Chamba. A picture has emerged from Matwad village of Bhajotra Gram Panchayat of Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, which shocks humanity. There are 4 minor children here, whose childhood has been sacrificed due to circumstances. His father passed away in his childhood and after some time his mother, who was suffering from illness, also left him.
According to the villagers, the mother has remarried and the name of the mother along with these children has been deleted from the Panchayat records. Today these innocent children have neither the support of their parents, nor a solid roof over their heads nor any solid security for the future. The 17-year-old eldest sister was forced to leave her studies in eighth grade to take care of her younger siblings. However, she wanted to study further. Without protection, without support and without any permanent help, these four children are fighting the tough battle of life every day. When this news surfaced on social media, the News 18 team decided to go to Ground Zero to know the truth.
When the team reached Matwad village after a difficult journey on foot, the situation was heart-wrenching. Three innocent children were waiting for their brother outside the house. The elder sister occasionally earns a little money by working as a laborer and was sitting at home with the children. The 14 year old brother had gone out in search of livelihood. The condition of the kutcha house in which these children are living is so dilapidated that the ground can cave in at any time. This house is in danger of collapsing in the coming snowfall. The scene inside the house was even more painful. On one side cattle were tied and on the other side children were sitting on their beds shedding tears. There was a small kitchen in front, where the stove was expected to be lit only after my brother returned. The situation is such that anyone’s heart would ache. The government has dozens of schemes for the poor and the helpless including Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Chief Minister Awas Yojana, but till now no scheme has reached these children.
News 18 team decided to go to ground zero and find out the reality.
Although when we wanted to ask these children about their situation, at first they refused to say everything, but what little they said was enough to express their reality. When the elder sister was asked, she told that they have been living in the same mud house for many years. Father had died four years ago, mother was ill and later left them. Today they are making their living on their own.
Uncle’s house is nearby and he is also a ward member, but there was no significant improvement in the condition of the children.
Uncle is a ward member, but the situation has not improved.
Although uncle’s house is nearby and he is also a ward member, there was no significant improvement in the condition of the children. The uncle says that the children have not yet turned 18, so they are not getting government help. Whereas small children want to go to school, but due to lack of resources and support, education has become difficult. When an attempt was made to talk to the little girl, she remained silent – perhaps the circumstances had taken away the power to speak from her. Now it is expected that the government and administration will keep an eye on these orphan children and will provide them with basic facilities like housing, education and protection, so that both the childhood and future of these innocent children can be secured. On the other hand, after this news went viral on social media, the local administration has started talking about the protection of these children and the administration says that the children will be included in the Sukhashray Yojana.
