JEYPORE: Swift action by the Koraput administration has brought hope to a young tribal woman who was reportedly forced to work as a construction labourer despite holding a diploma in electrical engineering.
The intervention came after a section of the media highlighted the plight of 21-year-old Sukanti Paraja, a resident of Mundaguda village under Mahadeiput gram panchayat in Koraput block, whose story of carrying cement, sand and stones at construction sites despite being a diploma holder drew widespread attention.
On Monday, Sukanti met district collector Satyawan Mahajan and executive officer of Koraput municipality Gyanajit Tripathy who assured her of training, employment support and financial assistance to help rebuild her career.
Sukanti completed her diploma in Electrical Engineering from Siddhartha Engineering College, Koraput. Following the deaths of her parents, she was left without any financial support. Despite applying for several government and private jobs, she failed to secure employment and eventually took up daily wage work at the construction site of Koraput block office to support her family.
During his interaction with Sukanti, Mahajan came to know that she had been unable to obtain her original diploma certificate from the college due to financial constraints. The collector assured her of financial assistance from the Red Cross Fund to facilitate the release of her certificate.
Mahajan further directed officials to provide skill development training and extend all possible assistance to help Sukanti secure suitable employment in line with her educational qualification. Tripathy said Sukanti would undergo basic training before being engaged as a support coordinator.
Sukanti said finding no other livelihood option, she and her husband, who is also a diploma holder, have been working as daily wagers while living in Dangari village. She expressed hope that the administration’s assurance would help her secure a stable job and improve their future.