Hemraj (14) and Tularam (10) were herding their sheep in the forest. Tularam was chewing raw dates collecting it from small palm trees. Hemraj, sitting on a stone, was screaming at the sheep to keep them together.

"The sheep belong to us; our parents have gone to Hyderabad with two of our sisters and the younger brother four months ago; they will return at the arrival of rain; we are here to look after these six animals," said the boys.

The children belong to Dungripada hamlet of Kotamal village under Sinapali block of Nuapada district. It is located at a distance of 115 km from the district headquarters and 5 km from the block office. There is a primary school in the village, but the children have never got an opportunity to go there. "Who will look after these animals if we go to the school," they ask.

Gundhar Raut and Dhane, parents of the boys, had incurred loan to perform the death rituals of Gundhar's mother in December last. Villagers informed that the couple had also taken loan from different sources to complete the pucca house provided to them under the PMAY. "To repay these loans, they were forced to take advance payment from the labour broker to work in a brick kiln." 

The children get 35 kilogram of rice every month under the PDS. "But it doesn't help us for a full month because we have to buy onion and potato in exchange of rice," said the boys. They collect various forest produces like, kendu, chaar and mahua while herding sheep in the forest and sell those to get some cash to buy vegetables. "Sometimes, we skip meals and manage with forest foods," they added.

Villagers said, "The political parties and their leaders assure everything while seeking our votes; but once elected, they forget everything and the problems of children like Hemraj and Tularam remain unsolved."