BALANGIR: Moved by the plight of three siblings orphaned by Covid-19 in Belpada, former MP Kalikesh Narayan Singhdeo met the kids and their grandparents on Saturday.
Taking to the micro-blogging site Twitter, Kalikesh said, “75 yr Yudhishthir Rout of Sulekela, #Belpada lost his earning son & daughter in law to #covid. Unable to work, he has 3 young grandchildren with no social security of #Pds #Pension #puccaghar. No block official has visited or helped so far. @CollectorBgr @PRDeptOdisha @CMO_Odisha”
The former BJD MP’s tweet put the district administration on its toes as Belpada block development officer (BDO) Sarathi Sahu assured necessary steps for rehabilitation of the orphaned children. Sulekela sarpanch Bedamati Rana also visited the family in the evening and assured necessary assistance.
After losing their parents to Covid in a span of three months, Rajeshwari (12), Puja (10) and Narayana (8) are now living with their grandparents Judhistir Rout and Gauri in Sulekela. Both in their seventies, Judhistir and his wife only have old-age pension as a means of survival.
Sources said the kids’ parents Sanjay Rout (40) and wife Rukha (35), both farm labourers, had migrated to Attabira in Bargarh 20 years back and used to visit their native Sulekela once or twice a year. Three months back, Rukha was infected with Covid-19 and succumbed to the virus. Sanjay and his three children then returned to Sulekela. Just when the three kids were coming to terms with their mother’s death, Sanjay caught the infection and died on June 25.
Earlier, the chairman of Paschim Odisha Jadav Vikas Parishad Balaram Singh Jadav met the bereaved family and extended help to the children. He also requested the administration to provide assistance to them following which the minors were produced before the Child Welfare Committee on June 29 and their names enrolled in the State government’s Ashirbad scheme. However, the children were subsequently left to their fate by the district administration.