Odishatv Bureau

Jajpur: The heartbreaking story of Kamali Pradhan, 3-year-old from upper Nagada area of the industrial town of Jajpur, says it all. At a time when the kid should revel in the bliss and beauty of childhood, burden of undernourishment haunts her making her powerless. A mouthful of watered rice, a bit of saag is all that she and her three siblings hungrily gulp down.  What makes things worse is that her parents Kanduria Pradhan and Turi Pradhan are unable to take her to the hospital for treatment.

This is not a case in isolation but such cases prevail in all of Nagada, an area that languishes in the shadow of development, on a hilly terrain close to a hub of  industrial development in Jajpur.

Just a year ago, the situation was no different when multiple child deaths due to malnutrition shocked the entire nation. As many as 19 children died in a span of a month or two. The news made headlines not only in the state but throughout the world. Government officials, political leaders soon flocked the area to assess the situation and made big promises to change the grief stricken area. Several developmental reforms were announced by the government ever since, but all in vain.

The condition of children here still remains the same. Despite roads, clean drinking water, provision of egg and BPL rice, light and medical care which were incorporated into the three Nagadas, failed to get into the mindset of people – all uneducated and averse to change. With the condition at present, apprehensions of child deaths due to malnutrition or negligence in healthcare cannot be ruled out.

“We don’t have access to BPL rice and even though it has been a year since we had applied for BPL cards we are yet to get it,” Hira Pradhan, a resident of upper Nagada said.

On the other hand administration says the locals resist changes in their way of living. “We are trying to make people aware about their health; ways of living but however hard we may try people here are not changing,” Champabati Jarika, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Supervisor said.

A ground zero report by OTV on Wednesday found government vehicles making a beeline to the place. Still, as many as 10 children were found struggling with malnutrition at a time when a four-month-old son of Brahma Pradhan had also died a couple of months back.

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