Bhubaneswar: When 21-year old Priyabati Nayak, a resident of Unchabahali village in Boudh district realised that she won’t be able to marry until his father is free from a housing loan and that will take years to repay, she did what others at her age would not have thought of. She wrote a letter to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) urging financial assistance for her marriage.
Then came the response from the PMO directing a bank in the region to sanction the family a loan for the marriage of Priyabati, a matriculate. After coming to know that the bank has approved a loan of Rs 3.44 lakh, Priyabati’s joy met no bounds and she went one step ahead to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend her marriage on April 24.
“I can’t expressmy happiness as I am going to marry only because of our loving Prime Minister Modiji. I know it would not have been possible without the intervention of the PM. I am extremely grateful to him,” an elated Priyabati said.
Priyabati’s father Sadananda Nayak said a team of bank officials had made a spot verification and enquired about the financial condition of the family. As she had mentioned in her letter about a family loan, on PMO’s direction district Collector Madhusudan Mishra had sent some bank officials to visit the village and meet Priyabati to enquire about the financial and social condition. Later the bank approved a loan of Rs 3.44 lakh for her marriage.
Sadananda works in the Revenue Department and gets a salary of Rs 12,000 a month. With poor financial condition and a loan burden of Rs 1.80 lakh, Nayak had no hope to get his daughter married off.
“Except my salary, I have no other source of income by which I can marry off my daughter. After the intervention of PMO, the loan has been approved for the marriage. We are thankful to the Prime Minster for responding swiftly,” said Sadananda.