Odisha— In a heartrending turn of events, Karma Muduli, a brilliant student hailing from the Bonda tribe in Bondaghat, Malkangiri district in Odisha, is working as a daily wage laborer to meet her hostel expenses while pursuing her higher education at Rama Devi Women's University in Bhubaneswar. She returned to her village Mudulipada Padeiguda in Khairaput block during the semester break to earn money to support her education. Karma's plight raises questions on the welfare schemes for the tribes and claims of the states and central governments working for the upliftment of the marginalized communities.

Despite securing the district topper position in Plus Two Commerce with an impressive 82.66 percent marks in 2022 and receiving honors from the district administration and Odisha Governor, Karma faced financial difficulties when the state government's promised support for her higher education failed to materialize.

Undeterred by the setback, Karma took it upon herself to work as a manual laborer during summer vacations, determined to earn enough money to cover her university expenses. Her parents, who are also daily wage laborers, are unable to bear the burden of her education costs, prompting Karma to shoulder the responsibility herself.

Administration assures help after video goes viral

The news of Karma's plight reached various newspapers and electronic media outlets, and the video clips of the topper toiling at the site went viral on social media. The district administration came under scrutiny. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the District Welfare Officer Praful Kumar Bhujbal went to meet Karma at her home and assured help. He told the media that Karma is receiving a yearly scholarship of 13000 rupees which includes 10 thousand rupees for hostel expenses and tuition fees of 3 thousand rupees. However the meagre amount is insufficient for the student who has to struggle to meet additional  expenses for her studies. Reports indicate that Karma is enrolled in the graduate program in the commerce department at Bhubaneswar Ramadevi University.

Inadequate scholarship

She received a post-matric scholarship of Rs. 13,500 and applied for a laptop under the Biju Youth Empowerment Scheme. Additional financial aid of Rs. 10,000 from the Red Cross Fund was granted, complementing the government assistance received by Karma's family through various schemes. Karma was assisted by a charitable trust in Bhuvaneshvar to get admission in the university. 

Despite these provisions, Karma is facing challenges in covering her monthly expenses of approximately Rs. 3,000, including hostel fees. She says she has no money to buy study material including stationary, copies and books. 

Consequently, during the semester break, she returned to her village to earn money to support her education.

District Magistrate Vasavi Singh emphasized the administration's prompt response, revealing that upon learning of the viral video on social media, local media and district social media officials were directed to investigate and submit a report. Based on this report, recommendations would be made to the government to extend support to Karma. 

Scored 496 out of 600 in 12th 

Karma was a student of the Govt. (S.S.D) Higher Secondary School, Govindapalli which had an encouraging result in Science and Commerce streams last year. She bagged 496 marks out of 600 in Commerce becoming the district topper and bringing pride and glory to her community. The school had felicitated Muduli for her achievement