Jyoti's parents cry foul over absence of govt aid

NAGPUR: Here is another instances when government has failed to recognize a distinction. City girl Jyoti Amge who featured in Guinness Book of World Records as the smallest girl/woman in the world is latest to get government cold shoulder.
Father of this diminutive girl Kisan rued that both central and stage governments had failed to recognize his daughter's distinction.Kisan, who runs a small transport business, stated that they had demanded some financial help to his dwarf daughter for her education but there was no response from the government's side. "We hail from lower middle class family. After people abroad began asking for Jyoti's appearance, I had to leave my business to accompany her. We then met MLAs in the region for help, but none of them came forward. In fact, we even met chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and deputy CM Ajit Pawar but failed to get even a penny," he said.
Kisan said Pawar gave him a letter asking officials to provide some help for Jyoti, a former student of Jingle Bells High School at Hiwri Nagar. "However, when I reached Mantralaya, they showed me the door stating that they had no provision of providing any assistance to Guinness record holders," he said.
Her mother Ranjana pointed out that they expected help from at least city MP Vilas Muttemwar and tried their best to contact him. "We even explained our plight to state food and civil supplies minister Anil Deshmukh, guardian minister Shivajirao Moghe and minister of state for public health Varsha Gaikwad. They all made promises. We are fed up now approaching the politicians who have no value for the citizens who bring laurels to the country," she claimed.
Justifying Jyoti's move to pursue higher education from open university, her father stated that they had no other alternative as his dwarf daughter was in high demand abroad. "We get much respect in foreign countries and they also pay us well, unlike Indian government. She remains abroad for nearly eight months in a year to participate in various reality shows and therefore could not attend regular classes."
Kisan added even during her SSC exams she had an assignment and therefore skipped two papers. She later cleared the exam as private candidate, he said. YCMOU Nagpur division director Subhash Belsare endorsed Jyoti's parents demand that a policy decision to provide help to such persons get education be taken.