BDO visits poor man’s house

Rajiv Mahajan

NURPUR, AUGUST 25

Taking cognizance of the story published in The Tribune under the headline ‘Differently abled man not on IRDP list’ on August 24, the Block Development Officer (BDO), Nagrota Surian, Oshin Sharma has visited the house of Bakshish (61) at Nagrotu of the Harsar gram panchayat in Jawali to assess his financial condition. Bakshish had been running from pillar to post to seek benefits of government schemes under the Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP).

After inspecting the condition of Bakshish, the BDO said today that his house was unfit to live. She directed the panchayat pradhan to include his name on the panchayat’s IRDP list, provide him benefit of the PM Awas Yozna and get electricity restored to his house within one week. Moved by his condition, the BDO offered to bear the expenses of studies of his son Inder up to Class XII and got his name enrolled in a nearby government school. He had left school in Class IX due to poverty. Bakshish, who is physically and visually handicapped, is living in a single kucha room, along with his son (17) and a horse. The house can collapse any time.

He alleged that his name was struck off from the IRDP list in February 2018. His wife had died a few years ago and he has no means to earn livelihood.