By a sheer unplanned and sudden chance, Mita had visited the Cardiology Department of the SCB Medical College Hospital on February 8. Courtesy, the initiative of a Good Samaritan Dr Nihar Ranjan Parida, Mita could have an EKCO test done on her.
The attending senior cardiac physicians, including Dr Parida, in unison voiced serious concerns vis-a-vis her longevity after having gone her over thoroughly and meticulously, in a clinical manner. If Mita were to breathe her last, what would be the plight of her three-year-old daughter? Aadhaar or the lack of it would dreaded and venomous card that could prove to be her death knell! Thus, in such a tragic event, it would be the Governments, both, at the Centre as well as of the State, on whom such an onus lies. Shameful and murderous, indeed!
Mita Munda, aged about 23, is a deserted tribal woman hailing from a tribal hamlet, namely Kuchilapadi, in Hadgada wildlife sanctuary of Bhandaripokhari Block of Bhadrak district. Her octogenarian father is insane and has taken to begging. Further, despite Mita being a landless tribal, she has been deprived of her forest rights also.
She had married Narahari Munda of an adjacent village, namely Podasingudi. Narahari was already married and he had a son when he married Mita. Narahari did not tell Mita about his first marriage and Mita was in the dark. She was severely tortured by all her in-laws, except her father-in-law.
“Narahari and his first wife tried to kill Mita’s 20-day-old new born baby girl,” Mita alleged. Mita said, “Fortunately, I saw this attempted horrendous act and managed to rescue my infant daughter.”
After her marriage in 2014, at her early age, Mita got a cardiac stroke and was admitted in the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. After that Narahari did not allow Mita to stay there for even a day and severely tortured her with the help of her cousins and aunt. Mita had come over to Cuttack city along with her daughter.
She started staying in a roadside shanty alongside the river Kathajodi, in a slum in close proximity to the CDA satellite township.
She had managed to save her own life and that of her infant daughter from her husband and in-laws. She saved her life with the help of her cousins who are daily wagers in Cuttack. Mita managed to eke out a livelihood by working as a domestic help in a couple of houses in the CDA area.
As ill luck would have it, Mita again got a cardiac stroke, in 2018, and was admitted in the SCB. After having been duly attended to by cardiac specialists, for quite some time, she was discharged with prescriptions for regular intake of medication and now the monthly medicine cost for her is around Rs 2,000 every month. It is very difficult for Mita to afford every month’s medicine cost.
Post diagnosis and treatment, the physicians attending on her advised that she should not exert herself too much. This resulted in her opting to do less work so as to prevent any work that would entail great exertion.
She, however, did continue to work in a couple of houses in the CDA to manage her daily expenditure and food. After all she had to earn her livelihood, especially to earn just enough for the upkeep of her daughter. With the humanitarian and compassionate help of the inmates of the houses where she worked she managed to survive. She lamented the fact, “I faced a great deal of problems for my medical treatment as I was not entitled to BPL and other Government facilities. I also failed to get the Birth Certificate of my daughter. All the Government officials insisted for my Aadhaar card. For me it is not possible to access the remote Panchayat village office due to paucity of funds and my abject poverty,” said Mita. “For the Voter ID Card I went to the Cuttack Sub-Collector’s office.
But the official said there was no need of Voter ID. I duly did the biometrics test, but after a month it had been rejected. Again I went to the Chandni Chowk Head Post Office and went through the biometrics test but even that failed. Despite having struggled and obtained certificates from local Corporator Sebati Majhee and local MLA Debasish Samantaray, stating therein that I was a denizen of the slum in CDA, these documents are of no use. Almost one year, for my Aadhaar Card, I am still running from pillar to post. In order to get my Aadhaar Card, I have borrowed money, for my conveyance, from the inmates of the houses where I work. Now for the school admission of my three year old daughter is being refused due to lack of birth certificate and Aadhaar card,” Mita disclosed.
As of now, Mita is spending approximately Rs 2,000 per month for her medicines. Her health condition necessitates regular health check-ups, and as she is in abject penury, she is avoiding periodical health check-ups. Bereft of an Aadhaar card, she has no entitlement, whatsoever, to any of the Government’s health schemes like Ayushman Bharat and Biju Swasthya Kalayn Yojana. Though of ‘BPL status’ Mita is not entitled to receive BPL rations as well as other BPL and tribal facilities.
MLA Samantaray said, “The BJD Government has plenty of facilities and schemes for the poor and tribal people’s upliftment, especially for women like Biju Swasthya Kalayan Yojona and Women Mission Shakti. Personally, I have certified for the poor cardiac tribal patient Mita.”
It’s a real pity and a great shame to learn that a deserving Indian woman is being deprived of her legitimate rights to live and survive in this great country, solely because of not possessing an Aadhaar. It is seemingly evident what a great farce this Aadhaar Card has come to be.
Mita’s little 3-year-old daughter is a bundle of energy and does show a great deal of promise. She is a precocious little girl who, given the opportunity, shall become an achiever. But, most unfortunately, her mother’s predicament and sorry state of affairs will clip her wings.
