With the Supreme Court pulling up the State Government for its poor track record in implementation of food and employment schemes, the State Government has devised management information system (MIS) for tracking starvation and malnutrition cases and action taken at every level of the administration.
The MIS is intended to collect information from gram panchayat level to district level in each fortnight. The aim and objective of the system is not only to collect information but to ensure response at every level. Under the system, accountability will be fixed starting from village level workers (VLWs) to district collector in the event of any death due to starvation or malnutrition.
“In spite of various schemes that aim at amelioration of poverty and food security issue, there is huge gap between the goals and results achieved,” admits Chief Secretary PK Mohanty in his circular to district collectors. “Government owns the moral responsibility for any death caused due to starvation or malnutrition. To prevent any such occurrence, constant monitoring and timely intervention is required,” he added.
Designated officers at each level have been asked to take remedial measures or bring it to the notice of the superior officer in case the latter’s help is necessary. They have been warned against passing the buck. While VLWs and extension officers are responsible for submission of accurate information about the number of families living below poverty line, job seekers without work for more than a month, old, infirm and destitute persons with prolong illness, families IB starvation or malnutrition condition due to prolong illness of the main bread earner.
They have to also provide information about employment generating works, food grain availability under food-for-work programme, functioning of the food and social security programmes, health care and availability of safe drinking water at panchayat level. Although the system of having an extension officer or VLW for each gram panchayat is already in place and they are under instruction to make regular field visits, the Chief Secretary said field visits are being neglected and visits are without focus.
Extension officer/VLW will submit a fortnightly report to respective block development officer who will report to respective sub-collector. The sub-collector will submit MIS report to collector who will send the final report to the special relief commissioner. The Government has developed format for static database from gram panchayat to district level. Each of the designated officers will fill up the standardised format provided to them. Each GP will report to respective block by 3 p.m. of 2nd and 17th day of each month, block to sub-division and then to the district on 3rd and 18th of each month and district to SRC on 4th and 19th of each month. The MIS came in the wake of the Supreme Court directing each state to ensure that poorest of the poor are covered under food security programme. The apex court cautioned that chief secretaries would be held responsible for any death due to malnutrition or starvation.