This family from Assam's Jorhat is living in a hut with holes; Govt yet to hear pleas for assistance

Jorhat: In spite of countless government schemes, a vast portion of India's population continues to wallow in poverty. Although the government claims that schemes such as 'Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana' are a foolproof solution to homelessness, the pitiful condition of some houses in Assam makes one see the real picture.

A ramshackle hut in Assam's Jorhat shows that benefits of the government's schemes are yet to reach some of the remoter regions of the state. Situated in Madhya Khongiya village in Upper Assam, the badly damaged belongs to a certain Ramesh Chandra Kalita. The owner of this pitiable hut has been incapacitated for 2-3 years and hence, unable to do any work. Since then, poverty has taken over.

Sunlight streams in through gaping holes in the walls of the hut as its inmates lie inside -- constantly living in fears of rains or other natural calamities that could badly disrupt their lives. The sick patriarch lies on a weak bamboo bed most of the time and stares outside, lamenting this unfortunate turn of events.

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"Ever since I fell sick, the house has become dilapidated. I am unable to educate my children. My wife is doing all she can and doing odd jobs here and there. In the meantime, we are applying for the government's aid. Things have reached such a state that we do not even have the proper space to live and life is getting tougher by the day," he informed Inside Northeast.

To tide over the crisis, Kalita's wife has been forced into doing odd jobs. To support her ailing husband and two children, that is the only thing that she can do. The condition of the house is so poor, in fact, that the couple's daughter has been sent away to her uncle's place to live.

The matriarch, now given the responsibility of running the household, said, "I am crestfallen because we have to work so hard and nobody is there to help us. I have sold some grams, but that is hardly enough to tide us over this crisis." As she said this, she broke into tears.

The question that arises is: who is benefitting from the schemes meant for the poor? This family, despite repeated please to those in power, has been ignored so far.

According to a recent survey, two-thirds of people in India live in poverty: 68.8% of the Indian population lives on less than $2 a day. Over 30% even have less than $1.25 per day available - they are considered extremely poor.

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