In another heartwarming gesture, actor Sonu Sood on Sunday provided a tractor to a farmer in Andhra Pradesh within hours after he learnt that the farmer was using his daughters for ploughing as he couldn't afford to rent bulls.
As a video of the farmer's daughters ploughing the field by working like bulls with yoke on their shoulders went viral over social media, Sonu Sood promised Sunday morning that the family will get a tractor by evening.
True to his promise, the actor ensured that the tractor reached the farmer's family in Mahalrajuvari Palle village in Chittoor district.
He had tweeted on Saturday night that by Sunday morning the farmer will have a pair of oxen. "By tomorrow morning he will have a pair of oxen to plough the fields. Let the girls focus on their education," he had tweeted.
However, in the morning he tweeted: "This family doesn't deserve a pair of ox.. They deserve a tractor. So sending you one. By evening a tractor will be ploughing your fields. Stay blessed".
A video of a tomato farmer had gone viral on social media on Saturday, in which he was seen using his teenage daughter in place of bulls for ploughing. Veerathallu Nageswara Rao had no money to rent bulls for ploughing as he suffered huge losses during COVID-19 induced lockdown. He was forced to use his daughters Vennela (class 12) and Chandana (class X) in place of bulls while he was holding the blade for softening the earth and his wife Lalitha was spraying seeds.
However, going by the reports of an eminent news organization 'The Hindu', the financial condition of Rao is alright. As per The Hindu quoted, KV Palle, Mandal Parishad Development Officer S. Manohar Raju. He said after being alerted by the officials at the Secretariat, he had verified the facts.
A voluntary act: MPDO
“The media reports that the family is impoverished and could not afford to engage oxen or a tractor to plough the field is absolutely false. The family voluntarily did it. I was informed that the family wanted to have the experience as a sweet memory. The family have confessed that they never expected the issue would take such a turn,” he said, adding that the family came to their native village for a temporary stay.
Few users on social media highlighted the same thing. A user wrote, "Seems @ncbn and Lokesh misguided @SonuSoodabt their financial condition and MRO clarified that they are getting all Govt benefits, entitled under @YSRCParty Navaratanas. Anyhow one should appriciate the good gesture of gentleman Sonu Bhai."