Centre orders probe into death of Jharkhand girl due to starvation

Centre on Wednesday ordered probe into the death of 11-year-old girl Santoshi who allegedly died of starvation in Jharkhand reportedly because the girl's family was denied ration as their ration card was not linked to Aadhaar. Announcing the probe, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan in a statement said even after the implementation of Food Security Act, not getting ration for three months is a matter of concern.

The Minister expressed grief over the death of the girl and has ordered new Food Secretary Ravi Kant to probe the matter. The Union Government will be soon sending a central team to probe into the facts of the incident and the state government has also been asked to send a report in this regard. Recently, an 11-year-old girl allegedly died of starvation in Jharkhand’s Simdega district because her family’s ration card was not linked to the Aadhaar. "I went to get rice, but I was told that no ration will be given to me. My daughter died saying 'bhat-bhat' (rice)," the mother of the girl said.