70-year-old woman crawls 2 km to collect pension in Odisha

A 70-year-old woman in Odisha's Keonjhar district was forced to crawl nearly two kilometres from her home to the panchayat office to collect her old-age pension.

The ailing woman, Pathuri Dehury, a resident of Raisuan gram panchayat, cannot walk.

A video of Dehury crawling on the village road has gone viral on social media.

Raisuan gram panchayat sarpanch Bagun Champia said he drew the attention of the administration after watching the old woman crawl on the road on television news and seeing her pictures in the newspapers.

“I have also verified from the villagers that the woman is not able to walk properly due to her age-related ailment,” the sarpanch said.

Though the state government had earlier issued a directive to officials to deliver the pension of the elderly and disabled beneficiaries at their doorstep, Dehury said a panchayat official had asked her to visit the office to collect the monthly pension.

The woman is 70 and had no other alternative to reach there, according to villagers.

The gram panchayat concerned is under Telkoi block in Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi's home district Keonjhar.

Telkoi block development officer (BDO) Geeta Murmu told PTI that the old-age pension was earlier sent to Dehury's bank account.

However, as she became ill and expressed her inability to visit the bank, the local administration has started disbursing the pension by hand, she said.

Now, the panchayat extension officer has been asked to disburse the old-age pension to Dehury at her home each month. A wheelchair has also been provided to her, the BDO said.

Raisuan sarpanch said the civil supply assistant would provide rations to Dehury at her doorstep.

The state government provides pension to 42 lakh elderly people under schemes like Madhu Babu Pension Yojana and the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme.