Lucknow lawyer in Forbes list for work with orphans

Lucknow-based lawyer and author Poulomi Pavini Shukla has been featured in 'Forbes India 30 Under 30' 2021 list for helping educate orphan children.

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): Lucknow-based lawyer and author Poulomi Pavini Shukla has featured in 'Forbes India 30 Under 30' 2021 list, in view of the work she has done for orphan children.

Poulomi got the opportunity to be featured in Forbes India for her work in educating orphans.

"I am happy and feel honoured to be listed in Forbes 'India 30 under 30, 2021 list. But more than that I want to highlight the plight of orphan children more by my recognition as they don't have a voice, I would also like to request more and more people to join this movement and strengthen the voice of orphan children," she said while speaking to the news agency."

She said her motive is to highlight the plight of orphans and to get them educated.

"There are around 2 crore orphan children in our country. And less than 1 lakh are living in orphanages. Looking at the condition I felt the urge to do something substantial to improve the situation. Thereafter, I filed a petition in the Supreme Court. I also met many lawmakers, chief ministers, ministers, and political leaders," she said while talking how she is deeply committed to the cause.

She also said that Uttarakhand has given 5 per cent reservation to orphan children followed by Maharashtra and Goa and Delhi has recognised them under the Right to Education whereas the Union Budget allocation for them has also doubled after her petition.

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Speaking about her initial journey, she told the news agency, "The story started in 2011 when I was nine years old. At that time my mother was the district magistrate in Haridwar. That year a strong earthquake rocked Gujarat's Bhuj and many children were orphaned in the natural calamity. Some children had visited Haridwar through an NGO where my mother took me. I came in touch with these children and became friends with them.

"Once I was in college and a girl amongst the Bhuj earthquake victims approached me with a request that she wanted to go to college. I looked for certain schemes or scholarships which could help her get admission but to my surprise, there was no such facility. Following the incident, I visited 11 states so that I could write a book and bring up the stories of the plight of these children," said the Lucknow-based lawyer.

Poulomi stated that the fight doesn't end here adding that there is much more to be done.

"I want these children to be brought under the census. Governments should ensure proper schemes, scholarships, and their recognition under Right to Education so that they can live a better life," she added.

(ANI)