8-year-old girl donates savings to lockdown-hit poor

An eight-year-old girl here has donated about Rs 25,000 of her savings to the poor who are struggling due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

Dhiya, who dreams of becoming an IAS officer, has been saving up money to purchase a laptop, apparently to prepare for civil services exam, officials in the Collectorate here said.

On hearing about the humanitarian attitude of the girl, Puducherry Collector T Arun invited the Class III student and her parents to his office on Thursday to felicitate her.

The aspiration of the student to sit in the collector's chamber was fulfilled, as Arun let her see for herself how an IAS officer functions.

Earlier, the girl decided to do her bit after she was moved by the plight of the poor who haven't had a morsel to keep them going till the lockdown ends.

So, she decided to use her savings to buy provisions, essential goods and others for distribution to the suffering artists, drivers and other sections of people reeling under poverty, officials said.

With the consent of her parents, the girl spent the amount on the commodities and distributed them to the poor.

She had saved the money given to her as gift from her parents and relatives on various occasions.

With a broad smile and amid applause by all those present including her parents, the girl got a hands-on experience of what it means to be a civil service official when she was allowed access to the Collector's chamber.