NEW DELHI: Cutting across party lines, the agitated Lok Sabha members expressed shock at the Starvation deaths in three districts of Orissa and urged the Center to intervene and ensure that no life was lost due to starvation.
The matter was raised by Lokenath Chavdhry (CPI) who threatened to go on hunger strike if nothing was done to stop these deaths. in an impassioned speech; he pointed out how people were dying of starvation in Koraput, Kalahandi and Bolangir. He said children were being sold for meagre sums as people facing utter poverty were trying to get money from wherever they could.
He was joined by former Speaker, Rabi Ray, who appealed to the members (o rise above party lines and urged the Central Government to come to the rescue of the state. He said Orissa and Bihar were facing drought conditions and the government should not allow these areas to become Somalia. He said the Orissa government had asked Rs85crore from the Center which had not been given ‘and urged the Center of mush the money as it was “not a matter of just one state, the fight against such a situation! Should be fought on a war footing.
Sriballav Panigrahi (Cong1) said any Indian” would feel ashamed that after so many years of free Dom people were still dying of Starvation, He blamed the state government for the present state of affairs and charged that the funds meant for development works had been siphoned off and the top leaders were indulging in foreign tours.
Srikant Jena (JD) said it was not correct to say that children were being sold for Rs.20 but it was correct that people were dying of Starvation. It was the duty of the Slate government as well as the Center that such deaths were not there, they had to act sincerely and charged that the Center was also not doing anything. “If P.V Narasimha Rao had to go, let him go and if Biju Patnaik had to, let him,” he said angrily.
Former Union Home Minister, Buta Singh, said the situation in Orissa was serious and going out of hand, “I appeal to the House and the government to send a team of MPs and the Prime Minister should sanction special grant to meet the situation. We are ashamed of what is happening there. We talk of market economy and buffer Stocks while people in the country die of starvation.
The Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, P.R Kumaramangalam, assured the House that he would convey the feelings of the members to the Prime Minister.
He said, “The issue of starvation deaths shakes us to the very chore, I shall bring it to the notice of the Prime Minister.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 12, 1993
