In a heartwarming gesture, Bapatla District Collector J Venkata Murali offered emotional and financial support to an orphaned engineering student, Pamuju Pavan, from Hastinapuram village in Chirala mandal.

Pavan, a fourth-year engineering student in Bapatla, lost his mother Venkata Sireesha, who had been working as a village federation assistant, following a prolonged illness, stated a report by The New Indian Express.

Sireesha had single-handedly raised Pavan after her husband abandoned the family. Her sudden demise left the student devastated and without any support. On learning of his situation, the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) adopted Pavan under the Poverty-Free Panchayat (P4) initiative — the first such instance in the district.

As part of the support, Chirala village federation members contributed Rs 50,000, handed over to Pavan by the collector. Personally meeting him, Murali offered reassurance and promised continued assistance. He also praised DRDA Project Director Srinivas Rao and his team for their response and timely action, according to the report by The New Indian Express.