Kanker (Chhattisgarh) [India]: In the Naxal-affected region of the Kanker district in Chhattisgarh, a girl named Pila Bai, residing in the village of Nilegondi, has expressed her ambition to become an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer. She believes that pursuing her dream of becoming a civil servant will contribute to the development of her village.
Pila Bai said that earlier she wanted to become a naxalite, but now her aspirations have changed and she has requested that the Chhattisgarh government provide financial assistance for her education.
Speaking to media, Pila Bai said,”When teachers asked what I wanted to become, I said I would become a Naxalite but now I want to become a collector, IAS officer and want to develop my village.Currently, I am not studying because of the financial situation.I request the government to support me for further education.”
Her teacher, Gaukaran Pradhan said that people do not have ambitions in village Nilegondi due to the low literacy rate.
“Pila Bai studied in the middle school in my village.When the teacher asked her what she wanted to become, she said Naxalite, teachers called me and told me about this. Because the literacy rate is low here, people don’t have ambitions.But now her mind has changed. The condition of their village is very bad,” he said.
He further stated that there is not a single route facility to reach the village Nilegondi.
“Every day, when I had to go to school, I had to cross the river and drain and cross the jungle hill through footpaths and face a lot of difficulties to reach village Nilegondi. During this period, I had to face many big difficulties,” Pradhan said.
Kanker district is located in the Southern region of Chhattisgarh. Earlier Kanker was a part of old Bastar district. But in 1998, Kanker was recognized as a district.