Araria (Bihar): Even after 73 years of independence, Ramrai village of Bihar's Araria district lacks even the basic facilities like schools, hospitals, and roads.
The pathetic condition of the village can be gauged by the fact that 90 per cent of its population is illiterate and to make matters worse, the new generation also lacks the educational facilities in the village.
The lack of healthcare facilities is one of the biggest problems for the inhabitants of the Ramrai village, especially now during the pandemic. The village lacks proper sanitation facilities, as the government has not been able to build a single lavatory under its much-hyped Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA).
People here have no access to either cooking gas or electric stoves, as the village households still use firewood and dry leaves as their main source of cooking energy.
The locals say that they feel like the criminals who used to be sent to Kala Pani (a colonial prison in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands) during the British rule in India. They say that the government has left them to the mercy of God. The village is also nicknamed as Andaman and Nicobar as it is surrounded by rivers from three sides.
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According to the locals, this village has not been even incorporated into the list of developing villages of the country, even though the village is situated just 10 kilometres away from Araria city and falls under the Jokihat assembly constituency of Bihar.
The villagers say that even after 73 years of independence, the government is yet to construct a concrete bridge to connect the village, surrounded by the Bakra River from three sides, with the rest of the state.
