All section Close
Image Credit: Hindustan Times
Odisha Girl Becomes Labourer Under MGNREGA To Pay College Dues, Help Aged Father To Manage House
Writer: Rakshitha R
Rakshitha an engineer turned passionate journalist with an inclination for poetry, creative writing, movies, fiction, mountains and seclusion. Not a part of the social process but existential.
Odisha, 26 Jan 2021 11:31 AM GMT | Updated 26 Jan 2021 11:34 AM GMT
Editor : Shubhendu Deshmukh |
Shubhendu, the quint essential news junky, the man who loves science and politics in equal measure and offers the complete contrast to it by being a fan of urdu poetry as well.
Creatives : Rajath
A free spirit who find meaning in life with the virtue of creativity and doing job par its excellence, animal lover and traveller by heart.
The girl's engineering diploma certificate has been withheld for over a year as she could not clear her college dues to the tune of ₹25,000.
A 20-year-old Odisha girl has been working as a daily wage labourer under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) scheme to pay her pending dues in a private engineering college and get her engineering diploma certificate.
Roji Behera, a resident of Pipli block in Puri district, has been digging fields, carrying moulds of soil on her head to construct a road in her village. She earns ₹207 per day, reported Hindustan Times.
Her diploma certificate has been withheld for over a year as she could not clear her college due to the tune of ₹25,000.
Two of her sisters also work along with her, one of whom is pursuing B.Tech. Every day, they wake up in the morning, hit the field with shovel and mortar pan in their hands, and start their work.
"Though I completed my diploma in civil engineering from a private engineering college in Khurda district in 2019, I had pending dues of ₹44,000. My father could raise around ₹20,000, but I could not manage the rest. After sitting idle for over a year and a half, I decided to work as an MNREGS labourer for at least three months so that I can earn something," said Behera.
Behera said that she and her sisters are not being paid any wage since they started working.
She did not wish to reveal the name of her engineering college as it would hamper her chances of getting the certificate. The officials of the Directorate of Technical Education and Training said she could have met the officials of the State Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training for the certificate. "However, there may be some other pending dues which she has to clear before she gets her certificate," said an official.
The girl said she wants to clear her arrears first. "My father is a landless, poor farmer. The house which we are living in on someone else's land. For me, getting admission to a B Tech course is a priority. I am willing to slog as a labourer for the next few months to get my certificate," she added.
Delang block development officer Khirod Pradhan said he would inquire into the issue and help her in whatever way possible.
Also Read: Agra: Over 100 Farmers Allegedly Put Under 'House Arrest' Ahead Of Republic Day Tractor Rally
Must Reads
We are an independent and public-spirited digital media platform for Indian millennials. We report news and issues that matter as well as give you the opportunity to take action.
