The Supreme Court on Friday sought responses from the Centre and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes on a plea urging nationwide measures to enhance the health of India’s tribal population. A bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and Augustine George Masih issued notices and scheduled the matter for hearing after four weeks.
The plea, filed by Dr. Ashish Satav, president of NGO MAHAN Trust, along with another petitioner, highlights the urgent need for targeted health interventions for tribal communities across India. Represented by advocate Ranu Purohit, the petitioners emphasized the trust’s extensive work in Melghat, Maharashtra, where free medical care and health services have been provided to tribal populations for years.
The petition details the health challenges faced by tribal communities and proposes specific, evidence-backed solutions, including home-based child care, community-based management of severe malnutrition, mortality control programs for economically productive age groups, and public-private partnerships in the health sector.
Notably, several of these initiatives have already been successfully implemented in Maharashtra, largely due to interventions by the Bombay High Court in various Public Interest Litigations (PILs) concerning tribal welfare. The petitioners now seek a pan-India rollout of these programs, arguing that they have demonstrated significant success at the state level.
The plea further claims that between 2015 and 2023, multiple discussions took place between MAHAN Trust and government officials to expand these health programs nationally. Despite these efforts and repeated representations, the petitioners allege that no substantial action has been taken.
Highlighting systemic issues, the plea criticizes the non-utilization of funds allocated for tribal development and points to a lack of coordination among government agencies. This, the petitioners argue, has led to arbitrary and unequal distribution of welfare benefits, violating the constitutional rights to equality and a dignified life.
The petitioners have urged the Supreme Court to direct the authorities to consider and implement their recommendations on a national scale, aiming to uplift the health standards of tribal communities across India.
