Kerala announces aid to parents of 38 tribal children who died due to malnutrition

Thiruvananthapuram: Amid concerns over infant deaths in the tribal hamlet of Attappady, the Kerala government has announced a financial aid of Rs one lakh each to the parents of 38 children who died due to malnutrition there during the tenure of the previous UDF government. Attappady is one of the largest and backward tribal settlements in Palakkad district, which has witnessed a number of infant deaths in recent times. State minister for Welfare of SC/ST and Backward Classes, AK Balan said the present LDF government would do everything possible to ensure that no infant dies in Attappady due to lapses on part of the government departments. [caption id=“attachment_3490151” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representative image. Getty Images[/caption] “Financial aid of Rs one lakh will be given to 38 families in Attappady who lost their children due to malnutrition during the tenure of the previous government,” he said in a Facebook post. Steps would be taken to distribute the amount at the earliest, Balan said. Listing out various steps taken by his department, the minister said community kitchens had been opened in all hamlets and free cereals distributed among families in Attappady soon after the government came to power in May 2016. However, the minister admitted that infant deaths are still happening in the region due to various reasons including genetic disorders, lack of expert medical care and due to other diseases. More funds would be granted under Hudco housing scheme for the inhabitants of Attappady in 2017, he said adding a new initiative named ‘Valsalyanidhi’ had also been launched to secure the future of scheduled tribes (ST) community girls there. As many as eight infant deaths have been reported in Attappady so far this year. The reasons for the death range from genetic disorders and diseases to malnutrition, health department said.