MP Cong chief observes 'maun vrat' over malnutrition deaths

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Congress president Arun Yadav on Monday observed a day-long 'maun vrat' (silent protest) over the issue of malnutrition, which the party claimed, had taken the lives of "over one lakh children in the last 12 years".

He observed the protest at the Congress office here to highlight the issue.

"More than one lakh children died due to malnutrition in the state since last 12 years despite the government spending over Rs 22 billion to tackle it under different schemes every year," a statement issued by the party on the occasion said.

"This year alone, more than 9,000 kids died due to this," it said.

Referring to Sheopur, where senior Congress leader and MP Jyotiraditya Scindia yesterday visited to highlight the issue, the party claimed that from April 1, 2014 to January this year, 1,280 children have died due to the menace.

Meanwhile, Yadav told by writing on a slate, "It is really painful that so many children died in the state because of malnutrition."

"Six to seven kids from Sheopur were admitted in the Red Cross hospital today. A delegation of senior Congress MLAs will be going to the region soon to assess the situation," he wrote.

Efforts to contact the government officials concerned proved futile.