Malnutrition among the East Pakistan refugees sheltering in India could result in widespread deaths among the young unless the subjected government child care programme is launched soon. But implementation of the programme will be delayed by about a month, according to official estimates, due in part to the ten day holiday beginning on September 26 for Bengal's biggest Hindu festival.

Visnews cameraman Jagdish Kapoor went into one of the refugees camps near Calcutta to film the desperate children. A British doctor has estimated that 100,000 to 150,000 children under the age of eight have already died of malnutrition, and many more could die. Operation decline, the government programme, is hardly off the ground, and ??? does go into operation it is expected to be only one-seventh the original ???.

SYNOPSIS: The Hindus of calcutta are preparing for their biggest religious festival, in celebration of the goddess Durga, the ??? of evil.

The festival begins on September the twenty sixth, and lasts ten days. During this time little else nappens in Calcutta including aid for refugees. With the end of the monsoon season great steps could be made to improve the position of the refugees. But all attention is turned to the festival.

According to the British doctor king in the area. Dr. John Saaman, 100,000 to 150,000 children have already died of malnutrition - and many more could die unless a relief programma begins. the government is relief programme - "Operation Lifeline could make all the difference out the man in change Dr. Kolch, estimate to will take at lost month to get the programme going - ten days of which are due to the festival of the Goddess Durga. In the meantime, the few doctors are overworked
Dr. Kolch ha been asked by the Indian government to set up immediately fifteen nutritional therapy unite for children. This would bring to sixty the centres established - of 412 considered necessary in West Bengal. But it will take a month to set up these sixty.

The Indian government intends to establish 1,000 health centres in all under "Operation Lifeline". Their opening has been delayed due to the monsoon season and the ensuing floods. Now the festival of the conquerors of evil will delay them longer.