Researcher Ravi Sankar Behera said shortage of food grains (rice) forced the women to consume mango kernel gruel.

Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: In the wake of Mandipanka incident in which two women died after consuming mango kernel gruel, food rights activists have demanded modification of PDS guidelines and provisioning families having no means of sustenance with more free grain supplies along with pulses.

The activists demanded that the state government should immediately undertake a survey to identify food insecure families and bring some changes in the guideline to prioritise families which depend on free supply of food grains.

“The food grain distribution under PDS must be monthly and on a regular basis and each right-holder needs to be provided with 12 kg of food grain along with cooking oil and dal. Doorstep delivery of food grains should be undertaken in the remote villages,” they demanded.

Addressing mediapersons, activist and environmentalist Prafulla Samantara said the state government cannot escape from the situation that arose due to delay in PDS supply by just stating that mango kernel was a traditional food for tribals.

“Mango kernel is termed as a traditional food only to hide food scarcity and abject poverty. Since the state has got a tribal chief minister after a long time, we hope he accepts the food crisis among tribal communities and directs his officials to identify all people living with food scarcity,” he said. A four-member fact-finding team of Odisha Khadya Adhikar Abhiyan and the Civil Society Forum on Human Rights (CSFHR) had visited Mandipanka village to ascertain the reasons behind consuming fungus-infected kernels.

Researcher Ravi Sankar Behera said shortage of food grains (rice) forced the women to consume mango kernel gruel. “The subsidised rice of 5 kg per person to marginal families is insufficient as they eat primarily rice three times a day. The daily dietary diversity is limited. Carbohydrates form the major food component. Proteins and fats are minimal or non-existent,” he said.

The team also found that there is limited or no work opportunity in the village for which most men go to other states such as Kerala to work in factories, quarries, hotels, construction sites, rubber plantation and beer bars.

“Most of the families in the village are living under abject poverty with little or no liquid cash. The incident highlights Kandhamal district’s food insecurity, and people suffer from endemic and chronic hunger,” pointed out Behera.

Published Date: November 17, 2024