Why Sagar Wagh, 2, died of malnutrition in Mumbai’s backyard

Last week, while Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was getting ready to re-name the Middle Vaitarna Dam a main source of water supply to Mumbai, little Sagar Wagh was breathing his last in a government hospital in Nashik.

Sagar, 2, who weighed only 4.6 kg, died of malnutrition on the morning of August 28. He is one of the 7,000-odd children suffering from malnutrition in Palghar. The tribal dominated district is represented by State Tribal Development Minister Vishnu Sawra, whose constituency includes Vikramgarh, Jawahar and Mokhada, tehsils worst-hit by malnutrition. “Nearly 3,000 [affected] children are from Vikramgarh,” says Hemendra Patil, a local RTI activist.

This decades-old problem that refuses to get solved is tucked away in dusty government files as mere numbers, where faces of affected children are lost amid schemes, allegations and counter allegation on way and means for empowerment.

Locals say the government schemes launched in this area are often discontinued when funds stop coming in or are siphoned off by local government officials and their cronies. “It is a big racket. There is a syndicate at work involving local politicians, social workers and government officials,” says a social worker who declined to be named. “Otherwise, how do you explain that the government can record the number of malnourished children but the same government machinery fails to visit these families and check if they are getting the doles allocated for them and rations are reaching them, or if they even have Aadhar cards.”

Palghar District Collector Abhijeet Bangar says the administration is aware that malnutrition is stalking the district. “In fact, this child had also been admitted to the Village Child Development Centre. Later, he developed TB. We are investigating this issue,” he said.

Experts say TB and diarrhea are common symptoms of malnutrition. Mr. Bangar added, “Jowhar, Mokhada and Vikramgarh talukas are more susceptible to this problem [TB]. Schemes are being implemented, but this issue needs to be addressed at a deeper level."

Sanjeev Joshi, who edits a local daily in Palghar and is involved in issues concerning tribals, says schemes initiated by successive governments need a re-look. “Every government forms its own policies regarding malnutrition, but what is surprising is for decades, causes of this disorder have not been identified. Putting the blame on one government will not solve the issue.”

Mr. Joshi says tribals have their own social systems, which need to be understood before launching welfare schemes. “They have customs where girls below 18, as young as 13 or 14, are married. When she bears a baby, not only is she deficient in nutrition, the child is born with deficiencies as well. This circle becomes very difficult to break.”

Mr. Bangar agrees. “In three talukas, stunting is a major problem. But then, we must look into their social structures and customs to bring them out of this self-perpetuating cycle. Since the beginning is weak, the next generation is born with the same inadequacies,” he says.

While the government has implemented the MNREGA, the pay is not lucrative enough. “Residents feel migrating for work is a better option. Here, they would probably get Rs. 190, while they earn up to Rs. 500 just 10 km away,” say local activists. “Moreover, the scheme [MNREGA] does not offer work during the monsoon, [which is] when most cases of malnutrition are reported as villagers return home in the absence of works at the brick kilns in Vasai-Virar.

“The government is aware of the situation, but little has been done to address it,” Mr. Joshi added.

The writer is a freelance journalist