Poverty-stricken tribal mother sold her baby: Congress

The opposition Congress today alleged that a poor tribal family in the state was forced to sell their baby owing to lack of government benefits.
"Seeing a media report that a tribal mother sold her one-day-old baby to a couple due to poverty, I visited the village and spoke to the mother who told me it was not possible to bear the cost of rearing another baby," Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president and party MLA Birajit Sinha said here.
"Earlier we saw such incidents in other states and now we are witnessing them in Tripura," Sinha said.
Local newspapers had recently reported that Ranjit Tanti and his wife Soma sold their one-day-old infant (son) to a couple at Rs 4,500 at Mundabasti village of Asharambari block in Khowai district on June 3 last.

When contacted, state Tribal Welfare minister Aghore Debbarma, who also represent the area, said he had received an information and has ordered an inquiry.
Sinha alleged the tribal family had no BPL card or were not given any other benefits under poverty eradication schemes like Indira Awas Yojana or others.
"Is it not a case of discrimination? Why a family like this not get benefits from the flagship programmes of the central government?" he asked.
The TPCC president also alleged that thousands of tribals including shifting cultivators, remained half-fed or were starving and demanded immediate distribution of food or employment in different schemes like CAMBRIDGE.