A poor family in Himachal Pradesh state in India had to sell their cow, a substantial source of income, for just Rs 6,000 to buy a smartphone so that their two children could stay connected with online studies amid the COVID-19 lockdown.

The man, Kuldeep Kumar, belonging to the Scheduled Caste lives in a  cowshed at Gummer village in Jwalamukhi tehsil, Kangra district.
His daughter Anu and son Vansh are studying in Class IV and Class II, respectively, in a government school meant to serve the economically weaker section students, who are entitled to free education.

As the schools across the state started online classes in the wake of the pandemic, his children do not have a smartphone or internet connections to keep up with online learning.

"I purchased a smartphone for the children to continue the study," Kumar, from whom the Right to Education Act holds no relevance, told IANS.

"I was feeling bad that I could not afford a device for my children so that they could attend online classes.

"So I decided to sell one of my cows for Rs 6,000," an emotional Kumar said.

He earns his livelihood by selling milk and his wife is a daily-wage earner.

Before parting with the cow, Kumar and his family knocked on banks and private lenders to get a loan to buy a smartphone.

"With the switch from classroom teaching to online education, teachers are putting pressure on us that if you want to pursue education for your children, you have to buy a device. With no means of getting a smartphone with our meagre means, we finally decided to sell a cow," he said.

Now, he has the lone cow to support his family.

 (IANS)