Stone Miners Risk Their Lives for Just Re 1, Help Rana Restore Their Dignity

In the heart of Rajasthan lies Budhpura — a village soaked in pain, loss, and stolen childhoods. Many children here have lost their parents to silicosis and collapsing mines, deadly consequences of working in hazardous sandstone mines. Now, these children work alongside their surviving family members, carrying heavy loads for just Rs. 1.50 per stone. Childhood is sacrificed to survive.

“I bring my children to the mines. One of them is very young. I know I’m stealing their childhood, but what choice do I have?” says a mother with tears in her eyes.

The dust from the sandstone scars their lungs forever. Silicosis, a deadly disease with no cure, creeps silently, slowly taking their breath away. Many children are weak from malnutrition and addicted to tobacco — habits learned as a desperate way to survive the harsh realities around them.

“I cough constantly, but if I stop working, we go hungry,” a boy whispers.

This story isn’t unique to Budhpura. Across Rajasthan’s mineral-rich lands, mining is the only source of income — and a death sentence. Children here are trapped in a cycle of poverty and illness, their futures crushed beneath the very stones that took their parents’ lives.

“We don’t have a voice. And even if we did, no one listens,” says Vishnu, a mine worker.