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- "THE INVISIBLE HALF " Witness the paradox in our country, where although the stock market hascrossed 19000 points ,
inflation is under control, the economic growth rate is climbing,but
almost one ,in every two children ,under three years of age is hungry.
This is the invisible
half of our population, who are away from our sight until they die in
large numbers when only the media wakes up and shouts " and the
government rattled by tough questions , adopt some remedial measures
, and soon life reverts to "normal", or, more aptly to this abnormal
state of affairs .
We have the report from Kalpana Sharma , in " India Together" about
the visit of MPs to one Dapcheri village,in Thane District
(near Mumbai). Summary below:Some children dressed in their Sunday best along with
their mothers gathered in front of the local panchayat office, to
meet '' them'' . They were young Members of Parliament cutting across
party lines, forming part of '' CITIZEN''S ALLIANCE AGAINST
MALNUTRITION'', .These women who accompanied the children , had come
hoping the visits by "dignitaries" to poor villages, would find some
relief. Speaking on behalf of the women assembled she instead of
complaining about lack of food, etc., simply asked ''give us work.''
Everybody else who spoke later also said ,'' we need work
first..''The majority were landless, or with minuscule landholdings.
They get work roughly for three months in a year , in the rice fields
and their daily wages is around Rs. 35, (well below the minimum
wage). In other times , For working elsewhere distant from their
residence they were obliged to take their children , leaving only
old people behind.
Despite this , they organised 12 "bachat
gaths" (self-help groups of 11 women each) where each woman saves
between Rs. 20 to 50 monthly.. A woman is entitled to an annual
loan, around Rs. 10,000. This is used for daily expenses
mostly,leaving a very few adventurous to invest in livestock,like a
goat or so . Many viewed this investment as as risks by bitter
experience of some..
The young children get a meal,
in Anganwadi., It is sub-contracted to one of these self-help groups
hoping that the children get good quality food. In Maharashtra, this
system appears to have worked. But still hasn’t dealt with
malnutrition, which is almost 40 per cent in children .Although they
get a good dose of carbohydrate , a mixture of broken wheat, oil and
jaggery, the rest of the essential nutrients needed for growth, such
as vitamins and proteins, is absent in the meal they eat at
home.,.So, despite genuine efforts, , mal nourishment is "normal" in a
village like Dapcheri.The majority suffer mild to moderate grade of
malnourishment., leaving a small number having "normal" weight
for their age. So most of the children who are already on the edge of
malnutrition.,stand exposed to mortality even from a small disease..
Such hunger and poverty in a metropolis like Mumbai with" plenty" is
an obscenity ,and disturbing to find most of the women and many of
the young girls were completely unlettered. While the women were proud
of their savings groups, they admitted that their illiteracy made them
open to exploitation., who as the case of a woman woman lost all
her savings of Rs. 50,000 because she could not read the contents
of the paper, where she had affixed her thumb impressions .
The real dilemma is , the contradictions
existing in so many villages. Government programmes, such as promotion
of self-help groups, have mobilised women,.and are supposed to empower
them. But in most places, the hierarchies remain untouched,.This mai-baap
relationship of dependence, of patronage, runs counter to any concept
of empowerment . The women have resigned to their lot as their fate.
The visit of the MPs only exposed what is
already known,but the charts in most anganwadis are "optimistic",
about weight of the children attending them. Yet the fundamental issue
of the crisis in the rural economy, of which undernourished children
are a symptom, remains unaddressed. -