Born disabled, this girl ends for herself

RAYAGADA: Konda Lacchi from K Gurisi village, around 35 km from here, is a typical example of the Government’s apathy to the plight of the needy. Born with impaired limbs, the 20-year-old tribal girl is struggling to make both ends meet with the  ` 200 she is entitled to as Handicapped Pension. Any relief from the Government at the moment seems a dream.It was a traumatic childhood for Lacchi who lost her father as an infant. Unable to cope with the problems of rearing the crippled child, her mother remarried, deserting the infant Lacchi. From then on, she was brought up by her grandmother.Lacchi has emerged victorious over her physical shortcomings.  Driven by sheer willpower, she can now stand on her own legs and use her hands to good effect. Lacchi walks up to the nearest tube-well, pumps water and returns with two pitchers of water daily. She also walks down to the nearby forest to collect firewood apart from working in agricultural fields occasionally.   While neighbours and co-villagers are all praise for the girl for putting up a brave front against the adversities, Lacchi hopes for some relief in the form of Government aid. Her grandmother has failed to secure  old age pension despite repeated pleas to Government officials. A pension for my grandmother and a wheelchair for me would be of help, she says.