VIDEO: Drought-Hit Latur Couple Receives Support After Viral Appeal

Latur: An elderly couple in Latur district, who were struggling to arrange food and drinking water despite owning 12 acres of agricultural land, have started receiving assistance after their plight went viral on social media.

Baburao Limbaji Kadam (80) and his wife, Subhabai Kadam (70), residents of Bodka village in Latur tehsil, had alleged that their two sons, Dattatraya and Shamsundar, had failed to look after them and were not complying with an administrative order directing them to pay monthly maintenance.

The couple had approached the Sub-Divisional Officer and Magistrate under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, seeking financial support from their sons. An initial order was issued on September 18, 2024, followed by a final order by the District Collector on January 21, 2025, directing the sons to pay ₹4,000 each every month.

However, the couple alleged that their sons had not made regular payments and had deposited only ₹20,000 to ₹25,000 into their father's bank account on one or two occasions. They further alleged that their sons had obtained a share in their agricultural land and subsequently stopped supporting them.

The elderly couple said they were finding it difficult to arrange food and drinking water and meet medical expenses. They also alleged that repeated appeals to the administration had failed to ensure the implementation of the maintenance order. They had threatened to launch an indefinite hunger strike outside the Sub-Divisional Officer's office if their grievances remained unresolved.

Following reports of their plight, Rajiv Kasbe, state president of the Krantikari Shetkari Sanghatana, visited the couple and provided grocery supplies sufficient for five to six months. He assured them that the organisation would continue to support them until the drought situation improves.

The couple was overwhelmed with emotion during the visit. Meanwhile, a Shiv Sena functionary said that party chief and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had decided to adopt the elderly couple and extend assistance to them.