This Article is From Oct 22, 2012

Why India's helping this rickshaw puller's baby

Bharatpur/Jaipur: One-month old Damini is still in critical condition in hospital. But the baby, who till two days ago was strapped by her father to his chest as he pulled a rickshaw in Rajasthan, now has a whole country looking after her.

In response to a story posted on ndtv.com on October 19 (Read), NDTV viewers and our website's users have electronically transferred more than Rs 9 lakhs to her father's account.

"When she grows up, I will send her to school. I don't want her to grow up on the streets. I want a proper upbringing for her," baby Damini's father Babloo told NDTV over the weekend.  

The Rajasthan government has offered to cover all her medical expenses. Baby Damini  was admitted to a private hospital, Fortis, in Jaipur. She is severely malnourished, weighing just 1.4 kilos, and has been diagnosed with blood infection.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said, "Her father is a rickshaw puller, so we will look after him.  It's a very sensitive case.  First, we want the baby to survive and recover. "

Till last week, Babloo used to be seen at work, hauling a cycle rickshaw with his newborn daughter attached in a makeshift sling to his chest.  His wife died giving birth to Damini on September 15. He has no close family members who lived near enough to look after her.
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