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Long wait for his dues

BERHAMPUR: Like Laxman of the Ramayana this Laxman Sahu, a menial labourer of Ganjam district has taken a strong vow.

With much patience Mr Sahu of Kapapadar village of Rangeilunda block has sworn not to sit silent till the administrative officials provide him the benefits under the ‘Balika Samriddhi Yojana’ (BSY), which his daughters are entitled to. He has been trying to get these benefits for them since 1999. Taking time out of his profession of a mason on daily wages he makes regular visits to the offices concerned to pursue his application to get the benefits under the BSY. “Usually due to ignorance people in rural areas lose benefits of developmental programmes and they do not put questions regarding them to the officials. But I did not want to sit silent,” he said.

His first daughter was born on Aug 23, 1997. In 1999, Sahu, who studied up to class IX, came to know about the BSY. He got the birth certificate of his daughter and applied for the benefits under BSY. The same year his second daughter was born. He again applied for benefits under BSY for his second daughter.

Under the scheme the beneficiaries are to get a post-birth grant of Rs. 500. When the girl child born on or after 15/8/1997 and covered under BSY starts attending school, she will become entitled to annual scholarship for each successfully completed year of schooling. But the daughters of Sahu are yet to get the benefits. Recently he applied to get information about his applications under the RTI Act. But he received a reply that no application dated Aug 23, 1997 was submitted at the local block office. Mr Sahu says the officials may have erred as he never submitted the application for his first daughter on the day of her birth.

By trying to get the benefits, he is losing workdays as he has to spend time to meet officials. Yet he has not given up so that others like him in rural areas get the benefits without problem, he says.

The BSY scheme is C central Government-sponsored scheme meant for below-the-poverty-line (BPL) families to reduce antipathy towards girl children. Benefits under BSY were restricted to two girl children in each household born on or after 15.8.1997 irrespective of the total number of children in the household. Now Sahu has three daughters and one son. As he understands the norms of the BSY he has not applied for benefits of BSY for his third daughter.

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