[Assam] Starvation death in Assam - AT

[Chan Mahanta]

Ram:

Don't belittle your thinking abilities without reason.

You are suggesting all the right things.

My question however was about WHAT IF  the powers that be had NOT anticipated
this, in spite of the highly publicized drought and its likely 
ramifications five months ago and had NOT planned adequately, as is 
usually the case. There is a long history of the condition, as you 
must know.

What then?

I cannot imagine, that in this day and age, a young mother has to die 
of starvation in Assam. Don't ANYBODY care?

Something is very seriously wrong here, wouldn't you think?

I just hope the report was not accurate. That the cause of this young 
woman's death was not merely hunger, but a combination, with possibly 
some illness that was not treated or complicated with. Not that it 
would make the family's loss any less. But the mere thought of death 
by starvation in Assam is something unimaginable for me.

c-da





At 11:11 AM -0600 12/1/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
>C'da,
>
>I am no big thinker. But, if I were calling the shots, I would, with 
>my limited intelligence, have anticipated that droughts would be 
>followed by hardships for the most vulnerable farmers in the society.
>
>1) Would identify and declare affected areas as areas that need attention.
>2) Set up food/financial/agricultural help centers in the affected areas
>3) Farmers who have been directly affected (from areas 
>identified)could then get assistance to tide them over. They 
>wouldn't need to go to Manipur to search for a job.
>4) Set up temporary employment avenues
>5)The only proof from those seeking assistance would be that they 
>live in the affected areas.
>
>and
>6) For the long term, set up water resources for irrigation - get 
>the engineers to think about that.
>
>Sounds corny? But thats exactly what I would attempt. If I were 
>wrong, at least, my heart would have been in the right place. :)
>
>--Ram
>
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>On 12/1/06, Chan Mahanta 
><<mailto:cmahanta at charter.net>cmahanta at charter.net> wrote:
>
>>  >Its a darn shame that there is no safety net for people in such 
>>situations, and is the GOA should take full responsibility for this.
>>
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>*** How will you MAKE them Ram ?
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>At 9:33 AM -0600 12/1/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
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>>C'da,
>>
>
>
>This is indeed tragic. The report says these areas have been 
>affected by drought. The GOA obviously (should have) expected 
>something like this. Wondering if they took any measures at all to 
>prevent the situation to lapse to this level.
>
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>I am little shocked - this is the first time I am hearing of 
>starvation deaths - it was always someplace else, Maharastra, MP etc.
>
>Its a darn shame that there is no safety net for people in such 
>situations, and is the GOA should take full responsibility for this.
>
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>--Ram
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>On 12/1/06, Chan Mahanta 
><<mailto:cmahanta at charter.net>cmahanta at charter.net> wrote:
>
>Tragically, this is just the first report Ram!
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>MM warned us of what is coming right here. Let us brace ourselves.
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>c-da
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>At 9:12 AM -0600 12/1/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
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>>This is really sad news. Is this becoming more common in Assam these days?
>>
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>Woman dies of malnutrition
>By A Staff Reporter
>  GUWAHATI, Nov 30 - A woman Tilomoni Saikia (28), died of 
>malnutrition caused by partial starvation on November 28 at the No 2 
>Joypukhurigaon under the Simanta Gaon Panchyat of Gomariguri 
>Development Block in Golaghat district. Disclosing this, general 
>secretary of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, Akhil Gogoi said 
>quoting her neighbours, Tilomoni, wife of Arun Boro and a mother of 
>three children with the youngest being three months old, was not 
>having full meals for the past several weeks. She was having only 
>one meal in a day for quite a long time. Besides, she had to breast 
>feed her youngest child.
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>As the family was living in a drought-affected area, its only adult 
>male member Arun Boro had to leave for Manipur in search of a job.
>
>Similarly, the threat of starvation is looming large on the people 
>of the villages like Dishalpani, Kadamguri etc. in the area. The 
>farmers of these villages are now selling out their bullocks and 
>cattle and setting out in search of jobs as wage earners, said 
>Gogoi, adding, Government relief materials are yet to reach these 
>villages.
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