Keonjhar: Thanks to the wonders of technology, an attempt for Aadhaar enrolment of a differently-abled boy helped the local administration in uniting him with his family from Bihar, six years after he went missing in Keonjhar district of Odisha.
As per reports, the now 19-year-old boy, who is deaf and mute, was separated from his parents and found in a distressed state at a market in Keonjhar on June 2, 2017.
On getting information, some members of Child Welfare Committee reached the spot and rescued him but since he could not hear or speak, they could not get details of his background. To ensure his safety, the boy was sent to a disability centre in Telkoi.
However, things took a turn when after six years, an attempt to enrol him for Aadhaar card revealed his prior registration. When his thumbnail impression was taken for biometrics, it showed that an Aadhaar card was already assigned in his name. He was identified as Mitu Kumar, son of one Ram Kishore Jadav from Darbhanga in Bihar.
On getting the details, the local administration initiated efforts to track his family. On getting the information, the boy's parents reached Keonjhar and united with their child.
Confirming the incident, secretary of the disability centreĀ Narottam Mahakud shared that the boy had been accommodated in the institution after he went missing from his parents in 2017. A recent effort to enrol him for Aadhaar facilitated the unison.
"It is an emotionally charged moment for us as a family as we got back our son after six years. Basudev gave birth to Krishna but he was raised by Nandraja. My son's story is a living example of that," said an overwhelmed Ram Kishore Jadav.
Meanwhile, addressing mediapersons, chairperson of the Child Welfare Committee Bibhuti Bhushan Das said it was a rare moment for everyone as they had been trying to get details of the boy's family for last six years through social media and other modes of communication but to no avail. A feat which a simple Aadhar enrolment process made possible.