The Bombay High Court on Wednesday came down heavily on the Maharashtra government for its “extremely casual” approach towards tackling malnutrition in the state’s tribal-dominated Melghat region, where 65 infants between the ages of zero and six months have reportedly died since June this year.
A bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Sandesh Patil described the situation as “horrific” and said the state should be “worried and concerned” about the continuing deaths of children due to malnutrition.
“This is horrific. The government should be worried and concerned. Sixty-five infants have died from June till now. You should be worried. Just as we are concerned, you all should be too,” the bench observed.
The court was hearing a batch of public interest litigations (PILs) highlighting the recurring deaths of children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers in Melghat, located in Amravati district of eastern Maharashtra.
Expressing dismay that the issue has persisted for nearly two decades, the bench noted, “We have been passing orders on this issue since 2006, but while the government claims that everything is in order on paper, the ground reality is different. This shows the seriousness you have on the issue. The approach is extremely casual.”
Taking a serious view of the matter, the High Court directed the principal secretaries of the public health, tribal affairs, women and child development, and finance departments to remain personally present before it on November 24.
“This is a very sorry state of affairs. The issue of public health is being taken so lightly by the government,” the bench remarked, adding that accountability mechanisms must be put in place to prevent such tragedies.
The court also directed the officials to file affidavits detailing the steps taken so far to combat malnutrition in the region.
During the hearing, the bench suggested that doctors posted in remote tribal areas like Melghat should be paid higher salaries or incentives to encourage them to serve in such difficult conditions.
“There has to be some accountability. You need to have some mechanism,” the court emphasized.
The case will now be heard on November 24, when the state officials are expected to present a detailed status report on the government’s actions and policies to address malnutrition in Melghat.
