Gajapati district administration brings joy to orphaned children during Diwali celebration

Berhampur

:

Orphaned children residing in a child care institution in Gajapati district celebrated Diwali with the district administration on Monday. Collector (Gajapati) Madhumita and several officers paid a visit to the child care institute near Paralakhemundi where 78 inmates, including 50 girls live.The collector lit green crackers with the children and had food with them. She spoke to the children and caretakers. “When other children celebrate Diwali with pump and joy, the orphaned children should not feel isolated. They should feel the district administration is with them,” said the collector. The children also performed dances, made rangolis and sang.District child protection officer (DCPO) Arun Kumar Tripathy said the girls have been housed in the institute after being rescued from different areas of the district.

The administration rescued them after they lost their parents. All the inmate are now studying in different schools, he said.The inmates were happy to celebrate Diwali with top officials. They were also happy as the collector assured to provide two vehicles in which they can go to school. In Berhampur, visually-impaired girls of a privately-run residential school celebrated Diwali by lighting the lamps, while school authorities distributed cakes and sweets to them. Few environment activists in the city celebrated Diwali in an old-age home.“We celebrated Diwali with the elderly persons by distributing cakes and new clothes among them without bursting crackers,” said Sibaram Mohapatra, president of Sabuja Bahini, a Berhampur-based organization.