Sriganganagar, Rajasthan:
The couple from Sriganganagar in Rajasthan who decided to give up their 8 day old child for adoption in exchange of Rs 40,000 so that they could fund their two-year-old child's treatment, have now received some help. A local NGO, the Tapovan trust, has collected Rs 51,000 on their behalf.
The cheque was formally handed over to them and the trust has decided to help the child's father Ashok open a small business with the money. Ashok is a qualified electrician but had recently fallen into hard times. Unemployed and desperate, he and his wife Sandhya had decided to give up their new born baby for adoption for a sum of Rs 40,000 so they could fund the treatment of their older child
NDTV.com had run a story asking for donations for the couple to be routed to the Tapovan trust. The trust managed to collect Rs 51,000 from viewers and readers donations. The money was given to the couple in the presence of district collector of Sriganganagar Amrish Kumar.
Thanking NDTV for their efforts, Amrish Kumar said, "Manav samvedna ka ye ek acha prateek hai ki media ne ye role ada kiya ki logon se appeal kee aur logon ne bacche ke liye paise diye. Paise ekatrit karke aaj uss pariwar ki sahyta ke liye diye gaye, to NDTV iss baat ke liye badhayee ka patra hai "
The Tapovan trust, run by philanthropist Mahesh Periwal, said that when the story ran on the NDTV website, viewers from Bangalore, Singapore, Dubai and Saudi Arabia called to offer help and the trust was able to collect around Rs 43,000 thanks to the efforts of NDTV.
In the meantime the Tapovan Trust is doing its bit to help Ashok and Sandhya. The trust has had their ill child medically examined and found that he was suffering from cerebral palsy and mental retardation. The trust runs a school for children with disabilities and has promised to take the child into the institution.
The child's father Ashok said he is happy with the way the media has helped him.
"TV akhbar mein jabse photo aayi hai mujhe madad mil rahee hai, maine baccha becha nahee tha goad diya tha." (After our picture came in the papers and on TV, we have received some help. I was forced to give my child for adoption).
Ashok and Sandhya had given their child up for adoption but working on a tip off, the anti human trafficking wing of the police managed to stop the deal between Ashok and his neighbour who had offered to buy the child and was probably going to traffic it further. Ashok and Sandhya were arrested and later released on bail.
Their children, including their two-year-old paralysed son are now with them.