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A shocking case has come to light from the Jhadol area of Udaipur in Rajasthan. 55-year-old Rekha Galbeliya gave birth to her 17th child on Tuesday (25 August). Rekha has given birth to 16 children so far, but out of them, 4 sons and 1 daughter died soon after birth. Currently, many children are alive in the family, of which 5 are married and have their own children.

Rekha's daughter, Sheela Kanbaliya, says that they always faced difficulties due to such a large family. Sheela said, "When people come to know that our mother has so many children, everyone is shocked. We have to struggle every moment."

Family burdened with debt

Rekha's husband, Kanwara Kanbelia, earns a living for the family by collecting junk. He said that to run the household, he had to take a loan from moneylenders at 20 percent interest. Kanwara said, "I have paid lakhs of rupees, but still have not been able to pay the interest in full. It becomes difficult to feed the children."

The family does not even have a house of their own. They were sanctioned a house under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, but as the land is not in their name, they are still homeless.

Children missed studies

Due to financial difficulties, the family was unable to educate their children. Kanwara said, “We neither have enough food nor enough money for our children's education. Marriages also pose a lot of problems. Everyday problems break us down.”

The truth hidden in the hospital

Dr Roshan Darangi, a gynaecologist at Jhadol Community Health Centre, said that when Rekha was admitted to the hospital, the family misrepresented her medical history. “Initially, the family said it was their fourth child. Later, it was revealed that it was their 17th child,” he said.

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