Where Has Human Compassion and Humanity Gone? How Long Will the System Keep Crawling?
How Paralyzed is the System?
Keonjhar (Odisha), Sep 25: In a heart-wrenching incident from Keonjhar district, Odisha, an 80-year-old woman was forced to crawl nearly two kilometers from her home to the local panchayat office to collect her old-age pension. The elderly woman, identified as Pathuri Dehury, a resident of Raisuan gram panchayat, is unable to walk due to her age and health issues.
A video showing Dehury crawling on a village road has gone viral, drawing widespread attention on social media. The distressing scene has sparked outrage over the plight of the elderly in rural areas.
Local authorities, including Raisuan gram panchayat sarpanch Bagun Champia, responded after seeing the incident featured on television news and in newspapers. Champia confirmed that he had verified with local villagers that Dehury’s inability to walk is due to her advanced age and related ailments.
Although the Odisha government had previously directed officials to deliver pensions directly to the homes of elderly and disabled beneficiaries, Dehury said that a panchayat official asked her to come to the office to collect her pension. With no other option, she embarked on the arduous journey.
Telkoi Block Development Officer (BDO) Geeta Murmu stated that Dehury’s pension had previously been sent directly to her bank account. However, as her condition worsened and she could no longer visit the bank, local authorities began delivering the pension by hand. Murmu added that the panchayat extension officer has now been instructed to disburse the pension at Dehury’s home each month, and a wheelchair has been provided to her.
In addition, the civil supply assistant will now deliver ration supplies to Dehury’s doorstep, ensuring she receives the essentials without the need to leave her home.
The state government currently provides pensions to over 42 lakh elderly people under schemes such as the Madhu Babu Pension Yojana and the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme.
This is not the first time such an incident has occurred in Odisha. Earlier, a video surfaced showing another elderly woman from Odisha using a plastic chair as a walker to collect her pension. The video caught the attention of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who tweeted about the incident, urging officials to show some compassion and ensure that pensions are delivered to the homes of the elderly.
In January of this year, a similar case was reported from Karnataka, where 77-year-old Girjamma was filmed crawling on the ground to collect her pension. These incidents highlight the continued challenges faced by elderly citizens in accessing basic entitlements like pensions, despite directives and government programs aimed at assisting them.
