Keonjhar: In a heart-wrenching incident from Odishas Keonjhar district, an 80-year-old woman was forced to crawl nearly 2 kilometers to collect her old-age pension, despite a government directive for home delivery of benefits to the elderly and disabled. The incident has sparked outrage, prompting local authorities to take immediate corrective measures.Elderly womans crawls on raod in Keonjhar, video surfacesPathuri Dehury, a resident of Raisuan gram panchayat in the Telkoi block, has been struggling with mobility due to her advanced age and illness. Deprived of proper assistance, she found herself in a desperate situation when no one arrived at her home to deliver the pension, as mandated by government guidelines. The elderly woman had no choice but to crawl to the panchayat office to collect the money that she and her family depend on for daily expenses.“We survive on this pension. When no one came to give it to me, I had no other option but to crawl the 2km to the panchayat office,” Pathuri shared, highlighting the failure of local authorities to adhere to the states directives for pension delivery.80-year-old woman was forced to crawl nearly 2 km to panchayat office in Telkoi block of Odishas Keonjhar to collect her old-age pension, despite a government directive to deliver the allowances to homes of elderly and disabled beneficiaries.@CMO_Odisha @BJP4Odisha… pic.twitter.com/DbtXXIrU74— Siddhant Anand (@JournoSiddhant) September 24, 2024Local authorities respond after incidentFollowing the incident, Raisuan sarpanch Bagun Champia expressed regret and assured the public that immediate steps would be taken to ensure this does not happen again. Champia informed that the Panchayat Extension Officer (PEO) and supply assistants have been instructed to ensure that allowances and rations are delivered to Pathuris home from next month.Geeta Murmu, the Block Development Officer (BDO) of Telkoi, emphasized that measures are being taken to prevent similar occurrences. We have directed PEOs to ensure that allowances are disbursed to elderly and disabled beneficiaries who are unable to travel to the gram panchayat offices, Murmu said.Commitment to ensure future complianceThe incident underscores the challenges faced by vulnerable citizens in rural areas who rely on government support for their livelihoods. With promises from local authorities to rectify the situation, the focus now shifts to ensuring that all eligible beneficiaries receive their dues without having to endure such hardships in the future.
