KOZHIKODE: Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram said that negligence and lapses on the part of state government was responsible for the death of the new-born twins of a tribal couple from Wayanad on Thursday.
The minister who visited the house of the couple Sumathi and Balan at Edathil tribal colony at Valad on Saturday told mediapersons that the Centre would seek a report from the state government on the issue.
"I can clearly say that the family suffered this loss due to negligence and lapses on the part of the state tribal development department. It is very unfortunate," he said.
Oram said that the doctors who had treated Sumathi told him that malnutrition was responsible for the death of the new-born babies. While one baby, weighing 780g, died hours after delivery at the Institute of Maternal and Child Health (IMCH) at the Kozhikode Medical College hospital on Thursday night, the other baby, which weighed 1.2kg, had an intrauterine death.
He added that Sumathi had not received the benefits of the Janani Suraksha Yojana scheme meant to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality and there were lapses in providing timely medical care.
Later, speaking at a press conference in Mananthavady, Oram said that he would send a team of officials to make a comprehensive enquiry into the utilisation of tribal funds provided by the Centre to the state and various other issues faced by tribals.
"The successive governments in the state have failed to effectively utilize the crores of rupees allotted by the Centre for welfare of tribals. The state government has failed to implement the project to provide agricultural land to tribals," he added.
The minister had earlier in the morning visited Sumathi who is currently under treatment at the IMCH in Kozhikode.
The living standards of tribals had become a hot-button issue in the state following the controversy over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement comparing the lives of the tribal people in Attapadi to that of people in Somalia.
Rajeev is the Special Correspondent with The Times of India in Ko...
Read MoreRajeev is the Special Correspondent with The Times of India in Kozhikode. He has 10 years’ experience in journalism. He was with The New Indian Express and with the information department at Ras-al-Khaimah before joining TOI. He handles the education and the politics beat.
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