By Matters India Reporter
Bhubaneswar, March 28, 2023: A collector in the eastern Indian state of Odisha has assured financial support to Christians attending professional courses.
Gajapati district collector Lingaraj Panda made this promise when a two-member Christian delegation met him in his office on March 27.
Pallab Lima, general secretary of the state Minority Commission, and Sacred Hearts Sister Sujata Jena, a lawyer, met the collector to discuss the suspicious death of a ninth-grader Adivasi girl in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, a federal government institution, in the district and seek justice for her family.
The collector said he could not intervene in the matter as the school is managed by a commission under the federal ministry of education.
Once the postmortem report is made available the aggrieved family could challenge the matter in a court. He said, “I am happy someone has come up to defend on behalf of the victim’s family. Let the law take its course. However, I ensure the safety and well-being of the victim’s parents as both the parents are employed under my administration,” he added.
When the collector learned that Sister Jena is engaged in preparing students from minority communities for civil services through Odisha Regional Bishops’ Council in the Excellent IAS Academy, he said the district has funds for the professional studies of Christian Students.
“I was thinking about how to carry out the program. It’s a coincidence that you have come here,” the collector told Sister Jena. He requested her to give him a list of bright students for various professional studies she has identified in the district.
The administration, he added, will provide full financial support for the professional studies of Christian students.
The collector also explained the pilot project is meant for the youth of Gajapati’s Cheligarh block as they have been displaced over a dam project in the area.
However, through this program, we could also reach out to other youth in the district.”
The collector, who is also the District Magistrate, said the administration will set up 15 libraries in villages to provide better study access to rural poor students.
The libraries, he added, could also be used for conducting Sunday Schools and Bible studies.
He added Gajapati is a Christian-populated district and tribals are mostly Christians in the district.
Panda commended Lima for being elected as state General Secretary Minority Cell and State Biju Janata Dal( BJD) Council Member.
The collector said he had studied in both Christian and Hindu-managed schools.
“Respect and dignity of every human person are important to me,” he added.