BY the time these lines were written, the death toll of children in Balaghat due to malnutrition, malaria, and vomiting-diarrhoea had reached 33. We hope that this figure does not rise further. Yet, in the eyes of Manuvadi governments, are tribals anything more than mere statistics? Had that been the case, the situation would not have been so dire. However, this state of affairs did not arise overnight; the deaths of these innocent children are the direct result of the BJP state government’s anti-poor and anti-tribal policies. Consequently, even as the situation deteriorated, the government and the administration were busy trying to conceal and deny the facts.

When news of the deaths of 19 tribal children first appeared in newspapers on August 17, the administration flatly denied it, claiming that only eight children had died. Yet, hospital records and the grieving families in villages—where the sounds of children’s laughter had been silenced—bore witness to the tragedy, even as the BJP government and its administration attempted to downplay the death toll.

It is here that the criminal and murderous attitude of Dr. Mohan Yadav’s BJP government stands exposed. While the government claimed the situation was improving, hospital conditions revealed that a 50-bed facility was housing over 150 children. Official data indicated that 17 per cent of children under the age of five in Balaghat district were malnourished. Furthermore, 36 per cent of children in this age group in the district had heights well below the average, and 33 per cent were underweight. Yet, the government maintained that tribal people were unwilling to seek treatment at government hospitals.

OFFICIAL DATA EXPOSES BJP GOVERNMENT

Government figures indicated that the situation in Balaghat was the worst in the state. In 2022, Balaghat alone accounted for 50 per cent of the state’s total malaria cases. The situation worsened the following year, with Balaghat recording 51.5 per cent of all malaria cases. By 2024, the scenario had become even more alarming, with Balaghat accounting for 57 per cent of the total cases. Instead of improving the actual situation, the government was preoccupied with manipulating the statistics. It was claimed that in 2025, malaria cases reduced to 30 percent in Balaghat. Deaths of 33 children so far have laid bare the reality. It was the height of the BJP government’s brazenness to claim that the situation had improved—but how? Their own government’s data was exposing the hollowness of these claims. Regarding ‘Take Home Ration’ (THR), the situation is such that pregnant women, lactating mothers and children have not received this ration for the past six months. The government claims that malaria cases are declining, yet mosquito nets have not been distributed in tribal areas for the last five years. Under ‘Mission Poshan 2’, pregnant women, lactating mothers and children up to five years of age should receive nutritional supplements for at least 300 days a year to combat malnutrition. However, reports from Madhya Pradesh’s 97,000 Anganwadi centres indicate that nutritional supplements are being distributed for a maximum of only 170 days—falling short of the ‘Mission Poshan 2’ benchmark by 130 days. Can malnutrition be eradicated by keeping people hungry? Yet, this is precisely what the BJP government is doing in Balaghat and Madhya Pradesh. 

In reality, the provision of nutritional supplements amounts to mocking the poor or rubbing salt into their wounds. Under the ‘Mission Poshan 2’ budget, the allocation for pregnant and lactating women is Rs.9.50. Nutritional support for malnourished children must be arranged for a mere Rs 8, while the budget for severely malnourished child is Rs 12. Is it possible to provide a balanced and nutritious meal within this budget?

The situation is further compounded by the closure of nutritional food supply plants across seven districts—reportedly due to financial losses. Regardless of the reason, the government’s nutrition program is falling victim to corruption, while tribal children are facing death. According to the National Family Health Survey-6, the proportion of underweight children under the age of five in Madhya Pradesh has risen from 35 per cent to 42 per cent.

REPRIMAND FROM HIGH COURT 

By September 9, the death toll among children had reached 27. Four hundred children were being treated across just 50 beds—an average of eight children per bed. Clearly, this setup fostered the spread of infection rather than facilitating treatment. Consequently, a division bench of the Jabalpur High Court sharply criticised the government. Justices Vivek Rusia and Pradeep Mittal expressed their displeasure, asking how many more deaths would have to occur before the government conducted a survey of the area. The extent of the government’s efforts can be gauged by the fact that the disease, initially confined to five villages, has now engulfed 50 villages and claimed the lives of 33 children. All these children were tribal—specifically, members of the Baiga tribe.

The severity of the outbreak is such that 50 out of 64 samples tested positive for malaria. Diarrhoea is so widespread that the administration itself has acknowledged the presence of 13,406 patients suffering from vomiting, loose motions and fever across these 50 villages. In Balaghat district, one in every four children is malnourished; out of approximately 500,000 children under the age of five, 125,000 are malnourished. There are 7,711 severely malnourished children who require immediate medical attention.

COLLAPSE OF HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE

When a delegation from CITU visited the affected villages, they discovered a complete absence of piped water schemes; tribal residents were forced to drink contaminated water from rivers and streams. Furthermore, positions for Anganwadi workers remain vacant, with some workers having retired a year ago. There are no ASHA or Usha workers appointed in the hamlets and small settlements. In the absence of Anganwadi centers, where will nutrition come from, and without ASHA or Usha workers, how will primary medical aid be provided? In middle schools, a single teacher is teaching students ranging from classes one to eight. In Birsa block alone, 551 children are severely malnourished.

 Another reality is that nutritional food processing plants in seven districts remain shut. The state’s Health Minister—who also serves as the Deputy Chief Minister—has announced that a team of 60 doctors has been dispatched to bring the situation in Balaghat under control. By doing so, the government has implicitly admitted that there was previously a shortage of doctors and other medical staff in the area. But what will this achieve? The BJP government is intent on dismantling the public health infrastructure to facilitate unchecked profiteering by the mafias active in the health sector. According to the state government’s portal, 5,443 posts for specialists have been sanctioned in the state, yet 3,571 of these remain vacant. This means the state is grappling with a 66 per cent shortage of specialists. Instead of addressing this issue, the government is announcing plans to privatise healthcare and operate community health centres, hospitals and medical colleges under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.

DIRE SITUATION ACROSS STATE

However, child deaths due to malnutrition are not limited to Balaghat alone; the situation is similar in other districts of the state, though reports from those areas have been overshadowed by the alarming conditions in Balaghat. In August alone, a 16-month-old girl died of malnutrition in Salaiya Parmar village, Datia district. She weighed 5.2 kg, whereas she should have weighed 10 kg. A subsequent survey of the village revealed that six children in this small village were severely malnourished.

The Baiga are a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), for whose protection the government runs numerous schemes. Yet, the ground reality is that they have neither received land rights (pattas) for forest land nor are they receiving wages for labour under MGNREGA anymore.

Subsequently, in early September, four tribal children died in Shivpuri district; two of them belonged to the same family. During the same period, reports emerged of three children dying due to contaminated water in Mhow (Dr. Ambedkar Nagar), Indore district. This illustrates that the tragedy of these deaths is not confined to Balaghat; it is prevalent across the state, silencing the joyful sounds of children in households.

Most reprehensible is the conduct of the BJP government led by Dr. Mohan Yadav. When compelled to visit the area following the public outcry, he addressed the families of the deceased tribal children, announced compensation of Rs.2 lakh per family, and then asked the tribal people to applaud.

GROWING PROTEST

On September 23, the Madhya Pradesh Adivasi Ekta Mahasabha and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) submitted a 12-point memorandum to the District Collector, holding the BJP state government responsible for the 33 deaths in Balaghat. Amidst pouring rain, the protest was led by CPI(M) State Secretary Jaswinder Singh, Adivasi Ekta Mahasabha leader Ramnarayan Kurariya, and the CITU State Working President, who is also the General Secretary of the Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union Kishori Verma, CITU Additional General Secretary A.T. Padmanabhan, CPI(M) District Secretary Santosh Mandalwar, CITU District President Y.R. Bisen, and farmer leader Bhupendra Patle addressed the gathering. Prior to this, tribal organisations had also registered their protest.