After INN Live published the story ('Cremate Me With My Padma Shri Award': Old UP Weaver) the plight of a Weaver in Uttar Pradesh in these columns, as an impact the Uttar Pradesh government has finally heard the woes of Padma Shri awardee Sita Ram Pal and given him ` 2 lakh as financial assistance.
The feted blanket weaver has been living in misery for years and had petitioned the state government as well as the Centre for help many times. The UP government woke up from its slumber the day INN Live published a story highlighting his plight on Friday.
In a statement, the state’s Information Department said: “ Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has given ` 2 lakh to Sita Ram Pal. His blanket weaving was termed as high- quality artistic social work and he was awarded Padma Shri.
But presently, he is facing hardships because of his poor health condition.” Living in poverty and hunger, the 72- year- old Pal had reacted sharply to the government apathy and written to President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying he should be cremated with the Padma Shri medal he received in 1981 in the social work category.
A resident of village Sherpur Kalan in Ghazipur district, Pal was selected for the honour because of his artistic work as a weaver.
But rather than transforming his life, as he had hoped, the award proved to be a bane for him and his family.
Although he became famous after receiving the honour from the then President Neelam Sanjeev Reddy, carpet and blanket manufacturers stopped giving him work in the fear that they would be accused of employing a Padma Shri awardee as a daily wager.
Left without any livelihood and money, he lost his eyesight in 1986 because of lack of medication.
His son Shravan Pal, too, lost his eyesight a few years ago.
Frail and bed- ridden, a disillusioned Pal was finally forced to write to the PM and the President. After seeing newspaper reports, the state government sent him the money.
Sita Ram Pal, a gifted blanket weaver, was awarded the Padma Shri in 1981 in recognition of his work in the field.
After he got the honour, the Ghazipur resident became a celebrity in his area. This scared away potential employers who were wary of offering a daily- wager’s job to a Padma Shri awardee.
Pal, 72, has lived in acute poverty since then, and even lost his eyesight because he could not afford medicines.
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