Odisha: Twelve-year-old boy loses hand working in a maize mill

A 12-year-old boy lost his left hand when it got stuck in a machine, while working in a maize factory in Nabarangpur district of Odisha. Labour Minister Prafulla Kumar Mallick said the boy had gone to work in the maize factory and his left hand got stuck in a machine on Wednesday.

"I went to the mill to work. I used to get Rs 50 a day. But my hand got caught in the machine accidentally," said the boy who started to work in the mill after his father died.

Hailing from Nunapani village in Nabarangpur district, the sixth standard student was admitted to Koraput district hospital in a serious condition. Doctors treating the boy said, "We have to amputate his hand below the elbow as it was badly damaged. He is out of danger now."

The minister announced free treatment for the boy and asked the Labour Commissioner to investigate the incident.

"I have asked the Labour Commissioner to probe how the 12-year-old tribal boy worked in a hazardous condition and got his hand damaged," Mallick told reporters. The minister also asked the district collector of Nabarangpur to submit a report on the incident.