A day after OTV reported the plight of an elderly couple who were taking care of their visually-impaired son, the district administration has swung into action and rushed to the aid of their son.
The Koraput district administration has geared up to help them as they continue to battle their misery with no breadwinner in the family.
At a time when the elderly couple needs to be taken care, they have to take care of their only son. They reside in a rented house in Jeypore Ganganagar.
According to sources, Nilamadhab used to sell utensils from door-to-door to eke out a living. With growing age, he is finding it hard to sell utensils on a cycle. Adding to their misery, Nilamadhab’s daughter who used to be a helping hand for his family died of a disease a few months back. She used to help her father by tailoring. Following her death, Nilamadhab’s family has been shattered completely.
With no income source at home, the couple really finds it hard to take care of their blind son. Whatever they get from pension is enough. While both husband and wife getting Rs 500 as pension, Arjun gets Rs 700. However, their pension amount is very scanty compared to their expenditure.
Moreover, Rs 1,700 which the father-mother-son trio gets as pension is used as rent every month. With no money left for their survival, the couple hardly buys vegetables for themselves. Apart from pension and rice, they don’t get any government aid for their livelihood. Finding no other go, Nilamadhab often seeks monetary help from his neighbours to run his family.
The administration has promised to bear all the expenses and look into their plight.
Businessman Subas Rout said, “Under Chief Minister’s housing scheme we are trying our best to add them as beneficiaries and provide them with a house. We will contribute and provide them a piece of land and this is our promise.”
Municipality Executive Officer Sidhartha Patnaik said, “The whole family gets a pension even the son gets a pension every month and the family receives rice and other dry ration. The main problem they are facing is in the daily expenses and they urgently require a house to stay. In the city region, we cannot accommodate them and we have asked them if they want then we can provide a house to them in the rural area after having a word with the Tehsildar under the Indira Awas Yojana.”