DNA Impact: Purulia girl finally gets her scholarship money

After a two-year struggle and nearly having to drop out of college because of financial crunch, the girl who became the face of Purulia district for resisting her forced marriage at 16, has finally received her Kanyashree scholarship from the state of West Bengal.

After DNA published the story of Astami Roy and her situation in September 2018, an NGO — Shara Bangla Sishu Suraksha Samity — took up the cause and on December 27, an amount of Rs 25,000 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 help the girl 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 so along with her mother Sunita Roy, Astami started working as a daily labourer," Bandopadhyay said.

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

An elated Sunita said that now Astami will be able to give her undivided attention to studies and pursue her dreams. Astami, a degree course Arts student at Raghunathpur College, told DNA, "I have no words to thank Bandopadhyay and DNA. My hope to study have been fulfilled. I want to complete my studies and get into the state police force."

She added that since now there is no pressure of earning for her family, she will have more time to work out in the morning and physically prepare herself to achieve her goal.