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News The vital “Yellow Card”
News The vital “Yellow Card”
| The vital “Yellow Card” |
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During the monsoon of 2002, the state of Bihar was lashed by heavy rains causing severe floods. There was a loss of 324 lives while 13.2 million people became homeless. The poor living in interior villages suffered the most. For the raging waters the mud plastered huts with makeshift thatched roofs was mear putty and along with the huts were washed away all hard earned assets that families may have taken years to accumulate. Two of the relief items distributed during the flood relief were a hygiene kit and a 100-liter water container. AAnita Devi of Chotta Baluwai village tried to pave her way through the crowd. She was carrying a whimpering child in one of her arms, while trying to walk with a heavy load in the other. The precariously held “yellow card”, making her eligible for the kit was snatched away by someone who managed to get away. “ I have lost my card” met with no response from the populace. However she thought that since her name was in the distribution register she may yet get the kit sans the card. But she was in for a shock when her name alone did not prove her eligibility since the precious card she lost was everything she needed to receive the kit. Her reaction was very volatile. She walked over to a wall leaned against it and her wails like the cries of a wounded animal rented the air. Was this a gizmo up her sleeves to attract attention and gain pity? But it sounded more like an overflow of pent up feelings, probably a release of all the hounding, misuse and abuse suffered over the years as part of gender discrimination meted out to women generally. We will never know the truth. However Mr. Alex Joseph from DC, part of the disaster relief team talked to her immediately. The reply was “Suppose I go back to the village without the kit and the water container, my family members would have made life miserable for me for years to come”. She continued “It is for the first time we are getting a 100 liter container to store water”. Impact The 100-liter container for potable drinking water was a needy item since water borne diseases due to contaminated drinking water was on the increase. Is the yellow card that important as not to take into consideration human emotions? |