Under Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj’s Annapurna campaign, cancer-stricken tractor operator gets a fully furnished pucca house in Mandi
Munish Sood
Mandi: For Hemraj and his family in Baihna village of Balh tehsil, the handing over of the keys to a new house on September 27 marked the end of years of uncertainty and the beginning of a more secure life.
Hemraj, who worked as a tractor operator to support his family, developed cancer and was eventually left without an income. With no other earning member in the family, his family was forced to live in extremely difficult circumstances in a makeshift tin shelter.
His nine-year-old son and two-year-old daughter had been growing up amid poverty, with the family struggling to meet even their basic needs.
A new ray of hope came through the Muninder Dharmarth Trust under the banner of Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj’s Annapurna campaign, through which a pucca house was constructed for the family. The keys to the new house were handed over to the family by local MLA Inder Singh Gandhi on September 27.
Inder Singh Gandhi remained present throughout the ceremony and appreciated the initiative taken by the Muninder Dharmarth Trust and the volunteers associated with Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj. He said that helping a family facing such difficult circumstances and providing it with a permanent home was a meaningful form of social service. He appreciated the emphasis on extending assistance to needy families and said that such efforts could bring dignity and hope to people who were struggling to meet their basic needs.
The initiative, however, went beyond simply providing a roof over the family’s head. The new house was handed over with essential household items already in place, allowing the family to move in without the additional financial burden of furnishing it.
The kitchen has been equipped with a stove and utensils, while the rooms have beds, bedding, tables, chairs and other essential household articles. What was once an uncertain existence under a tin roof has now been replaced by a proper home equipped for everyday living.
For Hemraj, who has been battling cancer while watching his family struggle financially, the house represents security at a time when his own ability to earn has been severely affected. For his young children, it offers something equally important—a safe and permanent place to live, study and grow.
The Annapurna campaign focuses on extending support to economically weaker and helpless families through basic necessities such as food, clothing, shelter, education and medical assistance. Under the campaign, needy families without adequate housing are provided pucca houses, while food, ration, educational material and other assistance are also extended wherever required.
The Muninder Dharmarth Trust and volunteers associated with the campaign have also undertaken various social-service activities in Mandi and other parts of Himachal Pradesh, including blood donation camps, cleanliness drives, assistance to needy people and campaigns aimed at discouraging substance abuse. Dowry-free marriages have also been organised as part of efforts to promote simple and socially responsible practices.
But in Baihna, the impact of the initiative can be seen most clearly in one family’s transformation—from a life spent under a tin shelter to the possession of a permanent, fully furnished home.
For Hemraj’s family, the keys handed over on September 27 were not just keys to a house. They represented a measure of dignity, security and hope after some of the most difficult years of their lives.
