Bengaluru: Flood-affected Kudiyas brought under special food programme
Bengaluru: To help the scheduled tribe, Kudiya community, affected by floods in Kodagu, Social Welfare Minister Priyank Kharge has directed his department to provide them nutritious food as they have lost their shelter and all their belongings.
The department has started feeding over 400 families of the community and more families are likely to be brought under the welfare umbrella, department officials said. The plight of Kudiya community came to the minister’s notice after a team of officials from the department visited flood-hit Kodagu district and assessed damage, immediate needs and long-term rehabilitation requirements.
The government had earlier implemented a programme under which vulnerable communities and those belonging to Scheduled Tribes, such as Jenu Kuruba, Erava, Soliga and Kadu Kuruba in Kodagu district, and Kadu Kuruba, Jenu Kuruba, Soliga, Irava, Siddi, Male Kudi, Kudiya, Gowdalu and Hasalaru tribes living in forest areas of Mysuru, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga districts, have been receiving additional food supplies along with their allotted rations.
Families from these communities are given 15 kg of staple grains, like rice, wheat or ragi, 5 kg of toor dal, 5 kg of pulses, such as horse gram, cowpea or green gram, 2 litres of cooking oil, 4 kg of sugar and jaggery, 45 eggs and 1 kg Nandini ghee every month.
This is in addition to the rations they receive under the Anna Bhagya scheme. 41,476 tribal families living in eight districts have been brought under the scheme. The government has allocated Rs 60 crore per year for the programme.
“Tribal communities living near forest areas must not suffer from malnutrition,” said Deputy Chief Minister Dr G. Parameshwar. “We will do our best to reach out to every family and individual to ensure that the government and other schemes are accessible to the bottom of the pyramid “
After the Kodagu floods, Social Welfare Department officials found that 400 families from the Kudiya tribe were not included in the scheme. They have now been brought under the programme.
Mr Kharge said, “Our surveys showed that many families belonging to the marginalised Kudiya community were not protected by the welfare net. Chances of malnutrition are also higher among such communities. We are taking immediate steps to rectify the situation. These families will be given nutritious food and we will ensure that we will do all that we can to provide them infrastructure and livelihood opportunities.”
