Starvation Death in Odisha’s Mining Belt Sparks Political Outrage

The death of Nisha Mankadia, a tribal woman from Sukinda in Jajpur district, allegedly due to starvation, has triggered widespread outrage across Odisha. Addressing a press conference at the Congress Bhavan in Bhubaneswar, senior Congress MLA Ashok Das said the incident exposes the “hollow claims” of the BJP-led state government regarding tribal welfare and inclusive development.

“Sukinda’s Nisha Mankadia’s death by starvation is a blot on the face of the Chief Minister, who himself belongs to a tribal community,” said Das, adding that the government’s neglect of basic necessities like food and shelter stands in sharp contrast to its tall claims of progress.

Fact-Finding Team Visits Sukinda

Acting on the direction of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Bhakta Charan Das, a Congress fact-finding committee visited the site of the incident. Das, who was part of the delegation, said the team found that Nisha had been living in a makeshift shelter made of polythene and had no access to food grains.

“She was not getting rice under any welfare scheme and survived only with the occasional help of relatives. Eventually, she fell ill and succumbed to starvation,” Das stated.

The MLA reminded that during the Congress regime, schemes like MGNREGS were effectively implemented to prevent hunger deaths. “But today, the government is deliberately withholding funds and neglecting the programme. Despite having a tribal Chief Minister and even a tribal President at the national level, the administration has shown complete indifference toward the plight of poor tribals,” he said.

Congress Demands Accountability

The Congress demanded immediate government intervention and accountability, urging that such incidents not be dismissed lightly. “The government must treat starvation deaths with utmost seriousness and ensure proper delivery of welfare benefits to tribal communities,” Das said.

He accused the BJP-led government of depriving people of food grains and social security benefits. “The poor are being denied their right to rice and shelter under one pretext or another. The people will give a fitting reply to this government in the coming days,” Das warned.

Local Congress Leader Highlights Decades of Neglect

Jajpur District Congress president Maguni Jena, also present at the press meet, said the Mankadia community in Sukinda is among the most neglected tribal groups. “They are almost entirely illiterate. Since 2014, I have been working for their upliftment. One boy from the community passed the matriculation exam — the first ever — and we even highlighted it nationally hoping it would bring attention and change. But nothing happened,” Jena lamented.

He added that despite Sukinda’s global fame for its rich chromite deposits, the local tribals live in abject poverty. “Around one-third of the world’s chromite comes from Sukinda. There are about 20 Tata mines here, yet the people living next to them don’t have a piece of land or a proper house,” he said.

Failure of Administration and Corporate Responsibility

Jena further revealed that there exists a dedicated government department for the development of the Mankadia community, with 34 officers posted, but only one peon is reportedly visible at the office. “This reflects the government’s apathy,” he added.

He also criticized former BJD MLA Prafulla Ghadei, who represented the area earlier, saying he focused only on personal growth rather than community welfare. “The BJP government, too, is no different — full of speeches but devoid of substance,” Jena remarked.

A Call for Justice and Reform

The Congress leaders urged the state government to launch an immediate investigation into the starvation death and to implement corrective measures to ensure food, shelter, and land rights for the Mankadia community.

“Odisha cannot boast of industrial progress while its tribals die of hunger in mining zones worth thousands of crores,” Das said.

The press conference was also attended by PCC spokesperson Himanshu Lenka and other senior party functionaries.