Kangra, July 23: A man from Himachal Pradesh sold his cow, his only source of income, for buying a smartphone so that his children could attend online classes. Kuldeep Kumar lives in Gummer village of Kangra district’s Jwalamukhi area. His children Annu and Dippu study in class IV and Class II, respectively. Due to the coronavirus lockdown, schools were closed in March.

After online classes started, a smartphone was needed for attending these classes. According to a report, published in The Tribune, Kuldip was under tremendous pressure to buy a smartphone for his children. He approached banks as well as private lenders to get a loan Rs 6,000, but nobody helped him due to his poor financial condition. ‘No Food, No Money’, Migrant Workers in Delhi Narrate Their Ordeals Due to Lockdown.

He was told by teachers that children needed a smartphone if they wanted to continue their studies, reported the news portal quoting Kuldip as saying. He added that arranging Rs 6,000 was a mammoth task for his as he did not even have Rs 500.

Finally, Kuldip decided to sell his cow for Rs 6,000 and bought a smartphone so that his children could study. According to the media report, Ramesh Dhawala, MLA from Jwalamukhi had directed the BDO and the SDM to provide him financial help immediately. Kuldip lives in a mud house and did not even have a below poverty line (BPL). He is also not a beneficiary of the Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP).

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 23, 2020 04:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).