RAMGARH/RANCHI: A 40-year-old man, belonging to the endangered Birhor tribe, has died allegedly of starvation in Jharkhand's Ramgarh district . This is the third such fatality reported in the state this month, and the government has categorically stated that hunger is not the cause for the deaths.In the latest incident, Chintamani Malhar from Mandu block died on Wednesday. His son Videshi Malhar said they had nothing to eat for the past few days and his father died of hunger and related problems."We... not been issued a ration card by the government authorities yet," Videshi said. Officials from Mandu block, including circle officer Lalan Kumar and block development officer Manoj Kumar Gupta, went to Malhar's house and gave his son 15kg rice and a cheque of Rs 5,000. Kumar denied that Malhar died of hunger and said illness was the cause of death.Karishma Devi, Malhar's neighbour and also from the same community, also said he died of hunger. "Most of us have been issued ration cards but we never got any grain from the government," she said.Food, public distribution and consumer affairs minister Saryu Rai convened a meeting on Friday over the death. Member of a committee to define 'hunger deaths' and convenor of Jharkhand Right to Food Campaign, Asharfi Nand Prasad said the panel had finalised its report and would be submitting it to the government on Wednesday. "We are sending a team... to find the facts about Malhar's death... (it)exposes holes in the government welfare schemes," he said.

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