Bhubaneswar: A day after various media outlets highlighted the plight of Karma Muduli, who works as a daily labourer to meet the expenses of her education, and also the Plus II topper in the Commerce stream in Odisha’s Malkangiri district in 2022 the girl from the Bonda community received a cheque worth Rs 30,000 from the Malkangiri DWO Praful Kumar Bhujabal on Wednesday to pursue her education without further problems.
Life took a sharp U-turn for the 20-year-old, who was hailed as a symbol of hope and transformation in the Bonda community. A student of Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste department run Government Higher Secondary School at Govindpalli, she was the first from Primitive and Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) to top in the Commerce stream of Plus II in the district securing 82.66 per cent in the examination.
The determined girl who had scored 82.66 percent and topped Malkangiri in Plus II Commerce now studies in Rama Devi University in Bhubaneswar. However, she works as a daily labourer as her parents, who also work as daily wagers, are unable to afford her education.
Even as Muduli aims to crack the Civil Services Exam, financial constraint has stood as a major obstacle to her dreams. However, the girl with strong willpower and self-motivation doesn’t shy away from working as a daily labourer and is proud of her labourer parents as she knows there is no shortcut to achieving success.
A native Padeiguda village under Khairput block in the district, she is currently studying Plus III First Year at Rama Devi Women’s University, Bhubaneswar. Her study expenses amount to Rs 24,000, including the annual hostel fee of Rs 12,000. Since her parents, who works as daily wagers, were unable to afford the money, Karma also took up work at a house construction site near the districts headquarters hospital with the varsity closed for summer vacation.
The districts welfare officer (DWO), Malkangiri, Praful Kumar Bhujabal told the media that she was getting an annual stipend (post-matric scholarship) of Rs 13,000, which included Rs 10,000 for hostel and Rs 3000 for school fee, and also admitted that the amount was not enough to meet her expenses.
Her family has also been receiving livelihood support under OPELIP scheme of Bonda Development Agency, Mudulipada, while her parents have been availing old age pension under MBPY scheme, he added.
