Daily-wager’s son gets prosthetic arm from government after citing RTE

Prosthetics are seen at the Artificial Limb Centre in Basra, Iraq February 28, 2018. Picture taken February 28, 2018. REUTERS/Essam Al-Sudani - RC1A6E95CC00

Moneycontrol News

The Right to Education Act has helped a 16-year-old boy get a prosthetic limb from the Government, according to a report by The Times of India.

Ritik is a class 12 student living in a one-room house in Delhi’s Sadar Bazar. Both of his arms were not fully formed as he was born with a congenital deficiency and bilateral elbow disarticulation, according to the report.

“All he needed was a little help,” advocate Ashok Agarwal told the newspaper, who was instrumental in getting Ritik relief from the High Court.

In a public interest litigation (PIL) filed before a bench of acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar, the lawyer had cited the RTE along with Section 17 (g) of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, the report adds.

“The right to education is a fundamental right. So, the means required to achieve and materialise the right are also covered by the Act,” the PIL added.

“I felt like playing cricket and drawing when I first wore it. The hospital handing over the arm to me is a memory I will cherish forever,” Ritik told the newspaper.

His family faced several rejections to get an artificial arm and around dozen schools were not ready to give Ritik admission. Ritik's father, Mahender, is the sole bread winner for the family and earns around Rs 8,000 in a month.

“For getting a prosthetic arm, we knocked on doors of several hospitals. Our efforts took us even to Rajasthan, but there too we faced rejection,” Ritik's mother Usha said.