Gadchiroli Feb. 21 (District Correspondent) Well known social workers of the district Dr. Abhay Bang and Dewaji Tofa have urged government to utilize mahua flowers for making nutritious items like laddus instead of producing liquor.
In a joint statement issued here, they have said that alcohol among men in tribal areas and malnutrition among children are two important issues. More the men drink, the more likely they are to become addicted, sick, and die. Due to this, the loss of the family and malnutrition of the children will increase. In such a situation, the Maharashtra government has accepted the very wrong policy of starting factories for making alcohol from mahua flowers. Bu doing so, the government disgraced itself by laying the foundation stone of the first factory in Gadchiroli district where alcohol is already banned.
However, after the memorandum signed by 85,000 people and 1400 proposals from the district were sent to the government of Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assured in the legislature publicly that this factory will not be opened, they have pointed out.
Now the action-group appointed by the government under the chairmanship of Dr. Deepak Sawant has recommended making nutritious laddus from mahua flowers and giving them to children. We welcome this recommendation as it will have triple benefits. Tribal people will get money from the mahua flowers, village women’s savings groups will get work to make nutritious laddus and children will get nutritious food. Three birds in one stone, Dr. Bang and Mr. Tofa has stated.
They have appeal to the state government to abolish the liquor policy of liquor factories. Instead, the policy of making nutritious laddus from mahua flowers should be adopted. This will benefit everyone except the liquor factory owners, the duo has said.
