Hearing a petition, Justices D Y Chandrachud and R D Dhanuka recently asked the state government to consider this aspect through Amravati Collector and devise a suitable plan, setting out targets to be achieved expeditiously.
At present, there is no public information available on the status of undernourished children and on infant and child mortality on any government website. Unless there is proper information and monitoring and tracking system is put in place, it is not possible for the government or civil society to have access to relevant information, the judges noted.
"We find considerable merit in the grievance which has been made in this regard. Since governance has to be now in accord with the RTI Act, we are of the view that steps should be taken by the state government under the auspices of Amravati collector to activate a system-based tracking of children and mothers in Melghat," the bench opined.
"We are of the view that a period of four weeks should be granted to the state government to take necessary steps. We direct that implementation shall commence with effect from September 17," the judges noted.
The petitioner, Purnima Upadhay, relying upon a survey of Health Department in June, said the number of children suffering from moderately acute malnutrition (MAM) and severely acute malnutrition (SAM) were 3,431 and 561 respectively, while children who were moderately under weight (MUW) and severely under weight (SUW) were 10,047 and 3,798, respectively.
She submitted that status of child mortality between April and June 2012 showed that there were 81 deaths (35 in Chikhaldara and 46 in Dharni), 42 stillbirths and four cases of maternal mortality. The figures of malnourished children seemed to remain at a constant number of 14,000 over the last two years and the number of SAM and MAM children does not show a remarkable decline. MORE
