It was badly required in a place like Ujjain which, with 351 patients, has the second highest number of AIDS cases in the state. Commercial capital Indore takes the lead with 564 cases,” Manish, who represents Ujjain’s network of HIV-positive people, told IANS. The network, with about 130 members, provides support and counselling for HIV-positive people across the state.
The number of AIDS affected people in the state, according to MPSACS figures, increased from one in 1988 to 2,382 by the end of 2007.

The figures compiled by the MPSACS reveal that 91.7 percent patients acquire the deadly virus through sexual transmission and two percent through blood transfusion. “What is worrying is that AIDS is no longer confined to urban areas. I have patients from villages, even remote hamlets, where the disease has spread due to lack of awareness,” said a doctor.

The doctor claimed she had come across HIV patients from small towns like Khandwa, Khargone, Badwani and Shajapur. “This is just the tip of the iceberg. Several cases, mainly from rural areas, go unreported in the state”, says Prashant Malaiya, MPSACS deputy director. NGOs working in Indore, Ujjain, Jabalpur, Rewa, Bhopal, Gwalior, Sagar, Hoshangabad and Morena, claim the number of AIDS victims in these districts is far higher than official figures. Various surveys have pointed out that people between 31 and 40 form the largest group of HIV-affected people. They have also found that 72 percent of AIDS patients in Madhya Pradesh are men.
“The centre will go a long way in providing care to HIV-positive people. However, we need to sensitise more people, spread knowledge and dispel fear associated with HIV to fight the stigma attached to the disease,” said Unicef official Anil Gulati.

India tries new ways to reach its underfed children

2008-04-11T21:55:00.000-07:00

By Jonathan Allen
BADARWAS, India, March 18 (Reuters) - A couple of months ago, Sheela Adivasi's infant son fell sick and his eyes filled with pus. By the time the infection cleared up, Deepak's pupils had turned a pearly white. He is now permanently blind.It did not help matters that Deepak is malnourished, as are half of all young children in India. His belly is swollen, his dry skin speckled with dark dots, and his hair is thin and yellowing. Had he not been so starved of vitamins, he probably would have suffered only an itchy but harmless bout of pink eye.Belatedly, he is getting some nutrients in a special clinic for malnourished children in Badarwas, a tiny town about an hour's drive from his mud-walled home in a village in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.The clinic, a concrete room filled with a dozen beds and prone to powercuts, is part of India's latest attempt to reduce a malnutrition rate twice that of sub-Saharan Africa. For now, Deepak is far from the only child being reached too late.It is a problem with "dire consequences for morbidity, mortality, productivity and economic growth," a World Bank report said in 2005, and shows little signs of fading even as India's economy booms.Born underweight and then underfed during the crucial early stages of development, millions of Indian children grow up shorter, weaker and less smart than their better fed peers.They end up less productive workers, too, costing India about 3 percent of national income, the bank said. The problem looks unlikely to disappear for at least the next couple of decades.

GOOD ADVICE
The nutrition centres, and measures such as paying pregnant women to give birth in a clinic rather than at home, are part of the government's National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).It was started in 2005 to bring health services to people used to a choice between pawning jewellery for doctor's fees or simply suffering.The scheme is intended to plug gaps in an older programme that failed to reach children in the most critical first two years of life, educate mothers about nutrition and reign in corruption which meant free food handouts went missing.In Deepak's case, the difference some well-timed good advice could have made is obvious. In the 18 months since his birth, no food passed his lips until he arrived at the nutrition centre, according to his mother. She did not realise this was a problem."He only drinks milk," Sheela said as she sat sweating under a motionless ceiling fan as Deepak lay in her lap in torn shorts and a grubby jacket.The registration book at the centre is filled with the purple thumbprints of illiterate, unschooled mothers like Sheela. She does not know her age -- a doctor, trying to be helpful, pulled open her mouth, looked at her teeth, and guessed about 25.After marrying in her late teens Sheela left behind her village and moved in with her husband's family. She dislikes her mother-in-law, who she says has no interest in giving grandmotherly advice.Workers at the centre will try to teach Sheela how best to care for her son, paying her 35 rupees (nearly $1) a day and providing meals to compensate for her lost labourer's income.Several times a day, Deepak sips a sweet mixture of ground puffed rice and sugar dissolved in milk with a little vegetable oil. Older children move on to fruit, eggs and lentils.For Kasumal Adivasi, sitting a few beds away, the centre was a revelation. Like Sheela, she felt there was no one in her husband's village she could turn to for advice.After 12 days at the centre, Tunda, her 2-year-old son, still has a distended stomach and a slightly grumpy disposition, but at least he is able to stand up again with his mother's help."I promise, promise, promise to remember what you told me," she told a nurse, before reciting some of the dietary tips she has learnt at the centre. She smiled with gratitude and relief, her hand resting on her pregnant belly.

STILL GAPS
The Madhya Pradesh government adopted the nutrition centres after liking what it saw at a pilot centre set up in the state by UNICEF. There are now more than 60 in Madhya Pradesh, and they are spreading to other states as part of the NRHM.But UNICEF staff warn that the limited beds at the nutrition clinics are far from an end in themselves. They are a last resort, taking in only the most dangerously undernourished children. Two weeks later, they are discharged, most still malnourished, but no longer quite so at risk of dying."There are still big gaps in the guidelines," said Hamid El-Bashir, the UNICEF representative for Madhya Pradesh.Under the rural health mission, health workers are being asked to help check malnutrition before it reaches such a bleak stage, but in places like Madhya Pradesh where healthy children are in a minority, locals can become inured to the signs."His hair just hasn't been washed," said one young village worker when her attention was brought to a young child with yellowing frizz on his scalp and scaly skin.Some, like Biraj Patnaik, an advisor to the Supreme Court on nutrition, think good advice only goes so far, and India's top priority is fixing its graft-tainted food distribution system."Across the country women are rationing their own food, feeding their babies at their own personal cost," he said. "There's absolute hunger out there."UNICEF's El-Bashir thinks fortified biscuits or similar so-called ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF) used in some famine-hit African countries could be part of the solution.Convincing India's government could be tricky though as it likes to promote traditional Indian food staples grown and cooked locally, saying it is cheap, creates jobs and is less prone to graft."RUTF has been a real revolution," El-Bashir said. "India cannot just say no." (Editing by Simon Denyer and Megan Goldin)

Child welfare NGOs come together

2008-03-09T14:47:00.000-07:00

The Hindu

- Need to help the Government address child issues

- ‘Public campaign for child rights could affect political manifestos’

The Child Rights Observatory Madhya Pradesh (CROMP), a society promoted by UNICEF to create public awareness and build up a campaign for child rights, received support from a large number of NGOs at a meeting held here over the weekend to build linkages and explore the possibilities of cooperation.

CROMP, the only organisation of its kind in Asia, is headed by former State Chief Secretary Nirmala Buch. Prominent persons from the field of education, social work and media are among the founder members.

The CROMP deliberations were attended by many voluntary and social organisations including UNICEF, National Law Institute University, Samarthan, NIWCYD, Arambh, Muskan, SOS, Children’s Village, CARD, Parvarish, Umeed, Deerghayu, Asha Niketan, Sangini, United Reformers Organisation, DFID and Digdarshika.

Speaking on the occasion, UNICEF State Representative Hamid El Bashir said CROMP should act as a catalyst in bringing together all NGOs working for the cause of children. He stressed the need to work and help the Government address issues like sex selection, street children, school enrolment of children living in slums, disability, child labour, children’s health, aggression and violence among adolescents.

Word of caution

Dr. Bashir had a word of caution against NGOs lacking a track record in terms of performance and said there should be a system for accreditation of NGOs. He said a public campaign for child rights could even compel political parties to include the issue in their election manifestos.

Ms. Buch announced that CROMP would be producing a citizens’ report on the status of children in Madhya Pradesh. This would be endorsed by NGOs. She said the voice of the Child Rights Observatory would be the collective voice of the NGOs.

Malnutrition stalks Madhya Pradesh children

2007-12-18T05:38:00.000-08:00

A severely malnourished child at nutritional rehabilitation centre, Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh. He is with his mother. 60 % of children in the state in between of age 0 - 5 years are malnourished. Malnutrition stalk Madhya Pradesh children despite schemes to improve the services of anganwadis and nutrition centres. The state may be having about one lakh children who are severely malnourished and if they are not in centres like this 50 % may die ?

Bhopal wakes up to greetings by children

2007-12-09T17:45:00.000-08:00

All India Radio (AIR) listeners in Bhopal Sunday morning woke up to a pleasant surprise when they heard children anchoring various early morning programmes.

The children were invited by AIR on the occasion of the International Children Day of Broadcasting, declared by UNICEF.

Observed on the second Sunday of December each year since 1992, broadcasters air programmes for, about or by the children around the world on this day.

The day provides a unique opportunity for children broadcasters to use the medium. One important part of the initiative is that children themselves decide how and in what way they will participate.

'Many (children) who have been part to this earlier wait for the day and many new join in. It is an interesting experience for some and boost their confidence', said an AIR official.

'Radio is already making a comeback as a major source of entertainment. Such an attempt by children would further add to its glory as who doesn't wants to listen or experience the talent of children', said Laxmi Sharma, a schoolteacher.

'Radio is the most powerful medium even today and such an opportunity would encourage children to speak about themselves. It would also teach them about communicating with a larger audience. And above all, we the adults would also be able to understand children better who otherwise remain hesitant in expressing themselves', said SP Shukla, one of the participant's parent.

'This day gives one more opportunity to children to express and voice their opinion freely in line with Article 12 of Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)', UNICEF' Communication Officer Anil Gulati told IANS.

By Sanjay Sharma, IANS

UNICEF launches mobile schools in Madhya Pradesh

2007-11-20T09:30:00.000-08:00

Bhopal, Nov 20 (IANS) Unicef launched 22 mobile primary schools for children of migrant workers of Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh.The primary aim of such mobile schools is to encourage to attend school those children who normally drop out when their parents leave home in search of work in other states.

'This initiative with the help of district administration and support of local non-governmental organisation, namely Lok Vikas Evam Anusandhan Trust, will help retain in school children who otherwise get dropped out,' said Dr Hamid El Bashir, State Representative of Unicef, after the launch ceremony in Jhabua, which was also attended by District Collector R K Pathak and local legislator Madho Singh.

The mobile schools will have all the basic requirements of a normal school and will be housed in tents.Unicef plans to have 100 such schools by 2008 end.

'Since the literacy rate, mainly of females, is much lower due to migration problem and most of the children could not even complete their primary education, mobile schools are expected to check dropouts to a great extent,' said a Unicef official.

'The idea is to facilitate education of children of migrant labourers even when they are out so that they can continue in their local school when they come back to their native place. Their attendance and other registers will be deposited with the local school on their come back, and they would be able to continue their education,' the official added. At present the mobile schools will target 650 children who migrate with their parents to Gujarat for work. The tribals of the Jhabua district migrate from their villages to Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra for their livelihood every year. About 85 percent population of the district is tribal and 47 percent people live below the poverty line. The literacy rate, according to 2001 census, is 36.87 percent but the female literacy is just four percent.

Unicef has provided for the school tents, school materials, salary of teachers, course material and even trained teachers in partnership with the district administration.

Fategarh Health Centre in Guna, MP

2007-11-08T15:08:00.000-08:00

Fategarh is a panchayat village about two hours drive on make shift road from the district headquarters of Guna. The panchayat village lies in Madhya Pradesh but borders districts of Rajasthan.

The village has a sector sub health centre. Ninety deliveries, took place in this health centre, in June 2007, almost all of them are from this nearby villages. This was not the case a year and half before (before December 4, 2006, the day when this centre was revitalized). Before this date, all deliveries used to happen at home and there were number of maternal deaths in the area, which was revealed by Maternal and Prenatal Death Inquiry and Response or the social audit of maternal deaths in the Bamori block, which includes Fategarh panchayat.

Before December 2006, the centre offered only immunization services like any other sub health centre in the state. Heath facilities like labor room facility for pregnant women of Fategarh and nearby villages was quite far and accessibility to health services was an issue. This was one of the reasons for maternal deaths in the area. It is here that UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) came in and supported the District administration of Guna, Madhya Pradesh, to help make this centre a round the clock mother and child care service delivery centre. UNICEF not only supported the district by providing them with skilled birth attendants, but also trained them in integrated management of newborn and childhood illness.

The centre, as of now, caters for eleven villages. Niranjana and Kamlsa, auxiliary nurses midwives at the centre feel elated when they see the progress, but they sometimes get exhausted when they have to undertake seven to eight deliveries a day; thanks to the increased awareness and schemes by the state.

The centre also undertakes awareness programmes in remote areas and shares information on various schemes, like Janani Suraksha Yojana, initiated by the state government to promote institutional delivery with the community members. This has helped in creating awareness and demand for the need of the institutional deliveries.

"I felt much protected and secure when I came here for my delivery" says Shravani, a mother of three. Her first two deliveries were at home, but for the third one the village 'dai' got her to the sub health centre.

Dr Hamid El Bashir, State Representative, UNICEF office for Madhya Pradesh, adds that children and women lives can be saved and this can happen with improvement in both access and quality of health services through such interventions. Fategarh model of revitalization of the sub centre to provide basic health care services, including conducting deliveries, has inspired and has been replicated in six more institutions in Guna.

Anil Gulati

Pneumonia still kills millions every year

2007-11-05T16:08:00.000-08:00

Pneumonia kills millions every year, children in particular. 15 countries account for 75% of childhood pneumonia cases world wide; the number of cases in India is the highest. A healthy child has many natural defences that protect it from pneumonia.

A RECENT, joint UNICEF-WHO report has drawn attention to the scourge of pneumonia. Pneumonia kills millions of people, especially children, ever year. It kills more children than any other disease - more than AIDS, malaria and measles combined. Thus it calls for immediate attention on the part of all policy makers in the area of public health. Pneumonia causes almost 1 in 5 out of the under-five deaths worldwide and the death of more than 2 million children each year. The said report states that fifteen countries account for three quarters of childhood pneumonia cases world wide; in India, the number of cases is the highest.

Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs caused by an infection. Many different organisms can cause it, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Children with pneumonia may manifest a range of symptoms, depending on their age and the cause of infection. Bacterial pneumonia usually causes severe illness in children, giving rise to high fever and rapid breathing. Viral infections, however, often gain gradually and may worsen over time. Some common symptoms of pneumonia in children and infants include rapid or difficult breathing, cough, fever, chills, headaches, loss of appetite and wheezing. Children under five with severe cases of pneumonia may struggle to breathe, their chests moving in or retracting, during inhalation. Young infants may suffer convulsions, unconsciousness, hypothermia, lethargy and feeding problems.

A healthy child has many natural defences that protect its lungs from the invading pathogens that cause pneumonia. However, children and infants with compromised immune systems have weak defences. Undernourished children, particularly those not exclusively breastfed or with inadequate zinc intake, are at a higher risk of contracting pneumonia. Similarly, children and infants suffering from other illnesses, such as AIDS or measles, are more likely to contract pneumonia. Environmental factors, such as living in crowded homes and exposure to parental smoking or indoor air pollution, may also have a role to play in increasing the children’s susceptibility to pneumonia and its severe consequences.

Prompt treatment of pneumonia with a full course of appropriate antibiotics is life-saving. But it needs medicare, which is a challenge in the developing world. There are published guidelines for diagnosing and treating pneumonia in community settings. But preventing children from contracting pneumonia in the first place is essential for reducing child deaths. Key prevention measures include promoting adequate nutrition (including breastfeeding and zinc intake), raising immunization rates and reducing indoor air pollution. Because pneumonia kills more children than any other illness, any effort to improve overall child survival must treat the reduction of pneumonia-related death toll as a priority. And preventing children from contracting pneumonia in the first place is critical to reducing their death toll.

Anil Gulati
Source - www.merinews.com

ऐसा अख़बार जिसमें सभी 'बाल पत्रकार'

2007-10-09T09:34:00.000-07:00

मंगलवार, 09 अक्तूबर, 2007, फ़ैसल मोहम्मद अली, बीबीसी संवाददाता, भोपाल

न्यूज लेटर की ख़बरें कई मामलों में अपनी छाप भी छोड़ रही हैं
मध्य प्रदेश में एक स्वयंसेवी संस्था ने 'बच्चों की पहल' नामक त्रिमासिक अख़बार शुरू किया है. ख़ास बात ये है कि इस अख़बार के सभी रिपोर्टर स्कूली बच्चे हैं. होशंगाबाद ज़िले की सोहागपुर तहसील में यूनीसेफ़ की पहल पर दलित संघ नामक स्थानीय स्वयंसेवी संस्था ने यह पहल की है.

तीन कमरों वाले स्कूलों में जहाँ कक्षा एक से आठ तक की पढ़ाई होती है, वहाँ पढ़ने वाले इन बच्चों का उत्साह देखते ही बनता है. वे अपना परिचय कुछ इस अंदाज़ में देते हैं. “मेरा नाम ज्योति है. मैं आठवीं में पढ़ती हूँ और दलित संघ की पत्रकार हूँ...या “ मैं शिवकुमार हूँ और मैं पत्रकार हूँ...”

उत्साह

इन परिचयों को किसी खेल या नाटक की रिहर्सल का हिस्सा समझने वाले आगंतुकों को वहाँ मौजूद शिक्षक और कभी खुद बच्चे बताते हैं कि वे वाकई पत्रकार हैं. हम भविष्य के लिए एक ऐसा वर्ग तैयार करना चाहते हैं जो अपनी बात निडरता से सत्तासीन लोगों के सामने कह सके

गोपाल नारायण आवटे, संपादक

हिंदी में छपने वाले चार पन्नों के ‘बच्चों की पहल’ न्यूज लेटर के दो अंक अब तक प्रकाशित हो चुके हैं और तीसरा ज़ल्द ही आने वाला है.

यूनिसेफ़ की मध्य प्रदेश इकाई के प्रमुख हामिद अल बशीर कहते हैं कि यह प्रोजेक्ट समाज में बदलाव के लिए बच्चों की पहल है.

संस्था के प्रवक्ता अनिल गुलाटी के अनुसार यूनिसेफ़ ने इस न्यूज़ लेटर के लिए दलित संघ को ख़ुद से इसीलिए जोड़ा क्योंकि संस्था एक ऐसे वर्ग के लिए काम कर रही है जो हमेशा सबसे पीछे की पंक्ति में खड़ा मिलता है.

संपादक गोपाल नारायण आवटे का कहना है कि मौजूदा समाचार माध्यमों में आजकल गाँव से जुड़ी ख़बरें लगभग नगण्य हैं, ख़ासतौर पर दलितों की रोज़मर्रा की ज़िंदगी से जुड़ी ख़बरें जिन्हें समाज के सामने लाने में इस न्यूज लेटर से मदद मिलेगी.

यह पूछे जाने पर कि संवाददाताओं के तौर पर बच्चों का ही चयन क्यों किया गया, आवटे कहते हैं कि पहले तो ग्रामीण दलितों के बीच से नियमित तौर पर ख़बरें भेजने के लिए पढ़े-लिखे लोगों की कमी थी और दूसरे वह भविष्य के लिए एक ऐसा वर्ग तैयार करना चाहते हैं जो अपनी बात निडरता से सत्तासीन लोगों के सामने कह सके.

नई दुनिया
‘बच्चों की पहल’ ने ग्रामीण बच्चों के लिए ख़बरें लिखने के तरीके, फ़ोटोग्राफी और कार्टूनों की एक नई दुनिया ही खोल दी है.
नवलगाँव के चौकीदार के बेटे दयाशंकर जहाँ अख़बार के लिए संवाददाता और कार्टूनिस्ट दोनों की भूमिका निभा रहे हैं, वहीं मज़दूर के बेटे हरिओम अपने विचार कार्टून की आड़ी-तिरछी लकीरों के माध्यम से सामने रखने लगे हैं.मैं चिंतित हूँ कि कहीं बार-बार समस्याओं की बात उठाने से बच्चे शक्तिशाली लोगों को अपना दुश्मन न बना लें, शिक्षक तरवर सिंह पटेल

होशंगाबाद के सोहागपुर तहसील के दूरदराज़ इलाकों में रह रहे ये किशोर संवाददाता अपनी रिपोर्टें, लेख और प्रकाशन के लिए दूसरी सामग्रियां दलित संघ कार्यकर्ताओं या डाक के माध्यम से सोहागपुर भेजते हैं. जहाँ ख़बरों के संकलन और संपादन के बाद उन्हें प्रकाशित किया जाता है.

दलित संघ कार्यकर्ता सुनील कहते हैं कि न्यूज़ लेटर की ख़बरें कई मामलों में अपनी छाप भी छोड़ रही हैं. मसलन गुंदरई स्कूल में खेल मैदान न होने की ख़बर प्रकाशित होने के बाद मुख्यमंत्री ने जिल़ा कलेक्टर को इस बाबत निर्देश दिए.

मगर जहाँ दलित सशक्तीकरण, बच्चों में सामयिक विषयों पर होनेवाली चर्चाएं, उनके बढ़ते शब्दकोष और अभिव्यक्ति में आया पैनापन खुशी का विषय है, वहीं शिक्षक तरवर सिंह पटेल चिंतित हैं कि कहीं बार-बार समस्याओं की बात उठाने से बच्चे शक्तिशाली लोगों को अपना दुश्मन न बना लें.

लेकिन मास्टर साहब की चिंताओं से बेख़बर स्वभाव से शर्मीली मीना जहाँ नारी अधिकार पर अपनी कविता सुना रही हैं, वहीं पूजा रघुवंशी ‘भगवान ने पेट किस लिए दिया है, पायजामा बाँधने के लिए’ जैसे चुटकुले सुनाकर ठहाके लगवा रही है.

Hungry and Dying

2007-10-07T16:25:00.000-07:00

ANNIE ZAIDI Frontline

Hunger and malnutrition stalk Madhya Pradesh villages despite schemes to improve the services of anganwadis and nutrition centres.
HUNGER is unpalatable. For a government that wishes to assert that it is not callous, it is particularly so. But hunger, with a capital H, is a pill that millions of people in Madhya Pradesh continue to swallow.

In 2005 and 2006, Frontline reported acute malnutrition from Sheopur and Shivpuri districts in Madhya Pradesh. Since then, there has been some change: new schemes have been announced; the recruitment policy for anganwadi workers has changed; there is a new menu for the anganwadis; and more Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres (NRCs) are being opened. Anganwadis are Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) centres.

However, it would be wise to keep in mind that not all changes have been positive. According to the 2005-2006 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3), the percentage of underweight children in Madhya Pradesh increased from 54 in 1998-99 to 60, and the percentage of wasted (extremely malnourished) children from 20 to 33.

POOR COMPENSATION

Many changes over the past decade have pushed villagers who once had enough to eat into a spiral of food insecurity and the uncertain arms of the public distribution system (PDS). There appears to be a direct link between access to forests and hunger in tribal hamlets. Madhya Pradesh has 29 national parks and reserved forest areas, and each of them has meant displacement and deprivation for the tribal people. Take Balharpur village in Shivpuri for instance, less than an hour’s drive from Shivpuri town.

About eight years ago, its residents, most of them belonging to the Sahariya tribe, were moved out of the Madhav National Park and dumped upon a stony, non-irrigated tract of land near the highway. Earlier, they had lived close to a river and had water for both farming and drinking.

During the non-farming season, they collected and sold tendu leaves, herbs and honey to be able to buy things needed to supplement their diet. Each family had cows and goats. While moving, the villagers set their cattle free near the Balhar Mata temple in the forest. They were certain they would not have access to grazing land in the New Balharpur village. They were right.

NO ROOF OVERHEAD

Today, the village has neither fields nor cattle nor jobs. What it does have is people like Makkobai. Her husband and one son already dead and confronted with the prospect of losing her other son and daughter-in-law, she was forced to sell off her roof.

Each family was given built houses, without toilets or taps, when they relocated; rough slabs of stone placed in a lattice formed the roof. Makkobai sold these stone slabs for Rs.2,500. She sleeps in other people’s houses.

Makkobai should have been entitled to a health card, issued under the Deen Dayal Antyodaya Upchar Yojna, which would have provided the family free medical treatment worth Rs.20,000. But she does not have one. Another widow, Bisna, shrugs off the suggestion of visiting hospitals. “What will the doctor do? There’s nothing to eat anyway.” Like others in her village, she is almost entirely dependent on subsidised PDS rations. Everybody does not have a “yellow card”, the Antyodaya ration card, which marks the Sahariyas as the poorest of the poor. The Sahariyas are entitled to them, being a Primitive Tribal Group. Not surprisingly, malnutrition amongst the children is plain to see, even to the untrained eye.

They also claim that the Guna Grameen Kshetriya Bank allows each family to withdraw only Rs.8,000 of the Rs.20,000 given as compensation for displacement. And most of it has been spent repaying loans taken at interest rates as high as 100 per cent. The rest of the money was set aside for “land development” purposes.

The very phrase “land development” makes villagers spit in anger. Jamna, an elderly widow, told Frontline: “What are you supposed to do with your stomach until this land gets developed? And how will the land be developed without water? All we have is one functional hand pump.”

The men have been forced to migrate to places such as Ghati-Gaon near Gwalior, where there is work in the stone quarries. They live a whole month in the quarries and return with no more than Rs.500, and often with tuberculosis as well. There are 26 widows out of a total adult female population of 87.

Another village in Shivpuri district, Amola, which was displaced in August 2006 to make way for the Manikheda dam project, presents a gloomier face. It is now home to Lakshmi, the six-month-old baby who has just returned from the NRC in Shivpuri. She was discharged after 14 days but remains a “grade four case” – severe malnutrition that, if untreated, will lead to death.

The village has no pucca houses, and the administration did not provide toilets either. The Sahariya women are distraught since people of other castes or communities refuse to let them use their fields. They even threaten to bury the women alive if they attempt to enter their fields.

Even the five quintals of grain, which was promised as interim relief for displacement, did not materialise. Some families got pattas but others were already farming the same strip of land. Most of the villagers migrate or work for contractors, filling dumpers with sand for Rs.20 a day, or walk to the nearest forest area and cut wood.

LOSS OF LIVELIHOOD

A young woman, Kusna, threw an axe and a small bundle near this correspondent’s feet and sat down. She had been collecting wood all day, which she sold in the nearest town market for Rs.30. “The bus fare cost me Rs.10. What was left bought me this bundle of leaves, which I will cook tonight as vegetables. Earlier, we could collect gum, honey, herbs. Now what?”

Now, there is the iffy dependence on rations and the struggle to obtain “yellow cards”. Even this battle is an uphill one. Recently, the panchayat secretary was suspended after he was arrested for irregularities. He had allegedly tried to sell Below Poverty Line (BPL) cards for Rs.500 each.

The day Frontline visited Amola, an unidentified man had dropped in earlier, claiming to be the new secretary. While he was yet to take charge, the villagers alleged that he was already asking for bribes: Rs.10 a card. Little wonder then that as budgets for schemes grow, so does food insecurity and the great corruption initiative. In Sheopur district, there were instances of gross irregularities concerning the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). Frontline found such irregularities in Patalgarh village in 2006 too, where several children died of malnutrition.

According to Uma Chaturvedi, a fellow of the Right to Food Campaign for Sheopur, there are fresh attempts to fudge cards. “For example, in Naya Gaon in Vijaypur block, which is one of the 28 villages displaced for the Kuno National Park, people worked for and were paid for two to four days on an average, but all the cards have entries stating ‘77 days’. The villagers met the District Collector to complain about the resultant embezzlement in May, but so far no action has been taken.”

She added that in other villages in Sheopur, such as Rohni and Ranipura, people are demanding wages pending since March, or compensatory unemployment allowance, but, again, to no avail.

MAKKOBAI WITH HER surviving son. She had to sell off the stone slabs that formed her roof and now sleeps in other people's houses.

Sachin Kumar Jain, who works with the Right to Food Campaign, admits that the State government at least has the decency not to turn a blind eye to hunger. “Under pressure from the media, the Supreme Court and civil society groups, the government acknowledged the problem; even the bureaucracy has shown some political sensitivity. Yet, hunger is a problem even in Budhni [in Sehore district], which is part of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan’s constituency.”

According to reports by Raju Kumar who works with Vikas Samvad, Bhim Kot, one of the villages in Budhni block, is rife with malnourished children. “We weighed the children and found that 24 out of 25 were malnourished. Nineteen years later, and despite having corresponded with the C.M., they still don’t have an anganwadi or access to health care.”

Despite policy changes, major loopholes remain. Safe drinking water is not considered a part of crucial nutritional needs. In villages such as Kairi Chowki in Raisen district, there are 10 hand pumps, of which only one functions.

There is no anganwadi in Kairi Chowki either, which is also part of the Chief Minister’s parliamentary constituency (he was a Lok Sabha member when he took over as Chief Minister). The nearest ICDS centre is about 3 km away.

Here, when the new ration cards were released, many people found their names struck off the BPL list. Among them were people such as Munshi Lal, who is in his 80s but receives no longer the old-age pension.

In the neighbouring hamlet of Dhoop-Ghata, things are better. Many of the families have a cow or a goat and some chickens, and they are peacefully allowed to graze their animals, without interference from the forest administration. There is an anganwadi and the worker is efficient. The nurse makes regular visits and the children do not appear to be severely undernourished.

Even so, life is terribly hard. The women set out at 3 a.m. They walk to Abdullaganj, the largest market in the area, to sell a bundle of firewood, for as little as Rs.40. Then they walk back, cook the noon meal and start walking again – to the forest to collect wood.

A visit to the NRC in Shivpuri district is both heartrending and educative, in the context of the demographics of hunger. Nearly all the mothers and children admitted are Sahariyas. Phuliya, a woman from Khaniyadana block, had brought along her two-year-old girl Choti – all skin and bones. While she acknowledged that she got her full ration regularly, there was not much she could do to help her own child: all she could feed the baby was dal and roti.

The NRC officials claim that they also have a hard time keeping the mothers in hospital for 15 days. Most women are worried about other children left behind at home. In the attempt to save one, they dare not risk losing the rest.

The Director of the Department of Women and Child Welfare, Kalpana Shrivastava, agrees that the main problem is that whatever the State provides can only be supplementary nutrition, whether it is through ICDS or mid-day meals. It is hard to tackle malnutrition if hunger is a chronic problem.

The State has been trying. From only daliya or panjeeri, the menu at anganwadis now includes poha, laddoo and halwa-puri. The process is also decentralised, with the money for supplies being sent directly to a joint account between the anganwadi worker and the local mothers’ committee. There are also attempts to “celebrate” every Tuesday as Mangal Divas, wherein pregnant women will be treated to a godh-bharai, birthdays will be marked, and so on.

Pockets of chronic malnutrition will be allotted Rs.6 a child, instead of Rs.2, whereby children will get three meals at the anganwadi. The worker and helper will also be paid extra.

Kalpana Shrivastava also claims that, in compliance with the Supreme Court’s orders, all ICDS centres sanctioned in 2007 will be made functional by the end of September. “The new nutrition policy will make a difference, but things take time to fall into place.” Organisations such as the United Nations Children’s Fund are also focussing on nutritional rehabilitation. Dr. Manohar Agnani, former Collector of Shivpuri, who was instrumental in setting up the model NRC in 2006, is now a consultant for UNICEF.

TREAT THE CAUSE

The target is to get 100 NRCs up and running by the end of the year and 313 by 2008. However, UNICEF State Representative Hamid El-Bashir agrees that there is a need to scratch the surface. “The ICDS is an excellent programme; it is wide-reaching and ambitious. But the State government also needs to look at income and unemployment. We can treat the symptoms, not the cause.”

Yet, the NRCs are a much-needed measure in a State, which confronts the certainty of a definite number of hunger-related deaths every year. Even if the situation is improving slowly, it still looks very bad once you translate percentages into numbers. According to the 10th survey of the Bal Sanjivani Abhiyan in the State, 47.5 per cent of children under six are malnourished, of whom 0.67 per cent suffer from severe malnourishment.

This is down by 0.11 per cent from the ninth survey, but, as Dr. Agnani points out, “with an average rate of 30 per cent mortality [for the severely malnourished], this means that hundreds of children will die this year. In Sheopur district [which accounts for 2.56 per cent of the severe category], up to 600 children could die.”

It is a frightening fact that, despite the best efforts of concerned groups and recent policy changes, within a year, 600 children in a single district will have died because there was not enough food to eat.

Sachin Kumar Jain offers another sombre reminder – most of the dead and dying will be Dalit or Adivasi tribal children. “Do you know why the Sahariyas are a Primitive Tribal Group? Amongst other parameters, it is the fact that their population is decreasing or stagnant. It is true that they bear more children, but it is also true that most of the children die. This is the result of a policy of exclusion. Schemes are only a petty compensation for depriving people of their rights.”

‘Shaktiman project’ focused on tribals will cover 1,000 villages

2007-09-30T05:10:00.000-07:00

Nourishing lives: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan along with actor Mukesh Khanna of TV serial ‘Shaktiman’ fame and a child freed from malnourishment at the launch of the State Government’s ‘Project Shaktiman’ in Hoshangabad district.
KESLA (MADHYA PRADESH): Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has affirmed his Government’s commitment to ensuring that not a single child remains malnourished in the State.

This was emphasised by the Chief Minister while launching the Shaktiman Project in the heavily forested Kesala block of Hoshangabad district over the weekend. The new initiative is aimed at addressing the critical issue of malnourishment in the predominantly tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh.

The project would initially cover 1,000 villages in 38 development blocks of 19 districts.

Addressing a huge gathering of villagers, even as the audience braved a cloudburst and remained seated drenched in rain, the Chief Minister said effective measures had been taken to end discrimination against the girl child. He called for greater participation by women in the decision-making process. The State Government had initiated a number of schemes and programmes to bring women on a firmer footing, he said, dwelling at length on various initiatives taken by the Government for women’s empowerment.

The Chief Minister said Madhya Pradesh was ranking low on the malnourishment front but focused efforts in the recent past had started showing positive results. He said 0.4 per cent children are severely malnourished in the State. The figure earlier stood at 5 per cent, he added.

Women and Child Development Minister Kusum Mehdale said that under the Shaktiman Project, the first of its kind in the country, the daily expenditure per head for providing nutritious diet to children would be Rs. 6 against the normal Rs.2 being spent by anganwadis.

Hamid El Bashir, State Representative at the UNICEF Office for Madhya Pradesh, said UNICEF salutes all those involved in tackling the problem of malnutrition. Stressing the need for focused intervention in the least developed parts of the State, particularly the tribal areas, Dr. Bashir said that initially 1,000 villages were being targeted but the project should expand to all areas.

TV star Mukesh Khanna, who played the popular role of Shaktiman in a serial by the same name said children have great potential and they should be able to use it to the fullest .

UNICEF opens art gallery

2007-09-14T19:45:00.001-07:00

The Hindu, September 15, 2007

“Initiative is out-of-box thinking”

BHOPAL: The UNICEF office for Madhya Pradesh has taken the initiative to create an art-cum-photography gallery at its Bhopal premises to promote art and photography for social change.

The State Principal Secretary for Women and Child Development, Prashant Mehta, inaugurated the Art Gallery at the UNICEF office here on Thursday by declaring open an exhibition of photographic images by Prakash Hatvalne, a photo journalist.

Speaking on this occasion, Mr. Mehta observed, “this initiative is out-of-box thinking”. It is different and would bring UNICEF closer to society, he said, adding that the Gallery would provide a platform to artists to influence change in the larger interest of children and women.

Dr. Hamid El Bashir, State Representative at the UNICEF Office for Madhya Pradesh, said that through art we can challenge social stigmas and barriers. He said the idea was to involve artists in building a vision for a more egalitarian society.

Mr. Hatvalne has worked for more than two decades with national and international media. His exhibition at the UNICEF office includes collection of photographs depicting the Ramanami sect, and his work among children and women, especially tribals. His photographs will be on display up to September 22.

UNICEF opens art gallery

2007-09-14T19:45:00.000-07:00

Villagers script their own progress in Madhya Pradesh

2007-09-11T09:03:00.001-07:00

Sanjay Sharma

Fourteen-year-old Mamta had to abandon her studies after Class 5 because her village in Madhya Pradesh did not have the facilities. Three years later, however, the story has changed - Mamta can continue her studies with a middle school opening up near her home thanks to a new initiative where the residents themselves identify their needs.

As part of the village planning programme started by Unicef, the district administration and some NGOs, Mamta's village Kolhari in Shivpuri district now has a middle school where she has been admitted in Class 6 this year.

The project involves the community using norms of participatory rural appraisal techniques; villagers themselves chalk out the needs of their hamlets and apprise the government about the requirements.

The programme, started initially in Guna and Shivpuri districts, has wrought a profound change in the lives of many villagers.

"After the introduction of village planning in Kolhari, we have got an all-weather road and a series of hand pumps. Since our village has no toilets and most diseases in the village are spread as a result of open defecation, we have now applied for toilets, which we hope to get soon," an enthusiastic Mamta said.

The women in the village have also applied for anganwadi centres so that they can provide better care to their children.

Under the programme, social maps are prepared to assess the distribution of available resources in the village. Household surveys are then conducted to collect basic information about the village, the community and the needs of children, primarily in areas of health, education, nutrition, drinking water and sanitation.

Information is also sought on the socio-economic condition of people.

The data collected is used to prepare developmental plans for presentation and approval in a special 'gram sabha' (village) meeting. Then, the plans are passed on to the district administration for implementation.

The areas chosen for rural planning include birth registration, maternal and infant mortality, maternity benefits (including regular health check-ups, immunisation), breast feeding, malnutrition, health and sanitation, controlling diarrhoea, decreasing child marriages, consumption of iodised salt, supply of drinking water and personal hygiene. Special stress is given on female child education.

"The programme requires villagers to meet twice a month at the village community hall where each hamlet formulates its own plan for development and analyses the progress. Then they submit an application with the district administration, which sanctions funds and directs the concerned department to implement the works", said Umesh Vashisht, convener of the Centre For Integrated Development, an NGO working on the project.

"One woman volunteer has been appointed in each village panchayat and one cluster animator given the task of guiding a group of five such volunteers. Also, master trainers are appointed to teach volunteers the basics including rapport building with villagers, door-to-door surveys, social and resource mappings.

"They are also trained in how to address the gram sabha and talk about the problems of the hamlet and seek solution," Vashisht said, adding that the results have been amazing and pointing to Kolhari as a case in point.

IANS

MP villagers invent new protest formula: Classes held on tree

2007-09-10T15:33:00.000-07:00

In a unique way to protest against insufficient number of school teachers in village Kalighati of Petlawad area (Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh), classes of a particular school were held atop a tree.

VILLAGE KALIGHATI of Petlawad area Madhya Pradesh (MP) witnessed a unique form of protest from the community members, as at least 25 students of a school climbed on a tree and a youth from the village took the classes on the tree top. They were protesting against the lack of teachers in the primary and middle schools in their area. Besides village Kalighati, nearly a dozen other villages took part in the protest and there the schools did not function on August 30.

As per the survey conducted by a social organisation, committed to the cause of education, about 235 posts of teachers are lying vacant in Petlawad area, which falls under Jhabua, a tribal district in the western part of MP. The teacher: pupil ratio in the area is about 1:125. In decentralized governance set up, as it should be, the issue was discussed in the Gram Sabhas held in the area on August 15, wherein they had passed a resolution demanding filling up of the vacancies of teachers by August 30, 2007. But when nothing happened, they decided to keep schools closed on 30th August and in one school of village Kalighati, classes were held on a tree nearby, which ran for two hours. As per the information received after the incident, four teachers have been provided to the schools. But the district needs more teachers and people hope that their children will have teachers in the school soon.

Jhabua district in its twelve blocks has about 4421 schools and as per the District Information System for Education (DISE), a school based statistical system supported by National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), an autonomous organisation set up Government of India reveals that about 49.6 per cent schools are having a single teacher in the district. Strikingly data points out that 22.7 per cent schools in Jhabua are single classroom schools, which is an important issue and needs to be responded.

The problem is not only in Jhabua alone. Though across the State of Madhya Pradesh the access to schools and enrolment rates have improved, number of teachers have not increased. Challenges like lack of teachers, irregular classes, overcrowded classrooms and poor quality of teaching have been impacting the learning level of children and the system is not able to retain children in schools. This is particularly important in rural and tribal areas wherein poverty is an issue. Here, still rather than sending their children to fields, parents spend their hard earned money to admit them in schools with an expectation that their children would get good education. But when system fails to meet their expectations, it further adds to their frustration. It may be pertinent to point out that tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh have a high dropout rate in schools, and events like these are pointers to gaps in the education system, which need urgent attention.

Contributed by Anil Gulati

Heila community: Dreaming for a life with dignity

2007-09-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

ADHIR KUMAR SAXENA

Living a life with dignity is one of the fundamental rights of every Indian national. Indian Constitution, UN Charter and even Human Rights Commissions have time and again reiterated commitments towards them. Human Scavenging has a blanket ban in India but the sorrowful state of affairs and indifferent state governments have left the Heila and Walmiki communities still engaged in disposal of human feces (scavenging). The act is shear slavery, as these communities work on petty amounts of Rs 20 per month, cleaning human wastes. They are `untouchables', and higher castes would not allow them in religious places, share food with them or even invite them on festivities. They clean human excreta, remove dead animals (carcass) from public places and act a vulture in keeping the ecological balance.

A hutment of 54 families from the Heila community (a sub-caste in Minority Muslims) engaged in human scavenging finds a very poor settlement at Tarana (Tehsil under Ujjain district). Yes, human scavenging really exists in this Tehsil and Zubeda (56 years) carries human waste on her head every morning. In return she get Rs 10 per house in a month. She has under her Jagiri, a total of 75 houses. Her daughter-in-law also helps her nowadays. Her daughters would not do the inhuman work but once they are married, they will also be engaged in the same scavenging (a pre condition for marriage in the community). Zubeda get stale Chapatis also some times, but then, in exchange she will not be given her wages.

Tarana Tehsil has a small Muhalla of these untouchables who will not get any support from either government agencies or other communities. Their children have to take their own utensils to school if they want mid-day meals otherwise they would not be served. They have a separate sitting place in schools and they are virtually secluded, and could not move out of the Muhalla. Mohammed Mansoor, himself from the community claims that normally it is believed that untouchability is obsolete in Muslim community, but we are not allowed to participate in Rozaftar. Upper caste Muslims do not allow us close to them and we could not enter their houses.

Forced to work, these scavengers are pressed into duties to remove dead animal bodies, serve women post delivery, but no payment is made. Untouchability is still prevalent in Bapu's country, shattering his dreams of a free India. Unfortunately, the Nagar Palika ( a government entity) itself employs scavengers for removing dead animals found in streets. Despite relentless efforts of these under privileged engaged in inhuman occupation, they are not allowed to shift to any other profession.

No other community comes to their aid and they sell their Jagiri (cluster of houses where they are engaged in human scavenging for generations together) in times of need.

Adding pain to agony, these scavengers are still gratified to their petty pay masters for giving them livelihood. These scavengers have been working in these houses for ages now and call them their Jagiri (property). This Jagiri is sold or given on lease by the owner scavenger in times of need. There is no excess to other occupations, as the upper castes do not give them jobs. These scavengers come under Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and thus government job opportunities are very limited.

Published in Free Press Bhopal September 1, 2007

Malnutrition 'killing millions of kids'

2007-08-25T11:35:00.001-07:00

Malnutrition kills nearly six million children a year, mainly in developing countries, despite the availability of relatively cheap solutions that could improve global nutrition, a report said.

While low and middle-income countries bear the brunt of the problem, malnutrition affects some rich countries as well, said the report by the Population Reference Bureau, a Washington policy research group.

The bureau's "2007 World Population Data Sheet" and two companion reports provide up-to-date demographic, health and environmental data for all the countries and major regions of the world.

The report said poor nutrition during the mother's pregnancy and the baby's early years causes severe and irreversible mental and physical damage.

Bill Butz, president of the Population Reference Bureau, said the public often does not consider the deadly toll of malnutrition among children "because it does not kill young children directly, as does pneumonia or diarrhoea.

"Many of these deaths could be averted through nutrition measures that are known to be effective, often at low cost," Butz said.

"Malnutrition often increases susceptibility to disease, while ill health exacerbates poor nutrition," the report said. "For countries ravaged by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, malnutrition appears to increase vulnerability to infection and render retro viral treatments less effective."

Despite some important progress, the report said, about 30 per cent of children in low- and middle-income countries are underweight. The largest problems are in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

For example, almost half the children are underweight in some Indian states.

To improve nutrition In the short term, the report said, countries should begin monitoring and promoting growth, changing nutritional behaviour, improving communication with people at risk of malnutrition and introducing iodised salt.

Later they could establish community-based nutrition programs that target young children, adolescent girls and pregnant women.

Other highlights in the report:

-World population growth will continue. It is projected to rise to 9.3 billion by 2050 from 6.6 billion in 2007.

-Fertility rates may be rising again in some European countries where they have been on the wane. The number of children women are having is increasing in Italy, Spain and Sweden, among others.

-The prevalence of HIV/AIDS probably is lower than earlier estimated but remains an international crisis. More than 4 million people were newly infected in 2006.

-The international refugee population increased during 2006 to 9.9 million from 8.7 million. It attributed the increase in large part to Iraqis leaving for other countries, particularly to neighbouring Syria and Jordan.

Engaging India: A matter of national shame

2007-08-23T08:13:00.000-07:00

Financial Times
By Amy Yee, New Delhi correspondent

At a health centre in India’s Madhya Pradesh state, three-year-old Rajkumar clings to his mother, a woman named Anita whose youth is hinted at only when a smile cracks her weathered face. Rajkumar wails when his mother moves away slightly, standing by himself on the cot where she sits.

I am unsure whether he is crying for his mother or because it is painful to stand: his legs are matchstick thin – merely the width of two of my fingers. Rajkumar weights only 5.9 kg (13 pounds) when he should weigh 12 kg. His hair is brittle, light brown – another tell-tale sign of malnourishment.

Nearby, another mother looks on from amid the rows of cots lined up across the large room. She cradles her baby, whose head dwarfs his frail, doll-like body.

Severely malnourished children like Rajkumar and their mothers are sent to health centres like this one by government health workers who work, with assistance from Unicef, in surrounding villages at ”anganwadi” – half-day pre-schools where children are fed, immunised, weighed, and monitored. If left untreated, children at this stage are likely to die from infections that plague their weakened bodies. Indeed, more than half of all deaths among under-fives are linked to malnutrition, says the World Health Organisation.

At the health centres, launched by Unicef and the Madhya Pradesh state government a few years ago, mothers are counseled on nutrition and hygiene. At this town clinic in Shivpuri district, about five hours from Delhi by train, children and their mothers are fed and monitored for two weeks.

At an anganwadi in a small hamlet miles from the health centre, children sing cheerful songs and crowd the floor of a simple shack. There they eat a daily lunch prepared from local ingredients on a wood-burning hearth. Today it is a meal of soy, groundnuts, rice, potato, onion, mint, oil and salt. The anganwadi also acts as a resource centre for mothers: its walls bear posters with bright cartoons that warn of polio and anemia.

Government-run anganwadi have been in place for three decades. The network has been expanded as part of a national plan to improve children’s health. In recent years Unicef has stepped up its presence in landlocked Madhya Pradesh, or ”Middle State”, which has some of the worst levels of malnutrition among already alarming national numbers.

An astonishing 46.3 per cent of all children under the age of three in India are malnourished, and nearly 80 per cent are anemic, according to the government’s National Health and Family Survey of 2005-06. There has been marginal improvement since 1992-93, when 51 per cent of under-threes were underweight. But in Madhya Pradesh, figures have worsened from 55 per cent in 1998-1999 to 60 per cent in 2005-2006.

The statistics are stupefying given India’s ambition of becoming a global power. It is hard to take that aspiration seriously with almost half the country’s infants malnourished during critical years of cognitive and physical development. Even if Rajkumar lives to adulthood, he may be mentally and physically stunted. One wonders how India will reap the much-touted ”demographic dividend” of its youth where half of its 1.1bn population is under the age of 25.

Aid agencies say it is difficult to fund projects to combat the pervasive problem of malnutrition because of ’fatigue’ among donors. But India’s malnutrition ranks far worse than sub-Saharan Africa’s average rate of 27 per cent for children under the age of five, an ugly fact that rouses officials from complacency.

Manmohan Singh, India’s prime minister, condemned malnutrition as ”a matter of national shame” in his Independence Day address last week. Mr Singh ambitiously urged eradicating malnutrition in five years, and said communities must help ensure that corruption does not divert funds from the needy.

Of course, this is all much easier said then done. The challenges are starkly laid out during this visit to Madhya Pradesh. The state’s large population of 60m is scattered across thousands of villages with dirt roads and limited or no electricity, making them difficult and expensive for health workers to reach. Low literacy of 60 per cent makes it is hard to spread knowledge through pamphlets and posters.

Many mothers simply don’t know how to care for infants in the absence of adequate education. Only 55 per cent of mothers in Madhya Pradesh deliver in hospitals – though that’s an improvement from 26 per cent a few years ago – so most lack advice from healthcare professionals from the start. Anita, for example, says she didn’t know Rajkumar was malnourished in spite of his emaciated state.

Most rural diets are dominated by grain, which is inadequate for a growing child who needs protein, vitamins and minerals. Lunch at the anganwadi cannot compensate for a paltry diet at home.

But even if they have money, accessing better food is a major challenge for rural families. The nearest open-air markets are miles away and transport is not readily available. Supermarkets, so ubiquitous in the developed world, seem like a bizarre fantasy while standing among the low, mud-walled homes in this village in Shivapur.

Superstitions and taboos also are deeply ingrained in local culture. Anita admits she did not breastfeed her son in the first critical days after her birth because her mother-in-law discouraged her.

Yet there are glimmers of hope. Back at the town health centre, a casual labourer named Papku sits with his 10-month old son who is stricken with diarrhea. Sleeping next to the infant on the cot is Papku’s three-year-old son, Krishna, who was admitted to the centre a year ago weighing just 6 kg. After his parents were counseled on proper nutrition, Krishna’s weight has doubled to 12 kg (26.5 pounds) in a year. The boy looks robust and meaty although his father earns only Rs60 ($1.50) a day to support his family of six, which includes his wife and three young daughters.

Given his modest means why did Papku have five children? Papku matter-of-factly states that even after his eldest son was born, he wanted two sons in case one died. It is a jarring explanation. But the pragmatic answer reflects life for Papku and his family – and hundreds of millions like them across India.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007

Using village planning to address community problems

2007-08-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

A village planning initiative has been launched by the district administration in Guna, Madhya Pradesh, jointly with the UNICEF and NGOs. Institutional delivery has since improved; now, more girls go to schools; immunization levels have increased.
AT GUNA, Madhya Pradesh, it was meeting of a different kind; more than eighty village facilitators, supporting village planning initiatives in the district of Guna in the State of Madhya Pradesh, were at Guna block headquarters to share their experience in helping the children and women of the district.

Village planning initiative is a process initiated by the district administration and UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) with the support of NGOs (non-government organizations), in Guna. It is based on engaging the community, using the norms of participatory rural appraisal techniques. As part of the process, social maps were prepared to assess the distribution of the available resources in the villages. Household and family surveys were then conducted to collect basic information about the village, the community and the needs of children, primarily in the areas of health, education, nutrition, drinking water and sanitation in addition to information on socio-economic conditions.

Using the said information as the basis, the community groups prepared village plans for presentation and approval in a special Gram Sabha or village meeting. Sunil Raghuvansahi, a facilitator, who works in Aaron block of Guna district with a non-government organization, sees his role as that of one which can help has-ten the pace of social development. Basanti Pant, another village facilitator, who works in Sungahwasa, Piproda village and the hamlet of Chak Dingahwas of Guna block explained the process and how she, along with other members of her community, were able to sort out the issues and concerns of the villagers. ‘This is important, if one has to solve the problem of the community; the community needs to come together; then only we can resolve the concern facing the community at village level’, she adds. She sees the change happening. Institutional delivery is increasing, more girls are going to school and immunization levels have increased. Electricity and water scarcity are still a challenge which needs to be addressed.

Ladbai, a friend of Basanti Pant and another facilitator helping in the ‘process of social change’ for five Gram Panchayats of Raghogarh block in the same district, says that it is not only the community members, but the Sarpanch, members of the service delivery system like auxiliary nurses, midwives and anganwadi workers who are actively involved, so they can respond to the needs and wishes of the people. She proudly says, ‘now we have all the information with us - like how many children need to be immunized; how many women are pregnant, etc. Similarly Hemlata Sharma, who works in Raghograh block, talks about her experience; on how she got many girls into school and on how she got 18 toilets constructed at her village. ‘We are a link between the district administration and the community and help the community monitor services’, adds Mukesh Kumar Chandel, who works in Chachoda block, while explaining his role as facilitator.

These facilitators use tools like community-monitoring chart for the various services provided at the village level. ‘Any change, however small, which benefits children and women is important, as it contributes to saving the lives of children and women, and you are a contributor to that change’ said UNICEF’s Planning Officer Veena Bandyopadhyaya, while interacting with these facilitators.

The intensive process has helped increase the engagement between community members, NGOs and the district delivery system and support the State in strengthening its implementation of the initiative for women and children. Micro-plans for all the villages in Guna are ready and the district response team has worked out an action plan which is responding to the needs of the community. These village facilitators have worked out the following four-point action plan to hasten the pace of work in the district:

(1) To periodically review village plans with the various stakeholders, namely the Sarpanch, Secretary of the Panchayat, Anganwadi worker, school teacher, ANM and others.

(2)To support progressive community-monitoring by using various charts jointly with the members of the community.

(3)Collate accurate village-level statistics in the areas of concern and use the same to advise people at the village level during the block and district task force meetings.

(4)‘Their problem first’: community problems rank first and to help in addressing the said problems, the village facilitators will promote community-level dialogue, listen to the problems and concerns of the community first and help in the redress of the problems.

Anil Gulati

Regional Consultation Meet: Rights of the Child discussed

2007-08-18T04:54:00.000-07:00

With an aim of inviting suggestions to prepare the report on Convention on the Rights of the Child, a consultation meet was organised in Bhopal. The meet was attended by representatives of various organisations of national and state level repute.
A THREE-DAY REGIONAL consultation meet for preparation of India’s country report on the Convention on the Rights of the Child was recently held at Bhopal. This was second such meeting organised by Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, wherein first one was held at Chandigarh. More than 50 civil society and state partners from states like Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh participated in the consultation. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is an international treaty signed by Government of India in year 1992. It is also a legal binding international instrument, incorporating the full range of human rights—civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights.

The Convention sets out these rights in 54 articles and two Optional Protocols to which India is signatory and these are for the benefit of children. The four core principles of the Convention are non-discrimination; devotion to the best interests of the child; the right to life, survival and development; and respect for the views of the child. Dr Hamid El Bashir, State Representative, UNICEF office for Madhya Pradesh, participating in the meet said that society needs to lead the change process and could lead the thinking of the government as well. Children have unmet rights in Madhya Pradesh and we need a holistic approach when we talk about child’s rights. We need to create a mass movement around children for making that happen. Madhya Pradesh state needs to strengthen the child rights monitoring and take into account child views when we decide for children view. When we decide not to include children in fact we are missing important members of the society.

Karuna Bishnoi, Communication Officer, UNICEF Delhi who was participating in the meet spoke on the need of taking views of children into account and also increase our understanding of many issues which have got reflected at the consultation so that suitable recommendations can be provided. She said that India will be reporting for the first time on the Optional Protocols on children affected by armed conflict and sale of children, may be we need to understand the context better and provide suitable suggestions. Razia Ismail Abbasi, Co-Convenor of India Alliance for Child Rights, a national network of non governmental organisation working for child rights who participated in the workshop said that we need to invest more in children and young people and it is an investment not just the welfare.

Issue of ’defining the age of a child’ in India came up in the meeting. As per ’Convention on the Rights of the Child article one, anyone below 18 is considered a child. Whereas Indian laws like juvenile justice, child labour etc. differ on the age parameters.

Participants suggested that we should work towards making ‘18 years age’ a common parameter for defining a child, under all Indian laws. They also proposed that there is a need of strengthening of implementation of the various laws and policies besides engaging communities in implementation. “There is need of increasing awareness not only amongst communities but also among implementers,” added a participant from Maharashtra.

Representatives of World Vision, Plan International, and Child Line Foundation along with others contributed various suggestions for the report. Non-governmental organisations from Madhya Pradesh namely Aarambh, Oasis, Madhya Pradesh Samaj Sewa Sanstha, Madhya Pradesh Voluntary Health Association, Vikas Samvad, Janshas, National Institute of Women Youth and Child Development contributed from the state perspective. C K Reejonia, Under Secretary, Women and Child Development Department, Government of India; Representatives from Women and Child Development, Education and Social Justice from the state and Women and Child Development Maharashtra also participated in the meeting.

Immunisation need of the hour : Workshop gets under way

2007-08-06T18:58:00.000-07:00

Bhopal, Aug 6: 'Need is to change at grassroots and you can inspire that change', Dr Hamid El Bashir State Representative UNICEF Office for Madhya Pradesh said while addressing District Immunisation Officers and others present from twenty four districts of the state in inaugural of three day Routine Immunisation workshop.

He added that though State of Madhya Pradesh has indicators, which are low, and have problems of delivery of services to the people at the village level. But he added that change is possible, imminent and is near. We need to strengthen monitoring, engage communities and support behaviour change. He added that UNICEF is committed to that change and suggested a five-point mechanism which can help bring in that change.

The points according to hims are 1. Identify pockets that are hard to reach which have low performance indicators, 2. Need to identify, difficult to reach populations in the above identified pockets, 3. To Increase focus on urban slums, 4. To strengthen monitoring system and database management and 5. To adopt a campaign that can build an enabling atmosphere of change by engaging civil society partners.

Dr Naresh Goyal Assistant Commissioner Government of India while opening the meeting stressed on the importance of immunisation. He said that Government of India had reviewed progress of routine immunisation in the year 2004 and all the recommendations that were suggested in that review were agreed by the Government in the year 2005. All efforts are being put both by Centre and State and in case still we are not reaching may be we need to look into it. He spoke on the need of strengthening reporting and accuracy of the reported data, which is very important. He added that ten districts in Madhya Pradesh have low routine immunisation indicators, but there are examples of districts which are doing well.

This is first of the series of the initiatives, Dr Gagan Gupta, Health Specialist with UNICEF office for Madhya Pradesh. He added that this training will not only look at the elements of strengthening routine immunisation, but will also look into the issue of adverse events following Immunisation and issue of the database.

Dr Yogiraj Sharma, Director Public Health, while addressing the participants said that we must use this training an opportunity to improve. We need to follow a bottom up approach and not only plan better, deliver better and also ensure timely reporting. Dr Balwinder of WHO, Dr Vijay Kiran of 'Immunisation Basics, Dr A N Mittal Joint Director RCH Directorate of Health Services, Dr Jayshree Chandra, Deputy Director, Child Health, Directorate of health services were also present.

Breast feed newborn for healthy development, says Minister

2007-07-31T19:35:00.000-07:00

The Pioneer, Aug 1, 2007

Minister for Woman and Child Development Kusum Mehdele has urged the expectant mothers on the occasion of World Breast Feeding Week, which began on Tuesday, to breast feed their newborn within an hour of their birth for their all round development. She said that mothers' milk during the first few days helps increase immunity and promotes growth of the child.

It may be mentioned that several programmes are being organised by the Woman and Child Development Department in cooperation of UNICEF, CARE and Breast Feeding Promotion Network of India to mark the 16th Breast Feeding Week which is being observed from August 1 to 7 in the State.

A pilot project prepared by the department is being implemented in 30 hospitals of Bhopal during the World Breast Feeding Week. Under the project, 46 college girl students and 14 supervisors of the department would highlight the importance of breast feeding within an hour after the delivery to the expectant mothers and would encourage its practise. Director WCD Kalpana Shrivastava throwing light on the project said that such campaign would be launched in all the districts of the State on the basis of its success. She further stated that the women will have to accept the breast feeding as the most important foundation step for the child development.

Breast Feeding Promotion Network of India State coordinator Dr Sheela Bhambal mentioned that the milk secreted by mothers during the first few days, which is called colostrum transmits life to the baby. This initiative could control infant mortality rate to a greater extent. State representative UNICEF Hamid El Bashir said that the first three years after the birth are critical in the development of the child and during this period various capabilities are largely determined in the child.

Cast away: No takers for these Dalit snake charmers

2007-07-30T07:47:00.000-07:00

Suchandana Gupta,Times of India, July 29, 2007

HOSHANGABAD: While most other boys his age jump at the sight of a cat, six-year-old Khemchand Sapera helps his dad catch poisonous snakes. Too young and feeble to lift a python, Khemchand can, however, give a free demonstration of how to catch a live cobra. You would think he's a local hero, idolised by neighbourhood boys. On the contrary, Khemchand is shooed away by them as they cry out calling him an "untouchable".

If you thought untouchability has lost its grip, here's a reality check — it's being practised, and not by the upper castes only.

Just 20 metres from National Highway 12 and 170 km from Bhopal near Rani Pipariya village in Hoshangabad district resides a community of snake charmers. Considered one of the lowest among Dalits, even other sects of the Dalit community do not mix with them. "We cannot even reside in the main village and have to live at least 200 metres away from rest of the society," said Mallunath Sapera, an elderly member of the community.

"Although they might be pushed to one corner, other Dalit communities are permitted to at least live inside the villages. But no one will accept us. The Kathiars, Charmkars and Meras are also scheduled castes, but they don't touch us. At weddings, we sit to eat with animals. As for the upper castes, we go stand in front of their houses during Nag Panchmi festival and they throw us a rupee or two. We still cannot enter the temples, our children cannot go to school and politically we have no power since we are less in numbers," said Mallunath.

Hoshangabad district has only 1,200 members of the Sapera community, while Madhya Pradesh has less than 25,000 families. Every successive government in the state has formulated policies and spent thousands of crores for the uplift of the Dalit community, but nothing seems to have reached this group.

In January 2002, the then Digvijay Singh-led Congress government had announced its Dalit agenda and claimed to distribute thousands of acres of government land among Dalits — nothing reached the Saperas of Rani Pipariya.

The successive Uma Bharati government promised a new Dalit policy and the current Shivraj Singh Chauhan administration called a Dalit panchayat in the CM's official residence. But life has hardly changed for Khemchand and his brother Tulsiram (5), who still go with their father to catch snakes in the morning because other students refuse to study with them and there is nothing else they can do.

An average Sapera family in Rani Pipariya earns about Rs 35-50 a day. Though they have BPL cards, they don't have the Rs 120 required to fetch the rations. Snake charming, their only source of livelihood, is also under "threat". "The forest department takes away our snakes and puts us behind bars. They say catching snakes is a crime. But how do we live? We have no other means of livelihood. No one even stepped into our village till six years ago when our names were included for the first time in the electoral list," said Chandabai, mother of eight children.

Fearing the police and forest departments, Chandabai sends her children with the snakes to the villages. "The police don't lock-up children. So we depend mostly on our children to do the earning