Contentious Claims: Odisha's PDS Crisis and Mango Kernel Gruel Deaths

Opposition BJD and Congress MLAs protested in the Odisha Assembly over alleged PDS failures, claiming it led to three tribal women's deaths from mango kernel gruel consumption. While opposition blamed food scarcity, state's minister asserted food poisoning as the cause, denying starvation and PDS collapse.

In the Odisha Assembly, a significant protest unfolded as opposition BJD and Congress MLAs staged a walkout, alleging a breakdown in the public distribution system (PDS).

The controversy centers around the deaths of three tribal women in Mandipanka village, who reportedly consumed mango kernel gruel due to food scarcity.

While opposition parties accuse the government of failure, Odisha's Food Supplies Minister KC Patra denies these claims, attributing the deaths to food poisoning instead.

(With inputs from agencies.)