DNA Impact: 18-year-old gets scholarship in Bengal after DNA report

After a struggle of about two years and nearly getting dropped out of college because of financial crunch, the girl who had been the face of Purulia district for resisting her forced marriage at 16, now finally gets her Kanyashree scholarship from the state of West Bengal.

After DNA published the story of Astami Roy and her misery in September, 2018, an NGO – Shara Bangla Sishu Suraksha Samity – took up the cause and on December 27, an amount of Rs 25,000 which she deserved rightfully, was credited to her bank account.

Child activist and member of the NGO Dipak Bandopadhyay said that after they read the news they decided to give it a try and bring justice to the girl who had been living in penury along with her mother and four sisters at Jahajpur village of the district. “When we contacted them we found they lived in a squalid state. Her father who was a daily wage earner had passed away in July 2018 and their condition had further deteriorated and along with her mother, Sunita Roy, Astami too started working as a daily labourer,” Bandopadhyay said. 

He added, after that every letter they wrote to district authorities about Astami’s scholarship, they attached the printout of the report that came out in DNA. “Maybe out of sympathy or fear or any other reason, it finally worked and she got her money.”

Sunita too said that now Astami would be able to give her undivided attention to studies and pursue her dreams. 

Astami, now a degree course student in Arts at Raghunathpur College was ecstatic talking to DNA. “I have no words to thank Bandopadhyay and DNA. My hopes for studying have been rekindled. I want to complete my studies and get into the state police force,” she said.

She added that since now there is no pressure of earning for her family, she would have more time to workout in the morning and get herself physically ready to achieve her goal.

Astami’s parents wanted to get her married off two years ago after she passed her Class X board exams and she became the star of the village resisting it. She was enrolled for Kanyashree, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s pet project, according to which she would receive Rs 750 per annum and once she reached 18, if she is not married, she would get Rs 25,000. In mid-2018, after she completed 18 years of age and passed her Higher Secondary school, due to some technicalities the money was not credited to her account. 

Being the oldest of the five children she had decided to quit studies and find some job to support her mother and siblings.

Deputy magistrate and officer responsible for implementation of Kanyashree in the district Leena Mondal said that they took care of it as soon as they got information. "There are lakhs of beneficiaries. There can be technical problems but we need to be informed about those. As soon Astami's case was brought to our notice it was taken care of. Her attendance at school was very low. That could have been one of the reasons of the discontinuation," Mondal told DNA.