Man sells cow to buy smartphone for daughter's online classes

Photo used for representational purposes

With schools moving to online classes for students amid the coronavirus pandemic, the switchover has not been easy for many parents. There have been several reports of sacrifice being done by parents to ensure that their children continue with their education.

A man from a village in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh sold his cow to pay the school fees of his daughter and buy a smartphone for her to continue with the online classes.

According to a report in NDTV, Kuldip Kumar wanted to buy a smartphone for his daughter's online classes, so he borrowed money from a lender about months ago. However, after the moneylender pressured him to repay the loan, he was forced to sell his cow.

After his ordeal went viral on social media, the state administration offered to provide relief to the family. According to the report, Kumar was offered his cow back, but he refused as he has no space to tie it up. Instead, he asked for his dilapidated house to be repaired and his name to be listed as a Below Poverty Line (BPL) family.

"When the district administration wanted to help him, he told them that he no longer requires a cow but wants that his house be renovated. The administration has assured him that he will be helped according to norms under the BPL category," Jagdish Sharma, a senior revenue officer, was quoted as saying.

In the first week of July, a 50-year-old farmer allegedly committed suicide after an argument with his daughter over his failure to buy a smartphone for her to continue her online classes.

Last month, a class 11 student from Punjab allegedly hanged herself as her parents were not able to buy her a smartphone to use for online classes because of their poor financial condition.

In a similar incident, a class 9 student in Kerala set herself ablaze for not being able to attend online classes as she did not have a smartphone.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news