Hatadihi: Poverty knows no age. Children are often forced into undignified jobs and painful situations despite several government schemes for the poor and underprivileged.
Many such initiatives fail to reach the intended beneficiaries, leaving children to struggle for survival instead of focusing on school.
A recent incident at Chhenapadi market in Hatadihi block of Keonjhar district has left locals distressed. Two young tribal girls, dressed in school uniforms, were seen going door to door selling bundles of toothsticks for Rs10 each.
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Hatadihi block is known as a predominantly tribal area, with many families still deprived of basic government benefits.
In the prime of their school years, these two girls wandered around with tooth stick bundles, trying to earn a few rupees for their families’ survival. Selling toothsticks, however, cannot secure even the bare minimum required for sustenance.
Yet, the two children said they had no choice but to skip studies and sell tooth sticks to earn some money. “We sell a bundle for `10 to manage daily expenses,” the girls said.
Legal experts Aryabhatt Maikap and Bhagaban Mallick observed that although there are numerous government programmes for tribal children, most remain ineffective due to negligence and poor implementation.
“For such failures, government officials must be held accountable,” they said. The incident has sparked outrage, with many questioning who is responsible for pushing tribal schoolgirls into such desperate circumstance.
PNN
