The tribal group forms an important segment of Indian population constituting 7.76% of the total population in India. Konkan tribal women and children seem to be most neglected and suffer from poor health. During the two years, Konkanipada tribal locality has been explored by me resulting in depth study about the disaster of malnutrition among Konkani tribe mainly that of women and increasing rates of infant. Total number of malnourished women and children were collected and the separation was done between the affected or malnourished tribal who are getting treatment and those who are not even aware of getting medical aid. Survey also includes life style, status, poverty level, transportation, literacy, prevailing superstition if any including dietary pattern of tribal.

Being utterly poor, they even neglect the pregnant women, giving rise to the child deaths. In addition, superstitions concerning diet and justified claims for particular food are also cause of their ill health. As a consequence the tribal suffer from malnutrition and diseases like iron deficient anemia, diseases of gastrointestinal tract, phenylketourea, gout, liver cirrhosis, fatigue etc. Survey was conducted which recorded disease wise deaths within 14 months due to malnutrition apart from the death due to other aliment. Inadequate food increases the risk of infections which is evident from the table as number of deaths due to pneumonia is maximum. Other diseases occurring as the result of improper nourishment in children are deformity, complications of respiratory tract, Siamese twins, high fever, seplicemia, hypoglycemia, hypothermia, distended stomach and prenatal birth.

Table I: represents disease wise deaths within 8 months apart from the death due to other aliment.
Sr.No. DISEASE No. OF DEATHS
1. DEFORMITY 18
2. RESPIRATORY COMPLICATION 88
3. PRENATAL BIRTH 68
4. PNEUMONIA 91
5. SIAMESE TWINS 18
6. HIGH FEVER 69
7. SEPLICEMIA 57
8. HYPOGLYCEMIA 33
9. HYPOTHERMIA 46
10. DISTENDED STOMACH 47
11. OTHER ILLNESS 84

About Author / Additional Info:
Dr. Amit Kaur Puri (born, November 3) is an Indian botanist, ethnobotanist, phytochemist, mycologist and from Varanasi, completed her studies in Nagpur (India). Her work has involved the documentation of indigenous knowledge of Gond and Korku tribes of the Vidarbha Forest region in Maharashtra.