Bajura- 

The family of Sapana Gandharba (Dalit) living in Budhiganga Municipality-7, Bajura, is facing a hard time due to acute poverty. Sapana Gandharba, along with her two children, is compelled to live in a temporary shelter built on the roadside..

Sapana’s husband Dhan died three years ago for want of treatment due to poverty. The temporary shelter is also built on the land belonging to someone else. Sapana does not have land of her own nor has she acquired citizenship. .

For lack of citizenship certificate, Sapana is deprived of single woman allowance provided by the government under social security scheme..

Sapana complained that she could not acquire citizenship as there was no one to recommend her for the ID card and her parents lacked citizenship certificate. .

“I appealed to the knowledgeable people to help me acquire citizenship, but to no avail,” she bemoaned. “They ask me to bring parents’ citizenship certificate. But, all the family members of my maternal home died in Kalikot,” she added..

Sapana shared that her family had been living in a hut for the past 15 years. .

Earlier, her family used to live in a cowshed belonging to others. “Local Dipak Sunar built the temporary shelter for us,” she said..

With the demise of her husband, the onus to rear the two children has fallen on her shoulders. When her husband was alive, he used to make money by singing and making clay pots. “After his death, I have no other option other than begging in the village to feed my children,” Sapana said..

Sapana complained that she and her sons had to sleep on empty stomach for many nights. It is a sin to be born in a poor family,” she said with eyes filled with tears. .

 She finds it hard to convince her sons when there is nothing to eat at home. Her elder son Sagar is a fifth grader while younger son Rajesh studies in Grade II at local Sharada Secondary School. Local Mohan Sunar said Sagar and Rajesh lacked money even to buy stationery items..

Budhiganga Municipality-7 ward chair Bhuwan Jaishi pledged to help Sapana acquire citizenship as soon as possible. (#Copied_thehimalayantimes)