A 20-year-old girl pursuing nursing was compelled to end her life due to financial constraints, reports The New Indian Express. Athulya R, a resident of Eliyarackal, Konni in Kerala was disappointed as the banks were not ready to sanction an educational loan which would have helped her continue her studies, said Athulya's uncle Rajesh Kumar.
He further said, "The nursing college authorities had asked her to pay Rs 1.95 lakh for joining the class. Her class is about to begin in August."
The deceased's father owned a small vegetable shop and her mother was an MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) worker. Her elder sister had just finished her BSc Nursing course and her elder brother, Anandhu, is unemployed. A close relative of hers said that it was her dream to secure a job and help her parents. She had been approaching several banks for educational loans but it was not granted and hence, she was forced to take the extreme step.
Charitable trust duped her
After completing her Plus II Commerce course, Athulya went to Bengaluru after a charitable trust promised her admission to General Nursing in a nursing institution in Bengaluru.
A classmate of Athulya said that the agency had promised them that they would make the arrangements for a bank loan and students can gradually repay them after they had completed the course. Though they hoped that they would be salvaged from the situation, they later realised that their fees were not paid by the trust to the respective nursing colleges.
"Though we approached the trust management many times, they made false promises. Finally, we approached the police and registered cases against them. Many of the students had to return to Kerala," she added. She further said that Athulya wanted to pursue the course but due to banks not granting her loans and her family unable to financially support her, she had to take the extreme step.
