Banki: A woman allegedly attempted self-immolation during a public grievance meeting chaired by Cuttack Collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde in Odisha’s Banki on Monday
The aggrieved woman, Sasmita Majhi of Baideswar village in Banki block, poured petrol on herself, claiming she had been harassed by officials and denied her rights under National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS) following the death of her husband two years ago. The attempt, however, was thwarted by the alert PSO of the Collector.
Under this scheme, financial assistance is provided to the bereaved households in case of the death of the primary breadwinner irrespective of the cause of death.
The woman alleged that she was being made to run from pillar to post wi
th her son despite having submitted all the required documents. She had earlier visited the offices of BDO, Tehsildar and even the Collector but her requests remained pending due to procedural issues, including delay in the issuance of the legal heir certificate.
Speaking to the media, the Collector said that the woman had applied for the NFBS about seven months ago. “The benefit is awarded to the dependents. Besides the woman, who is staying with her parents, the elderly mother of the deceased also has none to take care of her. This had led to a dispute. She also did not have the legal heir certificate which delayed the process,” he said.
Shinde, however, added that the dispute has now been resolved with the parties agreeing to divide the benefit among them.
This comes days after Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi issued a stern directive to the collectors to crack down on corruption and focus on good governance for restoring people’s confidence in the administration. Majhi also laid out a clear roadmap — actively engage with citizens and prioritise grievance redressal at the district level by increasing field visits.