Nabrangpur: Her husband died years back, leaving the whole responsibility of the family on her shoulders. Her son and daughter-in-law were her only hope while her two grandchildren were reason for her smile.
However, the situation for Daumati Nag (70) of Jabaguda village under Padalguda panchayat in Nabrangpur district was to worsen as some mental-illness had affected her son a few years after his father’s death. He began wandering around like a nomad and did no job. With no bread-earner for the family, the elderly woman had to take upon herself the task of running the family.
As the cruel fate would have it, her daughter-in-law also eloped with another youth of the same village, leaving behind two innocent children. With her son mentally-ill and daughter-in-law eloped, Daumati was left in the lurch with her two grandchildren Suraj Nag (11) and Gunjan Nag (6).
Despite her age and plight, no administration help has reached her doorsteps even after repeated pleas. Left with no source of income, the elderly woman mortgaged her monthly pension card for Rs 1,000 and ration card for Rs 4,000 to take care of her grand children.
This has further worsened their problem. If the family eats a meal a day, they have to starve the rest of the day as the ration card is mortgaged. And, she does not own any agricultural land.
Her mentally-ill son gets a mere Rs 400 a month to graze cattle in the village. The family has to survive on whatever some neighbours provide out of sympathy. Worse, they have none to take care of when they fall ill.
Their only roof over their head is a thatched mud and bamboo one-room hut. Sympathetic locals have demanded the administration to rehabilitate the two children by admitting them to an Ashram school and provide them with better education.
