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A Dalit settlement in Jharkhand that votes but gets zilch in return

I asked a widow standing nearby whether she had a ration card. ‘No, babu,’ she said. Does she receive a widow pension? The answer was again no. ‘Do you have Aadhar and voter cards?’ ‘Yes,’ everyone answered in unison. “This means all of you vote?” “Yes we do,” they said. ‘Do you have Ayushman Bharat cards?’ was my next question. The answer was again an emphatic no. Vishad Kumar describes the plight of a Dom settlement in Bokaro district

Vishad Kumar June 30, 2022
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Badhadi is located on the four-lane Bokaro-Dhanbad National Highway 23 between Telgaria and Jharia, the coal belt of Jharkhand. The village, which falls under Nischintpur village panchayat, is just 5 kilometres from the district headquarters Bokaro and 4 kilometres from the block headquarters Chas. Dom Tola, a settlement in the village that adjoins the highway, is home to around 16 families of the Dom caste, who make a living by weaving baskets and working as daily-wage labourers.

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About The Author

Vishad Kumar

Vishad Kumar, who penned stories and poems, bid goodbye to the world of literature about two decades back and took to journalism. He did reporting for newspapers like Aawaz, Prabhat Khabar, Bihar Observer, Dainik Jagran, Hindustan, Senior India and Itwar, among others. Besides, he also wrote articles for Amar Ujala, Dainik Bhaskar and Navbharat Times. Currently, he is a freelance journalist committed to bringing about socio-political change. His interests include painting and photography

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