Bhubaneswar: Leader of Opposition and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik on Friday launched a sharp attack on the BJP government in Odisha, demanding immediate release of social security pensions that have allegedly been delayed for three consecutive months.
In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Naveen expressed “deep concern and anguish” over the non-payment of pensions for three consecutive months, affecting elderly citizens, widows, and persons with disabilities who rely heavily on this support for survival. “The denial of this vital support for three consecutive months has exposed our most vulnerable citizens to severe distress, deprivation, and even the risk of starvation,” he wrote.
The BJD supremo cited the tragic death of 66-year-old widow Sabitri Dora from Chadheyapada village in Beguniapada block of Ganjam district. Family members alleged that she died by suicide after consuming pesticide, driven by depression over not receiving her pension for three months. She had last received payments in March.
Naveen termed the situation “unacceptable in a state committed to protecting its weakest citizens”.
The former Chief Minister slammed the administration for attributing the delays to technical glitches in the portal or software issues, calling it a grave negligence and failure of governance rather than a minor procedural problem. “People’s rights cannot be left at the mercy of technological failures,” he stated, arguing that such lapses expose an abdication of basic governmental responsibility.
Defending his own track record, the BJD chief recalled that during his 24-year tenure, pensions were seamlessly distributed on the 15th of every month, celebrated as “Jan Seva Diwas”. “Beneficiaries received their pensions at the Gram Panchayat level in a transparent and humane manner. In cases where pensioners were unable to attend, officials ensured that the pension amount was delivered directly to their home,” he further wrote.
He noted that his government deliberately resisted pressure to pivot entirely to a bank-based system to preserve transparency, human dignity, and personal accountability, an approach he claims was even commended by the Supreme Court. “The current crisis demonstrates the wisdom of that approach. The stoppage of pensions for three months is not merely a procedural lapse; it represents a serious failure of governance,” he said, urging the Chief Minister to intervene personally.
The Leader of Opposition has demanded that the state government immediately release all outstanding funds via manual disbursement to provide instant relief. He also called for a strict inquiry to fix accountability for the lapse and to ensure that such technological and administrative failures never recur. “I therefore urge you to immediately release all pending pension payments through manual disbursement and ensure that such a situation never recurs. The government must also fix accountability for this lapse and reassure pensioners that their rights will not be compromised in the future,” he added.
