Ayodhya's Meera back in news as family battles poverty and debt
AYODHYA, Oct. 31 -- Nearly three years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited her home and had tea with her, putting her in the national spotlight as the 10-croreth beneficiary of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Meera Manjhi is once again drawing attention, this time over her family's financial distress.
A Dalit woman from Kandharpur (Rajghat) in Ayodhya, Meera and her family are struggling to repay a bank loan of around Rs.3 lakh. The family says its income from selling flowers at the ghat and other sources is barely enough to make ends meet, leaving little to meet loan instalments and provide for their young children.
According to the district administration, the family has received several government benefits, including a pucca house under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, an LPG connection under the Ujjwala scheme, an Ayushman card, Rs.25,000 under the PM SVANidhi scheme and a subsidy of Rs.75,000 for purchasing a boat.
After reports of the family's financial hardship surfaced, former Samajwadi Party MLA from Ayodhya Pawan Pandey visited Meera's home on Thursday and handed over Rs.50,000 in financial assistance. He also promised to help repay the family's bank loan. Pandey subsequently shared details of the visit on social media. Soon Ayodhya mayor Girishpati Tripathi followed suit, visiting the family and providing financial assistance of Rs.60,000.
Tripathi said he had spoken to district administration officials and bank authorities about restructuring the family's Rs.3 lakh loan. The family should have approached us earlier with its problems, he added. HTC...
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