Death of 23 school children and hospitalization of more than 50 children due to consumption of mid day meal at Chapra Dharmasati Gandaman primary school on July 16, 2013.

FACT FINDING TEAM VISITED THE SITE .....(COMING SOON FACT FINDING REPORT)

 fact finding team at Patna PMCH Gov. hospital (on left) Child out of danger in Patna PMCH Gov. hospital (below)

 A snap of class room were this children use to study (above) Direct telecast from the village school (Right) 

Deceased children buried in school campus (left)

Bihar's mid-day meal disaster: Forensic report confirms presence of pesticide in food

.A forensic report on the free lunch served to children in the school in Chhapra on Tuesday, has confirmed traces of insecticides in the food sample. The Forensic Science Lab report found the pesticide in the samples of oil from the container, food remains on the platter and mixture of rice with vegetables on aluminium utensils, all of which were collected from the school.

"It was observed that the peak area of the poisonous substance in the oil was more than five times in comparison to the commercial preparation used as a control. It is a matter of investigation that how it came into the food," said Ravinder Kumar, Additional Director General (ADG) of Police, Patna.

Caritas India and Bettiah Social Work Society a adhikar partner today 19th July 2013 finally visited the village. They need to struggle as the local crowd of that locality became violent after these incidence. They are not allowing any outside vehicle to come in their village. They were damaging the vehicles and destroying government properties. The local support from Sr. Jyoti from Chapra and her team supported in making the visit possible. The following were the team compositions

a. Mr. Uday Kumar, Lawyer

b. Sr. Jyoti, Social Worker

c. 3 Volunteers expert fact finding

d. 2 volunteers from Local parish (who has good rapport in community)

The report found Monocrotophos in the samples of oil and the food sample that was collected. Monocrotophos is used as a pesticide for agricultural purposes. It is very toxic to human beings and animals.More than 20 children died after consuming the mid-day meal. A report by the Bihar government said that there was widespread mismanagement among all those people involved in implementing the mid-day meal scheme. The tragedy has left the village of Gandaman broken and furious, and triggered a national debate over the world's largest school feeding programme. The principal of the school where the children died remains missing. She is guilty of criminal negligence, says the report prepared by local administrative and police officials in Chhapra. The Union government is planning to set up a special committee that will to review the implementation of the mid-day meal programme and monitor the quality of food and the standards of hygiene. India's free mid-day meal scheme, the largest free food programme in the world catering to around 120 million schoolchildren across the country, was introduced as an incentive for children to go to school. After Bihar's tragic deaths on Tuesday, shocking reports are emerging from other parts of the country, forcing state governments to order strict checks on the hygiene standards. On Thursday, 170 children fell ill after lunch at a school in Neyveli, in Tamilnadu's Cuddalore district.

22 Deaths due to Mid-day meal in Bihar: NHRC issues notices to the State Principal Secretary (Education) and SP, Saran.

New Delhi, 17th July, 2013

The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo-motu cognizance of media reports that nine children lost their lives and nearly 50 fell seriously ill after consuming mid-day meal served in the Gandaman Primary School, Jajauli Panchayat, Mashrakh Block, District Saran, Bihar. Reportedly, the children, aged 03-12 years, were served rice, dal, potato and soya bean vegetable.

The Commission has observed that the contents of the press report, if true, raised a serious issue of violation of rights to food of the deceased and issued notices to the Principal Secretary (Education), Government of Bihar and Superintendent of Police, Saran, calling for reports in the matter within four weeks. They have also been directed to inform whether any legal action has been taken in the matter. The officers have been asked to inform the Commission the compensation, if any, proposed to be granted to the next of kin of the deceased

Caritas India Sending a Fact Finding Mission......

करुणा सोशल सर्विस सोसाइटी ने की बाढ़ राहत के मुआवजे की पैरवी, उत्तराखंड

दिनांक १४ से १७ जून २०१३ तक उत्तराखंड छेत्र में लगातार भारी बारिश एवं अतिवृष्टि हुई। मानसून इस साल लगभग २० दिन पहले उत्तराखंड पहुंच गया और लगातार ६० घंटे हुई भारी बारिश एवं अतिवृष्टि ने पुरे राज्य में काफी तबाही मचाई। सबसे ज्यादा प्रभावित जिले रहे चमोली, रुद्रप्रयाग, उत्तरकाशी, टेहरी, एवं पिथोरागढ़। यूसैक के निदेशक के अनुसार 15 और 16 जून को दो दिनों में केदारघाटी में ६०० एमएम से ज्यादा बारिश रिकॉर्ड की गई। चौराबाड़ी ग्लेशियर और उसके सहयोगी ग्लेशियर की जड़ में एकत्र मोरेंस (जड़ में एकत्र कंकड़-पत्थर) में जब बारिश का भारी पानी घुसा तो वह मलबे में बदल गया। पानी की वजह से ही मलबे ने रफ्तार पकड़ ली, जिससे गांधी सरोवर टूट गया। भारी पानी और मलबे का वेग ज्यादा होने की वजह से यह तबाही हुई है।

आपदा से तबाह हुए सिल्ली गांव अगस्त्यमुनि ब्लाक रुद्रप्रयाग जिला के लोग अब मुआवजे के भरोसे जिंदगी नहीं देखते हैं। सिल्ली गांव में नदी किनारे कई घर डूबे हैं। राजेश जो सिल्ली गांव निवासी है उसने बताया कि मंगलवार मध्य रात्रि को जब बारिश तेज होने लगी तो ग्रामीणों को किसी अनहोनी का अंदेशा होने लगा था। उन्होंने कहा, बारिश बढ़ती जा रही है, इधर-उधर चलो, लेकिन सब अपने घरों में ही दुबके रहे। ठीक तीन बजे बिजली चले गई। अंधेरा होने पर राजेश अपने परिवार सहित कमरे में चले गया, लेकिन पल भर में मकान ढह गया। जमीदोज हुए मकान के एक कोने में बैठे राजेश ने बताया कि भरापूरा परिवार देखते ही देखते तबाह हो गया। इस गांव में पच्चीस मकान धड़धड़ाते हुए बहे और बाईस मकानकभी भी ढह सकते हैं। अधिकांश खाली हो गए हैं। पूरा गांव दहशत में है।

यात्रा सीजन में यहां के अधिकांश लोग केदारनाथ चले जाते हैं। वहां छोटे-मोटे कारोबार से लेकर घोड़ा, कंडी का काम करते थे। इससे गांव की आजीविका चल रहीं थी। इस आपदा ने सब खत्म कर दिया। यही कारण है कि मुसीबत में पड़े लोगों को दो तीन दिन तक यह भी पता नहीं था की अपनी बात कहे तो किससे कहे । यह बाढ़ तबाही के साथ कुछ सवाल भी बहा लाई है, जिसके जवाब तलाशने आसान नहीं। 

करुणा सोशल सर्विस सोसाइटी ने कारितास इंडिया एवं अन्य संस्थाओ के मदद से उत्तराखंड में आई आपदा में लगभग १०००० लोगो को सहायता पहुँचाया। संस्था ने अपने सारे कर्मचारियों को बाढ़ राहत में लगा दिया । संस्था ने करीब १००० मरीजो का इलाज मोबाइल स्वास्थ शिविर द्वारा किया । संस्था ने करीब १०५० परिवार को सुखा राशन एवं उपयोगी सामान वितरण भी किया । संस्था ने इन मुश्किल घडी में लोगो का साथ दिया और आगे सरकारी कर्मचारियों से मिल कर उनके अधिकार (पूरा मुआवजा) दिलाने के लिए प्रयासरत है।

गिरीश

कारितास इंडिया

रुद्रप्रयाग, उत्तराखंड

सेवाएं कब तक पहुचेंगी?- The Hindu Shutterbug

When will the services reach? A Dalit elderly man taking care of his family by collecting fire wood and selling them in market. He has not received the wages for work done last year under Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA). Now he manages his family by selling fire wood (fuel) in local market. He spends the morning hours in collecting fire wood and then take them to nearest market. , 
सेवाएं कब तक पहुचेंगी? ये सवाल हमारे मुसहर दलित समुदाय पुच रहा है| इन लोगो ने पिछले वर्ष महात्मा गाँधी रोज़गार गारंटी अधिनियम (नरेगा) में काम किया था | आज दिनांक तक इनकी मजदूरी का भुगतान नहीं किया गया| इन समुदाय से बात करने पर पता चला आजकल ये अपना जीविका जलावन बेच कर चाला रहें है | कृपया निचे लिंक को क्लिक कर अपना वोट कर अपना योगदान दे......
http://thne.ws/12fNcEl#.UdJoWnq6pnQ.email

The Working Elderly - The Hindu Shutterbug

Self Help Group (SHG) Members during interface meeting with Block Development Officer (BDO) Sheikhpura, Bihar

Women Self Help Group Members during Interface Meeting with Block Development Officer in Adhikar Project Sheikhpura Bihar

Women Listening Block development Officer during Interface Meeting at District Sheikhpura Bihar

ADHIKAR Partners Renewed their Resolve to Empower the Excluded

The 13 CSOs and their coordinators gathered in Suchetna at Kathgodam from 14-15th May 2013, to review the Adhikar program which completed the milestone of one year. The 30 participants from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan, shared their experiences and stories of change in their area with excitement. They made very   enlightening presentations of their one year journey with community for accessing the entitlements which were beyond their reach before initiation of ADHIKAR in their respective locations.

Achievements: in last one year, 102 new SHGs have been formed who in long run will get empowered to raise voice for their entitlements. As a pilot in Rohtas district Bihar 38 MNREGA Munch (groups) which consists of the persons seeking employment have been formed. These manch will take lead in facilitating the MNREGA process in more transparent ways.  The marginal farmers from 45 villages were organized in to 60 farmers groups are accessing the services Krishi Vignan Kendra, NABARD, and Agriculture and animal husbandry departments. The groups are working actively and this will lead to achieving the planned objectives in the future.                              

• During the last one year 1,235 people applied for Job under MNREGA works and 351 people received the job cards.
• Due to the efforts  put in by the focus groups the PRI members and block development officers sanctioned the more   works under MNREGA in the target villages during the year. 1,798 landless and marginal people both women and men received this year 50 to 90 days of work in MNREGA in target villages.
• 186 BPL families received the ration cards and getting the regular ration from the ration shops
• 107 old women, 46 old men received old age pension.
• 88 widows started receiving widow pension.
• 8 handicapped people whose pension was stopped was renewed and 39 new handicapped also got the pension
• 298 school dropout children and 308 eligible  children  joined the government schools in 24 target villages

The participants found the panel discussion organized on Government – Non government Collaboration and Ways to collaborate with International NGOs very instructive.

The Quiz contest organized by the Caritas India team on topics related to Rights & entitlements under Health, Education, MGNREGA generated a lot of interest among the participants to learn more on the various legislations and their provisions.

Further moving on, the participants were given inputs on Micro level planning in the villages and also on Rashtriya Swasthia Bima Yojana (RSBY). The partners made the following plan of action for the coming 6 months.

• The partners decided to prepare of micro plans in all ADHIKAR villages during the coming eight months and get it approved by the Gram Sabha.
• Organize regular interface meeting with Govt. Depts. to strengthen collaboration and improve the convergence of efforts and resources for the benefit of the most excluded groups.
• The focus groups will submit the complaints in writing for redressing grievance to the concerned government personnel and also facilitating the process of filing the RTI for relevant purposes during the year.