Letter from a friend Nishant for Everyone

Many many thanx for accepting me as your friend. I would be very happy to visit your place of work, to see you all, to walk hand in hand, to discuss and take up issues together, if you give me chance. Through me, you can also use the platform of The Statesman to make your voice heard in a wider level.

At present, I am concerned with a Career Fund for Child Workers, in the wake of lattest ban on child labour by the Government of India. Instead of going to schools, these poor friends of ours are working to escape from povert. To earn two square meals for themselves, some even for their entire family. I think, coming from a backward tribal district Koraput, you know this problem more than me.

If we stop them working, what's the alternative for them to earn food? What about their future? Hunger is the mother of all crimes. A hungry child denied work may become a beggar, a thief or an easy recruit for the crime network.

Future of a nation lies in the future of its children. It's high time the government should come out with a carreer plan for these rescued child workers. And if the government has not thought of it yet, we, the children, should come forward for our unfortunate friends in need. We should put up an united voice to make our policy-makers sit and take note.

I request you all to carry on a signature campaign for Child Workers' Career Fund and send it to the Prime Minister. If you want, I will be there with you at the end of the campaign.

You can also write me on any children's issue in your areas and whenever possible, I will try to publish it in The Statesman VOICES.

If we cannot be a sun to light up the whole world, let's atleast be small candles to fight the darkness sorrounding us.

With best wishes.

Nishant Nihar
Coordinator, The Statesman (Voices)

Dear Friends!
This was the mail we received in our e-mail address:childreporter@gmail.com
We invite all the children accross the globe to communicate like Nishant. We are thankful to Nishant for his efforts.
With regards
Childreporters

Response got for the report on midday meal scheme

anil said...
This is serious and needs immediate attention and it is great that you picked it up

10:10 AM

Sand Cast Compensation

During the last heavy rains land of many people was filled with sand and hence they lost their crop. Officers came to my village in Sailpada and noted down the loss. But only half of the people got the compensation . The rest are suffering .
Bada Sisha
Machkund

Mid Day Meal

There is no mid day meal for the children reading in the upper classes. Hence the children coming from far off villages remain hungry for a long time . They come to the school at 10 am and go back at 4 pm .
Usha Sethy
Lamtaput

Mobile Service

The BSNL authorities had promised mobile phone service in Lamtaput . But till date people have not got it . Lamtaput is a remote place and requires the mobile telephone service .
Pritam Prabha Swain
Lamtaput

Keep Clean

Today we , the child reporters went into the village and found the sorrounding of the tube well dirty. We told the people not to make it dirty and we cleaned a little there . They said that they will also keep the place clean.Children defecate on the road side in the village , making the road smell foul. We told tham not to do so. But they are not listening.
Mohini Behera & Balaram Hantal
UP School, Maliput

Road To My Village

I came to know from the members of the Panchayat that the road connecting my village with the NH-43 road is going to be mettaled from the peripherry development fund of NALCO. If it could be completed soon , the problems of the village could be solved to reach the high way .
Ranjan Kumar Khilo
Gangarajpur

We want to learn stitching

We wish to learn stitching . If there could have been a scope to learn it in the school, we would have been benefited.
Usha Sethi
Lamtaput

NREG

We , the child reporters went to our Panchayat office to meet the Panchayat officer, Dhaneswar Sahu. He told us on NAtional Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme(NREG).He informed that every household will be given a job card allowing only those who had crossed 18 years of Age.He also said that every one can get a minimum 100 days of work under the scheme. If one family has three members , they could work alternately.
We were happy to learn .
Sunita Gemel
UP School, Maliput.

Money for watering plants

In our vilage two persons are growing nursery for different fruit bearing plants. They give Rs.5/- for filling 100 polethene bags with soil and Rs.10/- for watering all the plants. Many children do the work on sundays and earn some money.
Sarat Khilo
Maliput UP School

Fish Traders causing pollution

We are living in Lamtaput. This is a block headquarter.Every saturday we have a weekly market where alongwith other traders fish traders also do the business . But they leave the scales of the fish on the road side and donot clean the place before they leave. This is polluting the place.
Santosh Kumar Barly
Lamtaput

Tubewells are not functioning

We , the child reporters went to our local high school yeaterday. We found that there are three tube wells in the school . But all the three are not working.
Dhaneswar Ailong
Machkund Residential School

Reply from the team of childreporters

Hi!Bishnupriya!
Welcome to the team . The team of child reporters is not a closed house . It is wide open for the children from allover the world. You, like any other concerned children could write and we will be very happy to increase our number to millions.Hope you must have been happy to see your letter in the blog.
Team of Child reporters

Letter of Concern

I am not a child reporter. But I wish to be a child reporter. I am writing today, if suitable please publish it.The story of my village goes like this:
Two dealers appointed in our Panchayat to sell Subsidised rice and Kerosene are not bringing rice for the last three months . Those who have paddy get the rice by milling them . But the poor people without land are suffering as they had to purchase rice at a higher price . Some even are now forced to purchase broken rice to feed their family somehow.
Bishnupriya Majhi
Std.IX
Gangarajpur
Dist.Koraput

It's Celebration time

It is the month of Kartik .People chant Hari Naam daily .Women light the lamp in the evening and worship . They distribute the offerings to the god among the neighbours.
Balaram Hantal
Maliput UG ME School

Villages after liquor

People in our village work hard all over the day and earn some money . But spend all the amount in liquor and meat in the evening.
Neelambar Harijan
Std.VI
Ashram School,Hardoli

Children in our village defecate on the road side .They are not listening to us when we say them to go to the toilets .
Gorimani Khilo
Sevasram Hikimput.

Damaged National High Way

The road between Kotpad and Jeypore via Kusumi has been seriously damaged near Haridaput. It is the prime road for 4 gram panchayats .The road needs immediate repair.
Durga Prasad Jena
Jamal UG ME School, Kotpad.

Thank you Friend!

Friend!
Thank you for your question.
We are the children staying in the hostels attached to Schools under the Tribal Welfare Department.The number of tube wells is insufficient for the number of children staying in the hostel.Hence we bathe in the ponds. Yes, Bathroom with a tap of water could be the best thing .Thank you for your concern.
with regards
Child Reporters

Question from a Friend.

R Ramamurthy, Bangalore said...
Why do you have to take bath in pond? Is there no bath room with water tap in hostel?
6:41 PM