When the state was eagerly waiting for the result of the General election, on May 22, Motka Majhi, daily wage labourer, residing in Uper Rengani village in the Jama block of Dumka, Jharkhand breathed his last breath. Majhi belonged to the Maal Pahadia community, one of the 75 tribal groups which has been categorised as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). The PVTG are the marginalised sections of the scheduled tribes in India.

According to Dainik Jagaran, Majhi died due to hunger. Majhi who was a worker at brick kiln was sitting idle at home for almost over a month, after the implementation of Model Code of Conduct. Majhi is survived by three sons and his wife Kalawati Devi, who after performing the last rites shared their ordeal with media persons. Her son, Suresh Manjhi, Sunil Manjhi, and Anil Manjhi while responding to media questions mentioned that they have not received benefits of any government schemes. The family further mentioned that they are yet to receive a ration card and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) job card. The family living in a hut made of palm leaves has not received a nod for the house under the Prime Minister’s Housing Scheme.

While talking to the reporters, the neighbours of the family told various media that the family were only surviving on Taadkun (Toddy Palm) fruit for the last 14 days, as there was not a single grain in their house.

Officials In denial

After Majhi’s demise, village head Rajendra Yadav provided 15 kg of rice to the family, thus the family was able to eat cook food for the first time in a fortnight. Taking cognisance of the demise, Block Development Officer Sadhu Charan Devgam, sent 10 Kg of rice to the family. However, Devgam refused to believe starvation as the cause of death. He said that Majhi used to live with his in-laws in Ramgarh and has come to the village to cast vote. He further said Majhi owned ration card, through which he was entitled to receive 5 kgs of ration per month. He further insisted that the cause of death was something else and questioned why did the family blamed starvation only after his funeral.

Jharkhand has seen a significant rise in deaths due to starvation. On December 26, 2018, the Jharkhand government submitted a report to the rural development ministry over the death of 18 people allegedly due to starvation in the state since September 2017. However, in its release, it has denied that hunger or poverty is responsible for these deaths. The report of the Jharkhand government addressed to MNREGA director, acknowledged the death of the people, but never accepted that deaths were related to hunger or lack of jobs under the government’s rural employment scheme- Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MNERGA). The report submitted by the state is a response to a letter sent by the rural development ministry to Jharkhand government seeking information about the “starvation deaths”

While it may be hard for many of us to believe that in the 21st century India, people are still dying of starvation. There have been several reports in the past that claims that many people in the state have lost their lives due to starvation or extreme destitution.

Also Read: Jharkhand: 18 People Died Of ‘Starvation’, State Govt Denies Responsibility