Now motorable road to malnutrition-hit Nagada village

Jajpur: The Odisha Food Commission chairman today lauded the Jajpur district administration for laying a motorable road to Nagada village, where about 21 children had died last year allegedly due to malnutrition.

The children of the tribal-dominated village had died last year in the absence of medical facilities. The incident had hogged the headlines causing an outrage and the state government drawing flak from all quarters.

OFC chairman Rangalal Jamuda reviewed the progress of several social welfare schemes like ration, livelihood, agriculture, horticulture, education, health and drinking water facilities being undertaken by the district administration for the village.

Jamuda was accompanied by Jajpur district Collector Ranjan Kumar Das, member secretary of the Commission, Rajashree Mohanty, member Sipra Mallik, Jajpur ADM Bikash Chandra Mohapatra, sub collector Narayan Chandra Dhal and other officials.

He stressed on availability of potable water, pucca house, provision of land patta and education of the tribal villagers.

He appreciated the initiative taken by the district administration to connect the hilltop village with a motorable road.

"Though we have laid a motorable road up to Nagada hilltop, still lot of work needs to be done. The road would be later on handed over to the Road and Bridge department as per the instruction of the government," said Jajpur collector Ranjan Kumar Das.

The district administration has started construction of three Anganwadi centres at Nagada village and "three ponds will be dug under MGNREA to store water," Das said.

He said the district administrations was thinking of multiple measures on how to change the behavioural attitude of the tribals residing in Nagada.

"We are thinking of providing some training to the villagers to achieve this objective," Das added.