Bhubaneswar: The Koraput administration on Sunday ordered a probe into the death of an 83-year-old woman on the previous morning after walking three kilometre to a bank to collect her old age pension.
Sub-Collector Benudhar Sabar has also directed the BDOs to prepare a list of bedridden and extremely elderly persons and provide them cash at their doorsteps.
“The elderly woman’s death is indeed heartbreaking. I had earlier requested officials to change her central scheme and provide assistance at her doorstep under the state government scheme. But, for some reason, it could not be done. Now also, I directed the BDO to make a list of bed-ridden and extremely elderly patients and change their schemes from central to state government so that they can be provided with cash at their doorsteps,” he said.
Octogenarian Kanta Melaka had her pension account with Utkal Gramya Bank branch of Bandhugaon. She had apparently gone to the bank to find out if her monthly pension has been deposited. She, however, could not do any transaction due to heavy rush and returned home. She reportedly caught a severe cold after returning from the bank and collapsed in the wee hours of the day.
“Money was being transferred to her account under the central National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) scheme which she would withdraw from time to time as per her requirements. This is indeed a sad incident and we will try to extend help for her final rites,” said Bandhugaon BDO Avinash Biswajit Sethi.
In May 2023, the Odisha government has asked banks to share transaction data and ensure payment at the doorsteps in case of failure in disbursement of social security pension, days after the video of an elderly woman walking barefoot with the support of a plastic chair to collect her pension from Jharigaon branch of SBI went viral.
