- Friday, April 19, 2024
It was learnt that the woman is looking for a manual labourer’s job as her husband is suffering from tuberculosis but has to take her children along with her during the job hunt as there is none to take care of them at home.
By: Shubham Ghosh
In a scene that left netizens heavy hearted, a tribal woman in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh wrapped polythene bags around the feet of her children so that they can walk on roads in blistering summer because she could not afford to buy shoes for them.
The heart-wrenching picture, taken in Sheopur in the central Indian state on Sunday (22) afternoon, went viral on social media in no time.
According to India Today, the woman, identified as Rukmini, was roaming around the city’s roads in the scorching sun with her children’s feet wrapped with plastic.
A local journalist named Insaaf Quraishi spotted them and took the photograph.
While he shared the picture, he also gave money to the woman to buy footwear for her children. Rukmini, a member of the Sahariya tribal community, also shared her story of financial hardships with the journalist.
She said her husband is suffering from tuberculosis and with him being incapacitated as the family’s main bread-earner, the responsibility now lies with Rukmini to earn a livelihood and she has been searching jobs of a manual labour. But with none to take care of her children, she also takes her children while hunting for an employment opportunity.
The local administration assured all possible help to the woman after taking note of the family’s situation.
“The matter has come to our notice. The supervisor of women and child development department and an anganwadi (a type of rural child care centre in India) worker have been sent to collect information from the concerned family. Instructions have been given to give maximum benefit of government schemes to the family,” Sheopur collector Shivam Verma told Aaj Tak/India Today.
Many areas in north, west and central India have been reeling under extreme hot conditions over the past few days. In Madhya Pradesh, some parts have seen the mercury going above 44-degree Celsius.
