70-year-old woman crawls 2 km to collect her 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 identified as Pathuri Dehury, a resident of Raisuan gram panchayat, cannot walk. A video of Dehury crawling on a village road has gone viral on social media. Raisuan gram panchayat sarpanch Bagun Champia said that he drew the attention of the administration after watching the old woman crawling on the road on television news and seeing her pictures in newspapers.

 

“I have also verified from the villagers that the woman is not able to walk properly due to her age-related aliment,” the Sarpanch said. Though the State Government had earlier issued a directive to officials to deliver the pension of 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 years old 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 said that the old-age pension was earlier sent to Dehury’s bank account.