Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy rec­e­ntly received the prestigious UN Public Service Award (2013) for the Asia-Pacific for his mass contact programme. But his healing touch is yet to take effect in Attapady. The tribals there say they have sent numerous petitions to him about what some activists call the ‘infant genocide’ in Kerala. His government did announce a special package in May but babies are still dying everyday. The Centre sent a team to Attapady last week and this is what an exasperated T.K.A. Nair, advisor to the prime minister, had to ask: “There are 500 paramedical staff available in Attapady, why can’t they take care of 600 pregnant tribal women?” Outlook’s Minu Ittyipe spoke to CM Chandy. Excerpts:

The special Attapady package was announced two months back but babies are still dying there. Why is this happening?

I went there in the first week of June. Senior officers, both from the Centre and the state, are constantly...