In the month of June-July there were equally lot of reports about the starvation deaths in Manatu block of Palamau district in Jharkhand state. Here the administration went to the extent of threatening the media person to the extent of foisting case for bringing wrong information. Infact the real fact was that in the entire village which was surveyed, it was found only one household had 2 kg of rice and rest of them had just nothing to eat. Naturally with these kind of starvations and the responsible administrations closing their eyes and being blind to the people's sufferings what is expected to happen to the poor is nothing but death.

Time and again it is seen primarily the governments be it center or the state donot want to owe any moral and social responsibility for droughts and deaths due to hunger pangs. It is time and again seen that government immediately give statement saying that the deaths are due to ill health and not due to hunger. But everybody is aware the illhealth of diarrohea is occurring simply because they are eating roots and already their fragile body is unable to cope with the deteriorated health and this leads to their deaths. Recurrent drought breaks the food chain of the poor . Lack of purchasing power on their part and food scarcity drives them to alternative forms of food for survival. In several villages we work in Jharkhand atleast 2-3 months in a year the villagers survive on the root called Gheta. Sometimes these roots tend to be poisonous or it disturbs their fragile health system leading to recurrent bouts of diarrohea. Since there is no health system in place to treat the general public it ultimately leads to untimely death.

So far no government ever comes on its own and declares that in its state people are affected by drought and the extreme form being the hunger deaths.
It is always the media which projects the hunger deaths and then only the administration is woken up from its slumber. Why cannot there be mechanism in which the continued drought situations which are sure indicators for the suffereings of the people. Why cannot the government have emergency plans in place in extreme situation rather than waiting for couple of people to die due to hunger and then start the measures ?

In healthy democracy atleast the opposition needs to be alert to such situations. But strangely enough the hue and cry made for non-entities are strangely missing when it comes to issues affecting the human lives.

The center which needs to be responsible and sensible is quick to catch the states on the wrong foot on issues such as drought and huger deaths if the state is ruled by opposition parties. Now the center has come out strongly and confirmed that the deaths in Rajasthan are due to huger and drought. But why was the center quiet when the similar deaths were reported in Jharkhand in July this year ?

This means the common public have to keep their fingers crossed and they will not know when they will be showered with petal and when with brickbats for no fault of theirs.

It seems nobody is really serious on such impending and recurring catastrophes . Though the vagarancy of nature is not in our hands but definitely planning for the people is in our hands. While there are abundant stories of grains being rotten and wasted away to the rodents in the central food granaries why immediate relief measures are not taken for the succour of the poor ?

It is estimated that 320 million people in India are facing starvation . In contrast it is said that 65 million tones of foodgrains are rotting in government godowns. The much fancied grain bank scheme of central government is bogged down by redtapism and bureaucracy as it is to be managed by government with no local say.

The only answer is the civil society needs to wakeup from its slumber. It needs to devise its own system of food security as it used to happen in the earlier days. The concept of the grain golas and the community management of the grain golas should be taken up irrespective of drought or non-drought situations. Even the Self help groups can play a greater role in this. In Singhbhum district in Jharkhand the effective role played by the SHG during one drought season had saved many families in the village from migration and starvation. The group which was involved in paddy procurement during the season and selling it off for higher gains during non-season had given paddy loan to number of affected families in the village which helped them to survive the severe drought.

The governments owe moral responsibility and need to answer the needs of the people in the right earnest otherwise they have no right to rule the state and the country.

While the Supreme court has given the ruling on Right to Food but on the other end the states are flagarantly violating the rules the Supreme court needs to take suomuto action for contempt of court by the states.

*Mrs.Sunanda K.S.
Executive Secretary, Alternative For India Development, Chennai, Ph: 044-6272336/6272340/6490014, e mail:aidindia@giasmd01.vsnl.net.in