Rayagada: A bedridden woman with disability in Rayagada, who was deprived of full pension, has finally received the entitled amount after a report in this connection was published in Orissa POST.
Renuka Naik, 20, of Nehru Nagar in Rayagada, has been paralysed since birth due to a neurological condition. She had been receiving a monthly pension of Rs 1,200 based on her 2013 disability certificate, which recorded 80 per cent disability.
After the formation of the new BJP government, the pension for persons with 80 per cent or more disability was raised to Rs3,500 per month. However, despite being issued a new certificate March 26 this year showing 90 per cent disability, Renuka continued to receive only Rs1,200 until this week. She had never received government assistance for her medical treatment. Her case drew attention after lawyer Gauri Patnaik, for whom Renuka’s mother works, provided her with a modern bed and flagged the issue.
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Odia daily Dharitri (August 10) and English daily Orissa POST (August 13) carried reports highlighting how Renuka was denied the higher pension despite possessing the updated certificate.
Following the reports, Rayagada Executive Officer Kuldeep Kumar, acting on instructions from senior officials, visited Renuka’s home August 14 and handed over the revised pension of `3,500 in the presence of Patnaik.
District Social Security Officer Srikant Panigrahi and the executive officer also apprised Sub-Collector Ramesh Jena, who approved the enhanced pension.
Social activists noted that many persons with disabilities in the district face similar issues because welfare schemes fail to reach them. They have demanded a district-wide survey to identify all eligible beneficiaries and ensure they receive government support.
PNN
