Rahul Gandhi to 'adopt' 22 children orphaned by Pakistani shelling
What's the story
Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has decided to adopt 22 children from Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. These children lost their parents or sole breadwinners due to the cross-border conflict during Operation Sindoor. The educational expenses of these children will be fully borne by Gandhi till they complete their graduation, The Indian Express reported.
Aid details
First installment of financial aid to be released this week
Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Tariq Hamid Karra said that the first installment of financial aid will be released this week. The aim is to ensure that these children can continue their education without any interruptions. During a visit to Poonch in May, Gandhi had asked local party leaders to identify the affected children. A survey was conducted and names were finalized after cross-checking government records.
Visit impact
Gandhi spoke to the children, offered words of comfort
He also visited Christ Public School where he met the classmates of 12-year-old twins Urba Fatima and Zain Ali who died in the shelling. "I feel very, very proud of you.....Now, you feel a little bit of danger, a little frightened, but don't worry, everything will go back to normal...Your way of responding to this should be to study really hard, play really hard and make a lot of friends in school," he was quoted as saying by the outlet.
Conflict response
What is Operation Sindoor?
Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 after the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people on April 22. During the operation, India targeted nine terror hubs in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and Pakistan, neutralizing over 100 terrorists. Poonch was one of the regions severely affected by Pakistani bombardment, and several civilians, including children, were injured. A ceasefire understanding between India and Pakistan was reached on May 10 after the operations.