Bhubaneswar: In a tragic incident, three tribal women from Mandipanka village under the Daringbadi block of Kandhamal district in Odisha have died due to food poisoning after consuming mango kernel gruel.
The fatalities were confirmed by Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra during a session of the Odisha Legislative Assembly on Wednesday.
Minister Patra clarified that the deaths were not caused by starvation, dispelling earlier rumors. He emphasized that the affected families had adequate food supplies at the time of the incident. The post-mortem reports confirmed that the cause of death was indeed food poisoning.
The Minister also highlighted that despite some beneficiaries lacking Know Your Customer (KYC) documentation, all those in need of ration were provided with the necessary supplies. Financial support has been extended to the bereaved families, and efforts are underway to streamline the distribution process to prevent such tragedies in the future.
To prevent future occurrences, the Minister outlined plans to open more ration centres in the remote regions, alongside distributing rations covering one to two months at a time to enhance better accessibility, the Food Supplies Minister expressed in his statement.
Minister Patra said this in the Odisha Assembly’s Winter Session while addressing significant topics pertaining to food distribution and the efficiency of logistics involved. During his speech, he reiterated the government’s dedicated efforts to enhance the effectiveness and efficacy of the supply chain frameworks, aiming to better cater to the needs of the population.
