We as a society were condemning orphan children: Poulomi Pavini Shukla

New Delhi, Nov 03: Renowned magazine "Femina" had recently released a list of 40 women who have in the country in its latest edition. Poulomi Pavini Shukla of Lucknow was included in this list. She has been fighting public interest litigation till the Supreme Court for providing equal rights to orphan children and protecting their interest for a long time.

The book 'Weakest on Earth - Orphans of India' written by her on orphans and her hard work has brought policy changes for orphans in many states , including reservation for orphans, budget increase etc. are included.

Let us tell you that Paulomi Pavini Shukla, who works for orphan children, has been honoured in the past as well. Recently, another famous magazine 'Forbes' also included him in its '30 Under 30' list.

Read Poulomi Pavini Shukla's interview with OneIndia:

What was your inspiration to work towards the rights of the orphans?

When I was a child, my mother used to take me to orphanages for my birthday, festivals, etc. I became friends with some of the kids there. Years later, when I went to college, one of the girls contacted me with a very simple request - she too wanted to go to college.

I decided to help her. I started looking for a government scheme or a scholarship that would help, but to my astonishment, there were none! We as a country didn't allow orphans to go to college, we as a society were condemning our orphan children, no matter how smart or how bright, to a life of a blue-collar worker at best.

This injustice deeply affected me and so I began this journey

Tell us more about the 'Adopt an Orphanage Program'.

At 18, orphans in the country are largely told to leave orphanages. They are often turned out with little education, no skills, and no money. In a battle to combat this, in my hometown of Lucknow, I started an Adopt an Orphanage program. The idea is simple, each one helps one. If you run a beauty salon, then train a few orphans in beauty services and make them employable. The same with mechanics, embroiders, constructions, office skills, etc. We have tried to tie up orphanages with small and large business owners, offices, and organisations for skilling and employment in a bid to make these children's livelihood secure after the age of 18! This program has been very well received and we are now expanding to 5 cities across 3 states.

Could you educate us on the PIL that was filed in the Supreme Court regarding orphans?

I have filed a PIL in the Supreme Court on 2 May 2018 seeking judicial intervention in ensuring the Right to Life, Right to Education, and Right to Equality to 2 crores 'orphans' and 'Children in Need of Care and Protection.'

I have visited many orphanages and seen the plight of orphans in India, read every document about these children from the British Era, including policy, legislation, budget, World Bank/ UN reports, NGO and independent studies, and interacted extensively with several experts on the topic, along with officers and institutions of the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare, Government of India, and six State Governments.

The PIL primarily seeks 19 things out of which the following main reliefs are there:

• 'Reservation' for 'orphans' - who are as deserving as any OBC or the third gender to whom the Supreme Court has recently extended this support
• The same or more financial, educational, and empowerment support be given to 'orphans' as what is given by the Government to various categories "weak" of children who have parents
  The proper implementation of the JJ Act, including orphanages in every district
  Inclusion of orphan children in the RTE(right to education)
  Budgetary enhancement for programs for orphan children so that more children can be covered (currently less than 1.5 percent of orphan children are covered by any government scheme).
• An official census or survey to have an official estimate of the extent of the 'Children in Need of Care and Protection' problem in India

Will you be doing something with the orphans this Diwali?

Since I got married in 2016, my husband and I have spent our Diwali with orphan children, lighting diyas, making rangolis, eating sweets, and having fun! Over the years, we have encouraged others to follow suit. This year we asked people on social media to do the same also, and we were so grateful to have the support of some brilliant people like Rita Bahuguna Joshi (MP), Swara Bhaskar (Actress), Ankush Bahuguna (Social Media Influencer and Actor), and RP Singh (Cricketer) along with others. They have lent their voice to the cause and encouraged more people to spend this festival with those that have no family, and no one to share the joy with!

Tell us more about your recent achievements on getting listed in Forbes and Femina 2021 list.

It is an immeasurable honour to be featured on the Femina Fab 40 and Forbes 30 under 30 lists.

I am very grateful to Femina and Forbes, for considering me worthy. More than that for recognising the importance of this campaign for the Rights of Orphan Children.

There are 2.9 crore orphan children, with less than 4 lakhs in orphanages across the country. There are no overarching schemes for these children and no way for them to access higher education or white-collar jobs. They are forced into prostitution, crime, begging, or even worse, suicide out of sheer need.

When we began in 2015 by writing the book, Weakest on Earth, Orphans of India, there was nearly nothing and no one speaking for these children. Today 8 states have made policy changes, from reservations, budget enhancements to special schemes. Last year alone, we got over 1200 children to access Smart classes, training, and jobs.

These recognitions have been catalysts for amplifying the cause of these children. I hope these will encourage more and more people to join this campaign as we work to make the world a better place for every orphan child in India.