Boastful promises of the State Government with its numerous welfare schemes and much hyped Re 1-a-kg rice seem to have failed in case of Subasita Behera of Ukhunda Beherasahi under Jhumpura block in the minerals-rich Keonjhar district.
With 25 kg rice per month, his family of six members, found no option but to sleep half of a month in empty stomach. Behera is struggling with life every day as he is suffering from severe type-2 diabetes for the last four years. His health condition is deteriorating day by day for not being able to afford treatment.
According to the Yugabda agency, Behera, a 25-year-old youth from the other backward caste, is staying with his 70-year-old father Narottam Behera. who is a differently-abled person, sick mother and three grown-up sisters. They have nothing to fall back on, except the monthly Government dole of 25kg rice under the public distribution service (PDS).
Their earning from washing clothes of the villagers is too meager to meet their daily needs.
“Most of the days, we are sleeping with empty stomach. I’m not able to do any work, my old father and three sisters are struggling hard to earn even Rs 20 a day each. Hence, how can I afford my treatment,” ailing Behera lamented.
He requested many local Government officers for help, but the latter avoided by telling that his family was getting BPl rice. “When we say we are getting public distribution service (PDS) rice, they don’t want to listen anything from us,” Behera’s sister said.
Surprisingly, neither Behera’s father nor his mother has received old age pension under State’s Madhubabu pension scheme or the Central Government’s old age pension. They had approached local authorities and local PRI members several times, but nobody paid any heed to them, Behera added.
Doctors said he could be cured only if he agreed to an expensive treatment. Now, all they need is support from either from the Government, an NGO or a corporate house.