It’s raining dollars, riyals, dinars in Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh

Once stricken with poverty, the people of Wazirganj area of Gonda district in Uttar Pradesh are now dealing in dinars, yens, rials and dollars. Their slums have turned into pucca houses and their children are receiving higher education like never before. The dreams of these poor people have taken wings with the help of just one person - software engineer Dipen Sinha.

Sinha, a resident of Naubasta in Wazirganj of Gonda district, has helped the people of the region get employed on foreign soil. Sinha has a software company based in New Jersey, USA. He has sent a large number of people to Colombo, Singapore, Indonesia, Dubai and other countries for a livelihood.

Mohammad Wasim of Jagdishpur Katra village is running a restaurant in Damascus, Syria.

Three brothers of Bhagohar village are involved in a haircutting job in Saudi Arabia.

More than two hundred people of Wazirganj have moved to foreign locations for livelihood in the recent past. In more than half a dozen countries, the skills of these Indians have helped them find suitable work.

Gauria village in Wazirganj has now become a role model with 30 residents of the village working abroad and sending remittances which have changed the face of the area.

Standing at the bottom of the economic development index in Uttar Pradesh due to sheer poverty, Gonda district, which is still bearing the curse of illiteracy, is now witnessing a wave of change due to money pouring in from foreign countries.

Backwardness has slowly started to fade away and pucca houses have replaced slums in the area.

Pankaj Dubey, manager of Gonda's Naubasta industry, said, "Dipen Sinha has become the role model in our area today. It is because of him that many people have found employment abroad. They have also set up a factory here which employs a lot of people."

He said that many people are preparing to go to different countries for a livelihood. More than two hundred have applied for passports. And it is just the beginning.