'Starvation deaths biggest failure of our system': Sisodia

Two days after three girls died in east Delhi's Mandawali area due to "starvation", Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the deaths due to "poverty and illness" was the "biggest failure of our system".

Sisodia said he has asked the Directorate of Integrated Child Development Services to submit details of the officials responsible for keeping records of the people living in the area, and fix accountability.

The girls, aged eight, four and two years, were brought to a hospital by their mother and a friend at around 1 pm on Tuesday, and the hospital authorities informed police about their deaths.

According to the initial postmortem report, the girls died due to "malnourishment/starvation and its complications".

The deputy chief minister visited the SDM office in east Delhi today and met the girls' mother, whose mental condition is not good.

"I want to say that be it due to starvation, poverty or illness, it is the biggest failure of our system," Sisodia told reporters here.

He directed the planning department of the Delhi government to conduct a complete census of children in the national capital.

Criticising the ICDS, which comes under the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Sisodia said that Integrated Child Development Services was formed to help children reeling under hunger and starvation.

In Delhi, too, there are anganwadi and ICDS officers, and "our system has failed somewhere", he said.

"I have directed the Directorate of ICDS to submit his report till evening about the officials responsible for keeping records of the people living in the area and fix accountability.

"If the family's details were in the record, what were the officials concerned doing?... I have sought a report from the ICDS," he said.

The ICDS refused to comment on the matter.

The deputy chief minister said it's a very "shocking incident" and the magisterial inquiry will bring the facts to the fore.

He said the Delhi government has decided to provide Rs 25,000 to the family.

"I have been told that the girls ate food on Monday... The mother is admitted to a hospital. The best medical treatment will be provided to her. The government will provide all possible help to the family," he said.

Asked whether the government failed to provide ration to the family, Sisodia said, "In view of complaints about theft of ration, we are implementing the doorstep delivery of ration scheme which was being opposed by the L-G and the BJP.

"The easy way to stop ration theft is the doorstep delivery of ration," he added.