Balangir: Odisha minister Nityananda Gond had assured elderly people that their pension would be delivered at their doorstep.
However, all beneficiaries are not so lucky.
In fact, the reality on the ground has been quite harsh for a differently-abled woman in Balangir district.
In a distressing sight, Surekha Nayak from Patamunda panchayat under Patnagarh block was spotted crawling to collect her monthly pension due to a lack of transportation.
On Saturday, local people saw Surekha, from Pandesara village, dragging herself on the road to reach the pension-disbursing centre. Some kind-hearted souls gave her a ride on a tractor to the location in Gudapadar, according to sources.
This is not the first time Surekha has faced such hardship. To collect her pension of Rs 1000, she has to spend Rs 300 to 400 on auto fares every month.
“Sometimes I have to make multiple trips, at times three to four times in a month. How much do I have left to survive on after paying for travel?” she asked. On Saturday, she was forced to crawl her way as she couldn’t find a vehicle.
Surekha has to fend for herself as she lives alone following the death of her husband.
According to the villagers, repeated appeals and deputations to the Block Development Officer (BDO) and District Social Security Officer (DSSO) to arrange doorstep delivery of elderly people’s pension have yielded no result.
“What is the use of a ‘double engine government’ if a differently-abled senior citizen has to crawl for kilometres to receive her rightful pension? There is also frequent delay in the disbursal,” complained a local, referring to BJP coming to power for the first time in Odisha last year.
BDO and DSSO offices could not be reached for comment.
Last September, a 65-year-old woman in Keonjhar’s Raisuan gram panchayat faced a similar plight and had to crawl nearly two kilometres to collect her pension.
After the media highlighted the incident, the district administration arranged for doorstep delivery of pension and ration supplies.
Gond, minister for Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, had announced earlier that pensions under the Madhu Babu Pension Yojana would be delivered directly to elderly beneficiaries at their homes.
The execution has obviously not been perfect yet.
