Sikh association in Mumbai to fund education of suicide victim's sister

MUMBAI: Members of the Maharashtra Sikh Association were among the first to learn that a 16-year-old schoolgirl from Latur had killed herself after her mother was forced to borrow Rs 260 for her bus pass to school. Swati Pitale's anxieties boiled over after she saw her father struggle to repay loans and save for his two daughters' marriages as well.
Malkit Singh Bal of the Sikh association said the stark contrast between the haves and the have-nots was never more apparent. "We were in Latur to offer financial aid to 25 drought-affected families October 24 when we were informed that the teenager had killed herself over Rs 260. She did not wish to become a burden upon her impoverished family. We met her kin and volunteered to fund her sister's education for the next three years. She is taking a correspondence course," he said. The MSA will strengthen its efforts in the region. "Financial help is a stopgap solution. We are adopting one village where we will restore borewells and water storage resources to bring permanent relief," said Singh.