Mancherial: Till 2022, Annemalla Sujatha used to struggle to undergo treatment after being diagnosed with multiple diseases.
While she was running a small fancy store, her husband was working in the private sector. She was forced to borrow money from friends and relatives for her treatment. There were times when her family had to starve.
Cut to 2023. Sujatha has repaid a debt of Rs 6 lakh taken for her treatment and her family is happy that they don’t have to starve anymore. She credits the transformation to the Dalit Bandhu scheme.
The 49-year-old beneficiary from Zone II in the coal belt town of Mandamarri has expanded her tiny fancy store into a saree and grocery shop with the help of the scheme.
Her treatment, too, is no more a problem as she earns enough to foot her medical bills and feed her family as well. Recalling her journey, Sujatha says she was diagnosed with glaucoma and renal calculi in 2015.
However, further checkups and treatment were out of her financial range till Dalit Bandhu happened to her.