With an aim to build a better future for herself, 14-year-old Payal Varganti is studying hard for the SSC board exam. The Maharashtra state board exam will begin on March 2. Payal is one of the many students whose education was affected due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

A resident of a small village in Solapur, located over 400 kilometres away from Mumbai, she had to migrate to Mumbai after her parents lost their daily earnings due to the pandemic-induced lockdown. Payal said her family shifted to Mumbai so that her father, who sold fish in the market, can start working again in order to get some income so she and her siblings can continue her studies.