Sometimes, it takes one branch of government to shake another awake. The Supreme Court did just that on Friday when it issued notices to the Union government and the states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra to explain why children are dying of malnutrition in the tribal-dominated regions of these states at rates much higher than elsewhere. It reminds the country—which talks of lofty ideas like being developed in just over two decades—that crores of Indians are still living in abject poverty. It should also tell those who rightly want to eradicate Maoist violence that these were the very regions once considered part of the Red Corridor. The reason extremism could strike roots there—the absence or apathy of governments—is still very much present.