SC asks Centre to reply on plea for improving health of tribal population

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre and others to respond to a plea seeking measures to improve the health of the tribal population in the country.

A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih agreed to hear the matter and issued notices to the Centre and the National Commission For Scheduled Tribes seeking their responses on the plea.

The bench posted the plea filed by two petitioners including Dr Ashish Satav, president of NGO MAHAN Trust, for hearing after four weeks.

The petition, filed through advocate Ranu Purohit, said the NGO was providing free medical care and health services to the tribal communities in Melghat region of Maharashtra.

It said the trust had closely examined the health problems faced by 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 program for economically productive age group and public private partnership in health sector.

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

From 2015 till 2023, said the plea, various meetings and exchanges took place between the trust and officials of the respondents authorities for improving the health status of tribal communities on a national level.

"The petitioner also submitted representations to the respondents for considering its recommendations in this regard (along the lines of measures implemented in Maharashtra). However, nothing further has materialised," it said.

Seeking directions, the petitioners sought the authorities to consider and suitably implement their recommendations for improving the health of the tribal population on a country-wide scale.

It said the recommendations proposed by Satav were implemented successfully in Melghat and tribal areas of Maharashtra and they might be implemented in principle on a pan-India basis for welfare for all tribal communities.

"The petitioners have repeatedly reached out to various government authorities for implementing the said recommendations but to no avail," the plea said.

While claiming non-utilisation of funds earmarked for the development of tribal areas, the plea alleged lack of coordination among government agencies in the implementation of welfare schemes resulted in an arbitrary and unequal distribution of benefits, violating the right to equality and the right to a dignified life.