Jaipur: Leelawas village in Jadol block of Udaipur district is once again in the news for all the wrong reasons.After a woman of Leelawas village delivered her 17th child recently, now a survey by group of NGOs revealed that a family with 11 children, five of whom are suffering from a genetic disorder that has affected their vision. These children were taken to the attached hospital of RNT Govt Medical College where their treatment began. The village has over 100 children and their deteriorating condition has raised concerns among govt authorities as the area remains neglected.Head of the department, Ophthalmology at RNT Medical College in Udaipur, Dr Vijay Gupta, said, “All these five children brought to the hospital are suffering from hereditary congenital cone deficiency. All have a deficiency of some pigments due to which they find difficulty in daytime vision and also colour discrimination. Out of five siblings, three children can get a disability certificate due to the nature of their disease. Since the area is neglected, almost half of the children in the 11-member family have the same disease.” Gupta added, “We have conducted counselling for the parents of these children, encouraging them not to give birth to more children as the they may be born with the same genetic disease.”The Kalbeliya settlement in Leelawas village engaged in waste collection, faced challenges such as food scarcity, malnutrition, illiteracy, and difficulties in treating visually impaired children due to large family sizes, said social organisation groups that visited the area. A woman giving birth to 17 children and most families having more than five children highlights the severity of the situation. The Rajasthan Child Advisory Group (RKAG), a team of experts formed to protect child rights in the state, visited the site with local representatives and officials.RKAG’s chairman and social worker Chandragupt Singh Chauhan organised a community discussion in Leelawas emphasising that smaller families improve health, education, and nutrition, and bring balance to employment. It was explained to both men and women that family planning is not just a responsibility but a guarantee of a brighter future for the next generation.Child rights expert and former member of the Rajasthan State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Shailendra Pandya, expressed concern over more than 100 children in the settlement of over 60 families not attending anganwadi or school.
