Hundreds of tribal residents gheraoed Maharashtra tribal development minister Vishnu Sawra at his residence, on Saturday for over three hours to protest alleged apathy of the government towards malnutrition among children in the district.
The tribals reached the minister’s residence in Wada taluka in the early hours and started shouting slogans against Mr Sawra, who is also the guardian minister of the district. The protesters, under the banner of Shramjivi Sanghatana, alleged that the minister is not paying attention to malnourished children and sought an explanation from him.
Mr Sawra, who had earlier reportedly said that there were no malnourished children in Palghar, admitted that there were such children who needed attention and medical assistance. The police reached the site after the commotion heightened and Shramjivi Sanghatana leader Vivek Pandit was called to the minister’s house, following which a detailed discussion was held on the issue.
The agitators spoke against the Centre’s decision to discontinue the village child development centres (VCDC) programme. The minister assured them of starting a new scheme on the lines of the VCDC in the next eight days, which would be funded by the tribal development department.
Mr Sawra also said that he would take up the problem of malnutrition with CM Devendra Fadnavis. A meeting of the secretaries from the departments of health, tribal development and women and child welfare, and representatives of the Shramjivi Sanghatana would be held soon to resolve the issue, the minister said.
