Baby orphaned in HP floods now 'child of state'

KULLU: Ten-month-old Nikita, who was orphaned in the June 30 flash floods in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district, has been declared a "child of the state", with government pledging to support all her expenses, including higher education and professional studies.

Nikita was asleep when a flash flood struck in the dead of night and swept her parents, Ramesh and Radha Devi, and her grandmother, Poornu Devi, to their deaths in Talwara village. Her father's body was found, but there is still no sign of the women who are presumed dead.

Orphaned, yet surrounded by love, Nikita was cared for by the village. Her relatives and Mandi district administration began receiving calls from couples, even from abroad, to adopt her. However, the family decided that Nikita would be in the care of an aunt.

Now, the state govt has brought the baby under the Mukhyamantri Sukh-Aashray Yojana , rendering her eligible to receive Rs 4,000 monthly till she turns 27. Mandi deputy commissioner Apoorv Devgan said Rs 8,000 (for July and Aug) has already been credited to Nikita's savings bank account.

Devgan said children who lost their loved ones in the recent natural disaster in Mandi would be provided support through various welfare schemes. Five children from two families in Sanarli gram panchayat of Karsog area have been covered under Indira Gandhi Sukh Shiksha Yojana.