Thiruvananthapuram: The state capital hung its head in shame after the news broke out that a mother, unable to feed her six children, on Monday handed over four of them to the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare.
What’s more sad and shocking is that the family lived just 1 km from the Secretariat, the seat of power.
The council decided to remove four children and leave the younger ones — 4-month-old and 1.5-year-old with the mother, after neighbours of this hapless family, which was living in a makeshift tent, informed it of their condition.
Council officials said their condition was pitiable. They were told that the elder kid, aged seven, ate sand as they were unable to buy food, the official added.
“These four kids will be under our care and those going to school will continue that. They went to school to have food,” said a Council official.
The mother said her husband was a daily labourer, but spent all his money on drinks and never gave any to meet the family needs.
After the news broke out, city Mayor K. Sreekumar visited the hapless family and promised the mother a temporary job in the Corporation from Monday.
It’s unfortunate that no official of Kerala, which boasted the high standards, especially in the fields of social development, could locate this hapless family.