The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Health hazard for tribals

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 05, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Health hazard for tribals

S. Harpal Singh

Sale of oil in loose identified as cause for incidence of fever

Quality check: Adilabad Collector Ahmad Nadeem checking the edible oil being sold loose at a grocery shop in Indervelli mandal headquarters.

ADILABAD: Sale of loose edible oil in the rural areas in Adilabad district has become too sticky a business to be ignored. Adulterated oil being sold in the rural grocery shops, especially in tribal areas, has now been identified as one of the factors impacting the general health of tribals.

In the Agency areas, a large number of tribals have already succumbed to fever because their constitution was rendered devoid of natural resistance. In view of the prevailing conditions, there is a demand for packaged or ‘safe’ oil to be sold through the public distribution system (PDS).

“We have already done that. About 1,600 one-litre packets of refined palm oil have been kept at the fair price shops in the mandals of Sirpur (U), Narnoor, Jainoor, Utnoor and Indervelli that are most affected by the tropical diseases now. These are being sold at Rs. 50 per litre,” divulged G. Sambaiah, district manager of the Civil Supplies Corporation.

Cultivating habit

However, the government needs to do a bit more towards cultivating the habit of consumption of packaged oil among the tribals. The experiment of sale of iodised salt through the PDS can be taken as an example before taking up sale of edible oil. Though iodised salt is being sold at Rs. 3 to Rs. 4 per kg that is about Rs. 3 less than other brands available in the open market, villagers have preferred the loose uniodised salt. Therefore, offtake of iodised salt through the 20 mandal-level stock points in the district remains lower than intended.

The main reason is poverty, that does not allow a majority the ‘luxury’ of purchasing 1 kg packets. Instead, they make do with purchase of 50 grams, for which they just shell out about 50 paise for the uniodised salt.

Small quantities

Similarly, it has been observed that tribals do not go for purchase of edible oil in litres. They prefer purchasing small quantities without bothering about the purity of the oil. The Rs. 50 per litre price of oil is higher that the between Rs. 35 to Rs. 40 per litre of adulterated oil. Moreover, tribals purchase in much smaller quantities.

The Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) at Utnoor that takes up many programmes through the thrift groups in the area can try it out by supplying sale of edible in small packets and on subsidised rates.

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