SC Seeks Reply From Centre On Plea For Improving Health Of Tribal Population

The petitioner contended that NGO MAHAN Trust has been providing free medical care to the tribal communities in the Melghat region of Maharashtra.

New Delhi:The Supreme Court on Friday sought a response from the Centre and others on a plea for measures to improve the health of the tribal population in the country.

The matter came up before a bench comprising justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih. The bench agreed to hear the matter and issued notices to the Centre and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes seeking their responses to the plea. The bench has scheduled the matter for a hearing after four weeks.

The plea has been filed by two petitioners including Dr Ashish Satav, president of NGO MAHAN Trust. The petition, filed through advocate Ranu Purohit, contended that the NGO was providing free medical care and health services to the tribal communities in the Melghat region of Maharashtra.

The plea submitted that the trust had closely examined the health problems faced by the tribal population and evolved a specific set of solutions to address them.

The plea sought implementation of measures including home-based child care, community-based management of severe malnutrition, mortality control programs for economically productive age groups and public-private partnerships in the health sector.

“Implementation of many of these measures in Maharashtra was also made possible owing to the intervention of the Bombay High Court, which issued directions on issues concerning tribal welfare schemes in multiple PILs and writ petitions…,” the plea added.