SILCHAR, June 15 - Reacting to a news report published in The Assam Tribune on June 13, with the headline �With no money, acrobat forced to sell fish to feed family�, the Cachar district administration has now stepped in to help the stranded woman from Kolkata and her family.
The news report spoke about the plight of Sharada Singh, a 40-year-old woman who had come from Khidderpore in Kolkata to Silchar for the first time with her family to display acrobatic performances and earn money during the annual Gandhi Mela and how she was struggling to sustain her family by selling fish and vegetables with no work owing to the lockdown.
Assistant Commissioner Abhilash Baranwal told The Assam Tribune that the district administration has taken note of the issue and steps are being taken to provide assistance to the woman and her family.
Deputy Commissioner Keerthi Jalli said that after going through the news report, when they contacted the woman, it was learnt that she, her husband and their daughter do not wish to go back to Kolkata, and so, an NGO has been approached to assist the family.
�The family of three persons don�t want to go back. They wish to stay here. We have spoken to an NGO which said that they were arranging a job for them which will give them Rs 6,000 monthly and are also arranging accommodation for them,� the Deputy Commissioner said.
Assistant Commissioner said a person named Arijit Goswami will assist the family.
When contacted, Goswami, the secretary of NGO The Team One Foundation based in Cachar district, said, �We were told about the woman by the district administration. Initially, we thought of arranging flight tickets for them to Kolkata. But after speaking to them, we learnt that the family does not wish to go back to Kolkata due to the spread of COVID-19. We also spoke to Aryanak Valley, a startup in Barak valley and Dima Hasao district and they agreed to provide them jobs and lodging.�
Aryanak Valley founder Gaurab Chakraborty later said, �We are glad to do something till the situation normalises. We shall try and provide them with a sustainable employment opportunity along with lodging at our Aranyak Rural Pride Habitat at Choto Dudhpatil so that they can earn their living with dignity. We shall also look into the skill areas in which they can contribute.�
