Teenage Girl Writes To Odisha CM, Seeks Help For Higher Studies

Bhubaneswar: A Class 10 girl from Balasore district has written a letter to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and sought his help for her and her widowed foster mother.

The girl, Subhadra Panda, from Patanaipur village under Remuna block was adopted by a couple, Srinivasa Panda and Annapurna, when she was just 21 days old.

Subhadra has sought the chief minister’s help as her mother is now suffering from mental illness. Her father passed away when she was in Class 2. The mother-daughter duo has been surviving on the Rs 500 widow pension and free rice provided by the government for the last eight years.

“I have nobody to help me. I want to pursue higher education and aim to be a teacher. Please help me fulfil my dream so that I will be able to teach helpless students like me,” she stated in her letter. She also affixed a photo of herself in the letter.

After learning about her difficulty, District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) Jubak Majhi and Remuna Block Development Officer (BDO) Chhabirani Sahu visited Subhadra’s house on the instruction of Balasore Collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde. They assured her to take care of her studies and other requirements.

“We will write to our DCP unit to collect all facts about the girl as per our mechanism. Then we will take necessary steps for her education by discussing with government authorities and corporate sectors,” said Balasore District Children Welfare Committee Chairman Bhagirathi Barik.