While the State Government is running model residential schools for the tribal children but three orphans of Mundasahi, an affected village in multi-purpose Kanpur irrigation project under Chamakpur panchayat of Joda block, have not been able to avail benefit of the school.
These kids lost their parents to some mysterious disease six years back. While their father Silei Munda died in 2010, their mother Mani Munda died after four years in 2014.
After the two tragic incidents, there was nobody to look after them but thanks to courage of the eldest sibling Makar Munda (17) who instead of going to school took the responsibility of the entire family, including the education of three brothers by working as a daily wager in the local area. The Government aid was limited to a few kg of rice as monthly quota under PDS.
On the day when mediapersons reached at their village, the unfortunate orphans; laxman (13) and Sanjaya(10) were playing in the house yard with others.
The elder sister had gone out of home for wage earning and third brother Ranjan (7) reading in class 6th had gone to school. laxaman is reading in class 8th and Sanjaya is in 7th class. Baglu Das, a local villager who had informed about the ill-fate of the children and Taga Munda, uncle of the orphans, revealed that those orphan children are very talented in spite of their abject poverty and hardship in life. They lamented that their talent is not tapped.
These kids want to study and be something in life as other children. The villagers lamented that because all the family members are minors and cannot vote, so they are not approached by any leader and their misery is overlooked. They demanded necessary Government assistance for the rehabilitation of the ill- fated orphans. Otherwise it may repeat yet another Nagada episode, they warned.