Odisha: Elderly Woman Mortgages Ration, Pension Cards For Rs 14,000 For Son’s Treatment

Nabarangpur: Stung by poverty, a 70-year-old woman was compelled to mortgage the ration and old-age pension cards for her the treatment of her son in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district.

A sum of Rs 14,000 could be raised by Sulochana Khara, a resident of Gadabaguda village under Tentulikhunti block in the tribal-dominated district, by mortgaging the ration and pension for the treatment of her son’s broken leg.

The elderly woman got Rs 8,000 against her son’s ration card, while Rs 6,000 was procured by putting her own old-age pension card as mortgage.

After the incident came to light, the administration swung into action and took immediate steps to recover both the cards and provide necessary assistance for the treatment of the woman’s ailing son, Nayan Khara, officials said on Sunday.

After the death of her husband a few years ago, Nayan was the only hope for Sulochana, she said. Her son was working as a tailor to eke out a living.

However, the mother-son duo suffered a major setback when Nayan broke his leg in an accident around three years ago. He was virtually left bed-ridden and was unable to do anything without the help of his mother.

In order to arrange medical treatment for her son, Sulochana first mortgaged the ration card for Rs 8,000 and took him to Koraput hospital. However, the money was not enough  and she mortgaged her old-age pension card for Rs 6,000.

Noting that the woman was forced to take such a step due to severe financial constraints, villagers sought proper assistance from the Government to ensure that Nayan gets medical treatment.

Block Development Officer (BDO) of Tentulikhunti, Duryodhana Bhoi said as soon as the administration received information about the incident, steps were taken to get back the ration and pension cards.

Stating that necessary help and financial assistance is being extended to Nayan for his treatment, he said Rs 5,000 has already been provided to the family and arrangements are being made to send the man either to MKCG Medical College and Hospital at Berhampur or a Bhubaneswar hospital for proper treatment.