Malnutrition turns epidemic in MP: Pachouri

Bhopal, Sep 20 (UNI) Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee President Suresh Pachouri today flayed the BJP government in the state for its failure to tackle recurring deaths of children in several places due to the malnutrition.

The state Congress chief said malnutrition, which affected several children below the age group of 5, had turned epidemic but the government failed to use central funds under various schemes in this regard.

''The Centre had released crores of rupees under schemes like Bal Sanjivani and Anganbadi schemes. However, benefit was not reaching to those intended due to rampant corruption prevailing in the schemes,'' he alleged.

He said reports of death due to malnutrition was received from Shivpuri, Satna, Khandwa and Bhopal districts recently.

Mr Pachouri said he had apprised Union Minster of state for Women and Child Development Renuka Chaudhary about the situation and she had agreed to send a two-member high-level team to the affected districts.

Terming the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as ''irresponsible'', he said the CM did not even take pain to visit the affected areas and condole the bereaved families.

Expressing concern over attack on churches in the state, the Congress leader said the recent attack on a church in Jabalpur was a serious matter but the government failed to initiate action against the culprits.

He also demanded a fool-proof security to all religious places in the state.

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