Impacting the lives of specially abled people
There never was a more battered beginning to a Bengali new year in the April of 2017 for
the
Maity family of Bijayramchowk village in Purba (east) Medinipur district in south of
West
Bengal, with a population of over 90 million, little more than that of Germany.
"I applied for the assistance in 2019 and was told that I am eligible to get about Rs 1500
($ 20), every alternate month. It could have taken care of my medical expenses, at least
partially. But over the next months, we received nothing and my medication was stopped,"
said Chandan.
On the 10th day of the Bengali New Year the breadwinner of the seven member family - Chandan
Maity, 35, fell from an electricity-carrying pole to severely damage the lumbar spine.
Chandan, earning about $250 a month, was working between two transformers -
20 feet above the ground - at the edge of Bijayramchowk.
"Usually when we work in one transformer, the electricity is snapped in the other. In this
case, the other transformer wasn't disconnected and a live wire carrying 440 volts hit me
like an overloaded truck. I fell from the pole;' said Chandan, a professional electrician.
"Overnight our life was impacted - we had to reduce our food intake to buy medicine;' said
Ms Maity. Meanwhile, Chandan heard about Yuvasree, a financial assistance scheme of the West
Bengal government for the unemployed.
"I applied for the assistance in 2019 and was told that I am eligible to get about Rs 1500
($ 20), every alternate month. It could have taken care of my medical expenses, at least
partially. But over the next months, we received nothing and my medication was stopped;'
said Chandan.
His little farm land, attached to his mud-thatched house - meanwhile - was inundated by
water snapping the tiny supply of farm produce as Bijayramchowk is located on a flood plain
bounded on all sides by a river Kanshabati and its two canals.
"One winter evening, sitting in my farm land, I was wondering what I should do now to save
the family who ran out of steam. They could neither foot the medical bills nor pay the fee
to send my nine year old son Subhojit to school;' said Chandan.
The Turning Point
It was then he saw on video-blogging and sharing site, You Tube, the advertisement of the
Grievance Cell in Bengal Chief Minister's office. It was flashing a number on the screen.
"Within days I received a call from the local administrative office. I was assured that I am
going to get the unemployment subsidy:'
From the month of March (2020) Chandan started receiving an allowance of Rs 1500, paid once
in two months.
"Please write, I am ... we are ... grateful to the government;' Chandan said.
The campaign has found a permanent place in the heart of the Maity household.
