Following continuous pressure from the Centre, the state had begun the implementation of several developmental schemes in these areas. The idea was to rescue the locals from the grip of the Naxals, who run a parallel government in these areas.

Under one of the schemes, the state was to distribute rice at Rs 2 per kg to tribals in Junglemahal. But when the district administration in West Midnapore started preparations to implement the scheme, several anomalies relating to ration cards came to fore.

A reality check by The Indian Express in villages under Jhargram block revealed that the starving villagers hold APL cards.

Name: Sombari Mandi
Village: Chandipur
Anchal: 6
Block: Jhargram
Ration Card Number: 100711 Date of Issue- 21/4/09
Ration Card Status: Above Poverty Level (APL)

Mandi, however, makes a living selling sal leaf plates that she makes herself. She sells them to local traders at the rate of Rs 50 per 1000 plates.

Name: Phila Mandi
Village: Chandipur
Anchal: 6
Block: Jhargram
Ration Card Number: 757474 Date of Issue 29/4/05
Ration Card Status: Above Poverty Level (APL)

This 85-year-old farmer had a small plot of land but it “was seized by CPM cadres”. Now, it is difficult for him to manage one square meal a day. His neighbours — equally poverty-stricken — try to help him. The family eats once in two days. The government has compounded his problems by giving him an APL card. As a result, he cannot get food at a subsidised rate.

According to the district administration of West Midnapore, the problem lies in the ration card distribution system.

“To implement developmental schemes, we had to revise the ration card list,” said N S Nigam, DM, West Midnapore.

A revision of ration cards has begun in 1,750 mouzas of 11 blocks affected by the Maoist problem. “We have planned to distribute new ration cards to 1.60 lakh people in these tribal mouzas,” Nigam said. “But as of now, we have distributed cards to 5,000 villagers in Lalgarh, Jhargram, Jamboni and Belpahari blocks. This is a long process and will take time.”

According to official records, the ration card list was prepared in 1997 but the district administration found a large number of anomalies. So the list was revised in 2005 in which, according to a senior district administration official, 80 per cent of the old card holders were shifted to BPL category.

But during a recent survey, the administration found that the list prepared in 2005 was also faulty and did not include most of the tribal villagers in the BPL category.

Significantly, the state government did not take any action against officials for the faulty lists.

“If the state seriously orders a probe into the matter, it will find that several of the block officers have BPL cards while the villagers hold APL cards,” said a senior district official.

Moreover, the staff of the panchayat, including the panchayat pradhan, have BPL cards in villages like Chandipur and Labkush, “but no villager holds a BPL card,” he added.

“Our survey reveals that in the forested areas of the district, the state has failed to provide food security to tribals when the district is going through a drought-like situation,” he said.

As per the survey, the absence of food security has led the tribal boys and girls to join the Maoists ¿ they are paid Rs 2000 to Rs 3000 per month for belonging to the Maoist armed cadre.