Kannur: When Minister M B Rajesh was declaring Kannur district free of extreme poverty at the district panchayat hall, Shobha (60), of Kutteri Periyaparambathu in ward two of Panoor municipality, was waiting for an auto rickshaw to take her to the hospital. With her lower body paralysed by polio, Shobha leads a solitary life in her small house.

Completely dependent on her disability pension, Shobha is still classified as Above Poverty Line in government records and her pink ration card is a proof to that status. In a district officially declared free of extreme poverty, there are still many like Shobha, without a home of their own and with no one to help.

Shobha’s only plea to the authorities is for a house. The daughter of the late Chanthu–Devu couple of Pullarambintevida, she contracted polio at the age of four, leaving her lower body permanently paralysed. Since then, she has literally crawled her way through life. Her disability not only confined her body but also curtailed her opportunities.

Unable to attend school, she has lived in a house built by her brother for their mother. After her mother’s death, she was left all alone. She received her ration card only two years ago and it was a pink one, which stripped her of benefits meant for Below Poverty Line families.

Earlier, she earned a small income as a domestic help in Panoor, but that job is gone now. For any need , whether to buy provisions or visit a hospital , she must crawl her way to the road. Neighbours help by delivering her rations.

Her modest home is adapted to her needs, with stove and other essentials placed at a height accessible to her. Despite her struggles and lack of support, Shobha voices no complaints. The timely disability pension, she says, at least keeps her free from hunger.

K P Savithri, councilor of ward two confirmed that Shobha is the only resident in the ward without a home of her own. Her lack of land ownership excluded her from the Life Mission housing project. Though an application was submitted to include her in the housing scheme for the landless, there has been little progress so far, the councilor says.