BHADRAK : Displaying exemplary commitment to duty, a 37-year-old ASHA worker carried an elderly woman on her shoulders through knee-deep water to safety in the flood-hit Dhamnagar block of Bhadrak.
ASHA worker Minati Sahoo was engaged in the flooded areas of Nadigaon and Bharatpur villages. She was tasked with distributing medicines in waterlogged villages. While returning from a field visit on August 16, she learnt that a breach in Karanpal river embankment had caused floodwater to enter Nadigaon village.
When she went to the village, she found a 60-year-old woman, identified as Basanta Das, sitting alone on the verandah of her house with floodwater almost touching her feet. Basanta was unable to move on her own as she was reportedly suffering from a leg infection and needed the support of family members to walk properly. Her son, meanwhile, had gone to a medical facility with his pregnant wife.
Realising that Basanta was in danger as the floodwater continued to rise, Minati immediately stepped into the knee-deep water and carried Basanta on her shoulders. She walked for nearly 500 metre and brought the elderly woman safely to Patana community health centre, which was being used as a shelter for flood-affected people.
District information and public relations officer (DIPRO) of Bhadrak Madhusmita Satpathy said, “Such acts of humanity are a shining example of the commitment of personnel engaged in serving people during floods. Minati Sahoo’s selfless effort is truly inspiring.”