| Social Welfare Department leaves children of lepers in lurch, denies scholarships to them | | | Mir Farhat
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Apr 8: Successive governments in the state have left scores of children of leper patients in lurch for years by not paying them scholarships to study. This is despite the fact that Department of Social Welfare has different schemes for poor students.
About 25 children of the 66 families of the leper patients, who are living in a secluded colony in the Bahrar area near Lal Bazar here, are studying in schools and colleges here. But their parents said that they have to beg before people to collect money to pay their children's fee.
Shareef-ud-Din Sheikh, aged 60, has his son studying in a college, and had to collect money from charity all these years to pay his study expenses. He said that all the parents have time and again appealed to the authorities of the Department of Social Welfare to pay scholarships to their children.
"We have been sweating outside the office of the Department of Social Welfare for years, requesting the officials to pay scholarships to our children so they can study and become self reliant in their life. All these years nothing has been done and our children continue to suffer," said Sheikh.
Sheikh said that four years ago some amount in scholarship was paid to their children, but it was stopped thereafter. "We want a regular scholarship for our children so they could carry their studies forward. However, as on date it seems that there is nobody to listen to us and our pleas," he said. Four years ago, the department had paid scholarship of Rs. 4,500 to students studying above Class 8 and Rs. 1,000 to students below 8th grade for a year. Although the parents had appreciated the move then, but they got disappointed as the process was stopped in the subsequent year. The parents said they have submitted the applications of the students to the department for availing scholarships. "Last year, the then Joint Director of the Department of Social Welfare had visited our colony and had asked us to submit the list of the children who are studying. We submitted a list, but the scholarships are yet to be paid," the parents said.
The colony was established by British in 1891 for lepers who were ostracized by the society. |
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