The district administration in Vellore has come forward to provide housing and other facilities to an impoverished woman and her elderly mother, whose plight was highlighted in a video circulated by a voluntary organisation.
In the video, the impoverished woman, in her mid-forties, from Mel Kavanur village in Vellore district, sought help for her day-to-day survival.
The video shot by Gopala Rajendran, Vellore district secretary, The Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled and Caregivers (TARATDAC), shows Kalaivani, stating that she was initially keeping well but suffered from an ailment and went to a hospital for treatment.
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“She is mentally ill and requires all help,” said S. Namburajan, general secretary, (TARATDAC).
Sitting in a dilapidated building and wearing tattered clothes, she was heard saying that her mother gets ₹1,000 as elderly pension and they purchase idli or some food from the hotel and eat once a day.
“She told me that on some days she used to just survive on biscuits and groundnuts,” Mr. Gopala Rajendran added.
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However, her mother fell down and fractured her legs a year ago. Since then they have been struggling without food.
“They need help desperately. They should be provided food regularly and proper shelter. The house they live is in a bad condition,” Mr. Gopala Rajendran said.
When The Hindu shared the video with Vellore Collector A Shanmuga Sundaram, he said the administration would render all necessary assistance. “We will be providing a patta for a house site worth ₹2 lakh and construct a greenhouse worth ₹three lakh for them,” he said.
Mr. Sundaram added that through Red Cross, the administration would facilitate one-month dry ration and kitchen utensils.
“She will be provided a cash dole of ₹15,000 from the Collector’s Discretionary Fund and ₹10,000 from the Red Cross. Rotary Club Gudiyatham will help in house construction. For Kalaivani, also, we will give a pension of ₹1,000 as a special case,” the Collector said.