Madhya Pradesh: Vijay Kumar Chansauria made the headlines in the year 2022 for donating his pension savings of Rs 40 lakh to underprivileged children. He received praise from every person who heard about his story. Being from a humble background himself, he knew the struggles one goes through to make a living for one’s family. 

Who is Vijay Kumar Chansauria?

Vijay Kumar is a resident of Tikuria village of Panna district. His father was a farmer and he was the eldest among his five siblings. Educating five children with minimal wages that his father made as a farmer, was an incredibly gruelling task. Due to extreme poverty, Vijay Kumar had to put his studies on hold for three years. 

After completing his elementary school education, he started selling milk to support his household financially. He even drove a rickshaw and managed to save some money to pursue his studies further. In the year 1982, he earned a master’s degree in political science. The following year, he got a job as a primary school teacher. 

Vijay Kumar’s career

Vijay was appointed as an assistant teacher in Rakseha. He observed that most students gave up education after class 10 in the village due to financial constraints. Farming and resources from forests were what people relied on. 

Witnessing the plight, Vijay decided to support the financially weaker students to help them pursue their higher studies. He promised to himself that with his PF account’s maturity, he will donate the entire amount to the welfare of village students. Instead of depositing Rs 10 thousand every month to the general properties fund, he started depositing Rs 20 thousand. 

Donating the money

Vijay Kumar shares that a trust was formed with the donated money. There are 11 people in the trust including Vijay, Sarpanch, teacher, and headmaster. When asked if he could have utilized his savings elsewhere, he mentions that he grew up with a will to help others through their difficult times. He considers this as a charity work that can help give a new ray of hope to a student’s life. He believes that education is a powerful tool that can be used to break away from the shackles of poverty.