Mumbai: The Bombay high court has asked the health ministry to consider implementing remedial measures to address the issue of rising infant deaths in tribal areas in the state. The directions were issued on Monday after the petitioners informed the court of the various schemes that were initiated by the state government but said only a few of them were being implemented.
A division bench of Chief Justice Dr Manjula Chellur and Justice N.M. Jamdar was hearing a bunch of public interest litigations alleging apathy of the government in curbing the instances of infant mortality in tribal areas, especially with nearly 180 children dying in the Melghat area of Vidarbha in the past two months.
During the previous hearing, the court had taken cognisance of the submissions by the petitioners and had asked for a list of welfare schemes initiated by the government.
The bench directed the state public health department’s core committee to hold a meeting by November 15 to review the implementation of remedial measures.
